Pistons' revenue down

Ken Berger, CBS Sports, posted an article about the declining ticket revenue in the NBA. He writes,

"The hardest-hit franchise so far is the Detroit Pistons, whose net average gate receipts are down a staggering 42.8 percent year-over-year, according to the figures reported by teams to the league office. The Pistons made an average of $537,263 per game on ticket sales through their first eight home games, down from $938,833 at the same point last season. The Pistons, located in the epicenter of joblessness, have seen paid attendance slip 22 percent, to 14,821 from 18,993 in the first month of 2008-09."

According to those numbers the Pistons' ticket sales are going to take quite a hit if the trend continues. It's hard to say what implications this might have. Obviously Michigan has been hit pretty hard recently. If the Pistons get back over .500, and continue to play well, maybe revenue will increase. However, shedding some payroll - a la 'The Big Dombrowski' - may be more likely. If this story makes its way to Dumars you can expect the standard "we're not going to make decisions based on ticket sales" GM rhetoric.

~ Matt Penridge