Despite Griffin having a career year in his first full season with the Pistons, bringing the star to Detroit hasn't necessarily panned out as Gores envisioned.
Gores called Griffin a "bona fide superstar" at the time of the trade. His numbers this year -- averaging a career-best 26.5 points, a solid 8.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game -- don't disagree. But the team has not performed like it has a bona fide superstar on its roster.
Speaking to reporters at halftime Tuesday night, Gores continually praised Griffin for both his numbers and his leadership, but did admit the team has to do better.
Having lost four of their last five, the Pistons sit three games out of the playoff picture.
But Gores says he still believes the Pistons can and should make the playoffs.
“I think we’ve got work to do. We’re not winning enough," Gores said Tuesday. "But there’s something here that we can build on. And if you look at Andre and Blake together, how do you find those two players together? We’ve got to work it out. And Dwane will do it, coach Casey will do it.”
Gores did not rule out the possibility of the Pistons making some noise before the Feb. 7 NBA Trade Deadline.
"I have a buyer’s mentality, although I’m open to anything," he said. "So let’s just see what happens."
He added, "There’s nothing there right now for us, but we’re always looking to improve. The fact is, we’re not winning enough, so we’ve got to do something. But at the same time, we’ve had some injuries. We have a lot of things going on.”
While Gores remained vague about the team's intentions at the deadline, he did say he is open to going into the luxury tax, which is an extra surcharge for NBA teams that go over the league's "soft salary cap." The luxury tax level is set at $123.733 million this season, and currently the Pistons are right up against it.
“I hope we can go into the luxury tax, is what I'm hoping for, that there is a big enough move for us to do something," Gores said. "For me, it’s all about moving this team forward.”
The Pistons started the season on a roll with a four-game win streak. Even after promptly losing five straight, the team still sat six games above .500 on Dec. 1. Since then, they have gone 8-21.
The only constant during that stretch -- really, all season -- has been Griffin, who led the team in scoring in 23 of those 29 games.
Gores was right -- he did find a bona fide superstar in Griffin, but the rest of the team has left Pistons fans with a rough team to watch, and not a lot to get excited about in terms of team success in the immediate and near futures.