Team owner Tom Gores speaks out on a number of Pistons topics

Tom Gores on draft pick Andre Drummond: “He’s young so we got to make sure we nurture his talent. We’re very excited.”

Gores on the future, the young nucleus of team: “I’m very happy. I feel like we’re very fortunate. It’s amazing we were able to do (put all the players together).”

More Gores on future: “I get really excited about doing things great in the long run; it’s not a moment thing. So I get excited about doing things in the long run and bring the Pistons back to where they ought to be. I think we’re making an impact. We’re making a small impact. Our job is not done. We got a lot to do.”

Gores on the job statuses of Joe Dumars and Lawrence Frank, and his expectation of making the playoffs: “Yes, I expect to (make the playoffs). It’s the way I like to live every single day – expectations very, very high. I think we have a nucleus here, a great organization, and we’ll get our fanbase back and energized. We have a great organization. Lawrence and Joe are communicating tremendously, so I expect (the playoffs) absolutely.”

On if there’s a playoff ultimatum: “There’s no ultimatum. I’ve never operated on ultimatums. I’ve operated on doing the right thing. The right thing every single day, and whatever the result is, the result is. There are no ultimatums.”

On the Pistons’ trade – Ben Gordon for Corey Maggette: “It gave us some flexibility. The organization is going through a transformation. We’re really defining our strategy right now. Ben is a great play, and he could probably do better somewhere else. ”