Flip Saunders Fired!

[HD MM]

ESPN - Pistons say Flip Saunders won't return as coach - NBA

 

[mccoyrj]

ESPN - Pistons say Flip Saunders won't return as coach - NBA

Owners want that title baby!

 

[jcrandall]

I'm actaully suprised by this, hmph

I just don't understand how you can make it to the conference finals and lose your job.

 

[HD MM]

Cleveland Sport's Talk and message boards are lighting up in a plea to bring Flip to the Cav's as an Offensive Advisory role......

 

[yourbeliefs]

Rather surprising, but not shocking.

You know the BULLS have an opening for a coach...:

 

[Ramy]

I don't understand it either.

 

[.O.]

Could he wind up coaching the Suns?

 

[yourbeliefs]

I don't understand it either.

Well just to play Devil's Advocate for a minute, if you look at the numbers, the decision isn't not completely without merit.

The Pistons have been to at least the conference finals each year since 2003. They won the NBA Title in 2004 (in an upset victory over that star-packed Lakers team,) and then lost in the finals in 7 games in 2005. This was under Larry Brown (remember him?) Flip Saunders came on for 2006, and each year, they have lost in the conference finals, and they have lost 4-2 each time.

This means that the Pistons have essentially gone no where these past 3 years. They have made it to the exact same place 3 years in a row. When you're a team as revered as the Pistons who is always in the talk every year as a potential NBA champion, and you can't even make it to the Finals, that represents a problem. You can't keep hitting that EXACT same barrier each year with a team that talented and expect to keep your job.

I'm not saying that Flip is a bad coach, and you can point to a bunch of other factors to counter what I'm about to say, but the fact still remains that the Pistons have gone downhill ever since Larry Brown left... They have never reached the same heights they did when he was there since.

Sometimes a change is needed in situations like this.

 

[jgags6]

there actually has been alot of talk about Flip coming to Chicago....I hope he does, i believe hell be better than Doug Collins.

 

[B_Kranski]

I remember when he used to coach the La Crosse catbirds...(CBA) they were good back then and now there is no BB in La Crosse.

 

[Peter Parker]

Well just to play Devil's Advocate for a minute, if you look at the numbers, the decision isn't not completely without merit.

The Pistons have been to at least the conference finals each year since 2003. They won in 2004, and then lost in 7 games in 2005. This was under Larry Brown (remember him?) Flip Saunders came on for 2006, and each year, they have lost in the conference finals, and they have lost 4-2 each time.

This means that the Pistons have essentially gone no where these past 3 years. They have made it to the exact same place 3 years in a row. .

Yeah but it ain't such a bad place. I suspect he will find another job if he wants one and who knows maybea new coach can light a fire under the pistons.

 

[salsadancer7]

Not like it's HIS fault the starting 5 is getting old.

 

[vurbano]

I'm actaully suprised by this, hmph

I just don't understand how you can make it to the conference finals and lose your job.

lose it badly 3 years in a row and have nothing better to point to in your entire career.

 

[yourbeliefs]

lose it badly 3 years in a row and have nothing better to point to in your entire career.

Indeed, as ESPN.Com reminds us:

"Before coming to Detroit, Saunders was 411-326 with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 1995-05. He led them to eight straight postseason appearances -- seven first-round exits and an appearance in the 2004 conference finals. After leading Minnesota to a franchise-high 58 wins, he was fired with a 25-26 mark in the 2004-05 season."

 

[BigTimMN]

Saunders will sit at home next season, collect his 4.5 million and recharge his batteries, he will then be ready to jump into coaching again.

Would be nice if Glen Taylor would realized he fired the wrong former Gopher back when Saunders got the hook, and fire McHale and bring back Saunders in the GM role for the Wolves.

 

[iceturkee]

i'm still trying to figure out why in the heck you would bring doug collins back. i was stationed in chicago when collins was head coach. they didn't like him them because owners thought the rest of the team (besides MJ) was sleepwalking!

remember the pistons fired rick carlisle too. and he had a decent record, except he didn't win a championship!

 

[SabresRule]

Before the series started, I said the following:

"Celtics in 6. NEVER trust a team coached by Flip Saunders."

Looks like I had it right.

For the record, ONE win on the road in the Conference Finals as a coach, and he was fortunate Billups and Hamilton were lights out in that game.

 

[Jimbo]

Before the series started, I said the following:

"Celtics in 6. NEVER trust a team coached by Flip Saunders."

Looks like I had it right.

For the record, ONE win on the road in the Conference Finals as a coach, and he was fortunate Billups and Hamilton were lights out in that game.

You made a point about Billips and Hamilton being lights out, but you failed to mention that Billups played injured for most of the last series, things may have been different had he not came up lame.

 

[riffjim4069]

I can't fault the Pistons getting rid of Saunders, but they need to do a little more house cleaning. Personally, I have been hoping they would have dumped McDyess long ago.

 

[HD MM]

Assistant Michael Curry, Saunders Successor?

Read full article: HERE.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- In the morning, the Detroit Pistons fired Flip Saunders. By the afternoon, the players were put on notice.

"I'm not going to sit here and make Flip the scapegoat," president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said Tuesday. "Everybody is in play."

Dumars publicly put his entire lineup on the trading block, less than a week after the Pistons lost in the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight year.

Among those available: four players who have been together since winning the 2004 NBA title together, plus another starter who just finished his fourth season with the team.

"There are no sacred cows here," Dumars said. "You lose that sacred-cow status when you lose three straight years."

Saunders signed a four-year contract worth up to $26 million three years ago. His deal came less than a day after Detroit finalized terms of Larry Brown's $7 million severance package after he helped the Pistons win a title and almost repeat in his two seasons.

Pistons assistant Michael Curry will be named Saunders' successor, a source close to the Pistons told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. Curry is a former Pistons player and official in the players' union.

Other candidates mentioned include fired Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson and Terry Porter, another assistant last season in Detroit and a former Milwaukee Bucks coach.

"I'm going to talk to a few people this week," Dumars said. "As we normally do, we'll act quickly. This will not be a long, drawn-out process."