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Pistons hope new facility can help with free agency

Joe Johnson listed the amenities at the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center . Hot tub. Cold tub. Sauna. Float tank. A float what? A float tank, which is jargon for a sensory deprivation chamber, thought to promote relaxation and recovery. Johnson didn’t mention the two basketball courts, the barber’s suite, the full-service kitchen with personal chefs and many other features. Johnson, who has witnessed the recent openings of facilities in Utah and Brooklyn, is amazed. “This is hands down the best one,” Johnson said after the Pistons conducted their first practice Tuesday at the facility, which opened Monday. “I’m not just saying that because I’m here. I’ve seen both of them. I don’t think it can compare. This is dope.” The players offered rave reviews after the first practice. They appreciated the open practice space provided by two basketball courts – unlike the former facility in Auburn Hills which had only one. The weight area was beside the courts. The facility, which cost $90 million, is bordered to the north by railroad tracks; moving trains could be seen through the window. Andre Drummond, who has been with the franchise since 2012 , compared the new digs to USA Basketball headquarters on Colorado Springs. “I've been to the USA (Basketball) facility and I think this tops it by a lot,” Drummond said. “I think Tom Gores and the people that had their hands on this facility did an excellent job of giving us a state-of-the-art facility." The Pistons are the latest NBA franchise to either build or propose a new facility, joining the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Timberwolves and others. The facilities are more than just places for players to practice, rehab and work on their games. At Monday’s house warming , Pistons owner Tom Gores, vice chairman Arn Tellem, Detroit mayor Mike Duggan and Henry Ford Health Systems president and CEO Wright L. Lassiter III touted the economic benefits of the development, which will house roughly 250 employees. Hopes are that it will serve as an economic catalyst north of downtown. The facility, which is the largest in the league at 185,000 square feet, will house business operations for the franchise – the next step in a process that began in October 2016 when the Pistons announced they were leaving northern Oakland County to play at Little Caesars Arena. The development partnership with Henry Ford Health System includes a treatment and rehabilitation facility managed by Henry Ford and retail spaces occupied by Plum Market and Blink Fitness. There are also spaces available for community events; Tellem said that roughly 200 events will be scheduled over the next year. The facility located in the New Center neighborhood, approximately two miles north of LCA, where the Pistons have been playing games since 2017. It’s connected to the William Clay Ford Center for Athletic Medicine. The franchise hopes the facility will help recruit free agents. “It doesn’t hurt,” Pistons front office leader Ed Stefanski said. “No doubt this will help us when we get into the free agency period to talk to people, to bring them through the building. There’s a wow factor here, no question.” Follow Vince Ellis on Twitter @vincent_ellis56 . Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter .