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Wilson worked two years under the legendary Jack Kent Cooke of the Lakers. He and a co-worker were the stars of the Lakers sales staff, which worked solely on commission. In his brief stay there, he made considerable money for the times. When the season ended, the two were summoned to Cooke’s office for what they assumed would be a pat on the back – and, very likely, a bonus. Instead Cooke told them they’d never make that much money again, pulled all their files and distributed their business among the rest of the staff.

“Cooke ran an organization by fear,” Wilson said. “That affected (his relationship with Davidson) for years. The first two or three years, when we were really struggling, I kept thinking he was going to come to his senses soon and realize this was a mistake. Cooke fired three-quarters of the people who worked there in the two years I was there, and that figure is probably low. The VP of sales changed five times in two years. There was no trust there; here it’s complete trust. That sort of freedom allows you the daring that you need. If you don’t have the ability to be wrong, you don’t have the ability to be really, really right.”

PISTONS: A Simple Plan