NBA / Jun 3, 2008 / 11:11 am
BREAKING NEWS: Flip Saunders Out in Detroit
ESPN is reporting that Flip Saunders won’t return as the Pistons’ coach next season. This comes one day after Rotoworld wrote that Flip met with Detroit’s GM Joe Dumars, and it appeared that his job was safe for the time being.
So much for that - Flip’s gone now. Come back later for analysis on how this impacts the Pistons’ offseason. At least we know ‘Sheed is happy.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:13 am
fiyaman says:
something had to give… probably more changes to come
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:20 am
sunshine says:
Saunders to phoenix…its perfect for shaq, nash, amare
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 am
Big Freeze says:
for the record, Flip Saunders is a great coach, but he isn’t a hardass like Popavich so sometimes players like Rasheed will take advantage of that and ruin a team. It’s unfortunate that Flip has to suffer for a team that Rasheed has ruined two years in a row in the conf finals. I guess u can’t treat sheed like an adult, you have treat him like a lil kid cuz thats exactly how he acts. Flip just needs to go to Phoenix and he’ll be successful with a group of MATURE veterans who will put winning first.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 am
Daily boy says:
Dumars Better Call Up Avery Johnson!!!
I think Avery would be a good look in The D
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:30 am
DaPro says:
Sheed is my man but they should have gave Flip a chance without Wallace on the team to see how well he does
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:34 am
Logan Light says:
Whoa… Daily Boy hit it on the head. Avery in Detroit? That is a problem for the Eastern Conference. And Flip’s motion offense in Phoenix would be a pretty smooth transition from what Mike was running. Should be interesting…
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:35 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
Big freeze
Shaq is mature? huh? that’s a new one on me.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:37 am
YOUNGFED says:
Time for Lambo.
@Good job Dime that is some breaking news I ain’t even heard that.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:40 am
Myrie says:
I posted on here a few months ago that in 2008-2009, Avery Johnson would be the coach of the Pistons.
I actually posted that BEFORE Avery was even let go by the Mavs.
Expect Avery Johnson to be the new hire.
As for Flip, expect the Atlanta Hawks to give him a good long look.
And..don’t rule out Flip returning to Minnesota.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:41 am
osmosis says:
They should hire Jeff Van Gundy. This is his type of team.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:43 am
yallallreadyknow says:
did i read this roto article properly….
JEFF HORNACEK will be the coach of the chicago bulls after doug collins?
JEFF HORNACEK wants to be a head coach? sheeesh. talk about softy.
does anyone remeber hornaceks fight with jerry stackhouse?
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 am
Sam I Am says:
I think Detroit is def slipping to that 4th or 5th seed now in the East
I don’t see them contending anymore
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:46 am
Austin Burton says:
Would this be the right place for Mark Jackson? They’re a veteran team so his inexperience won’t be as big of a deal, and I think he’d get their respect as a former player that most of them played with. And he can gain his “teaching” experience with guys like Stuckey, Afflalo and Amir.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:46 am
BmoreRvensFan says:
What would be better than the Little General in Deeetroiiittt
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:53 am
D'Antonio says:
I guess everybody thought about this because it is just stating the obvious: Detroit should now hire the Lil’ General.
Btw, the part on Prince in today’s Smack is total BS. How many defensive stoppers do you know that have so much offensive talent? It makes me sick how he is the most overlooked guy in Detroit’s big 4 just because he’s not very comfortable with cameras…
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 am
Zach says:
This should usher in the TOM IZZO era in Detroit. Joe D has to atleast interview him right? (Izzo has always said that this is the only NBA job he would ever take). As a Pistons fan I will be sad if he doesn’t atleast get a serious look.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
YOUNGFED says:
Couldn’t have said it better D’Antonio.
@Myrie
Why should the Get Avery he’s just like Flip. I keep Telling people they should get Lambeer. He’s a winner at everything he does.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Godemus says:
Flip needs to come and coach the Hawks…that would be some fun offense he’d run
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Scott says:
Sheed would eat Mark Jackson.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Big Freeze says:
@ Chuck post 7
yeah, Shaq is a clown off the court, but during the game the Diesel is all business. You don’t see hi getting T’d up at the worst possible moments or being a negative distraction to his team with constant bullshit antics.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Austin
I agree wit scott. Post 19. The only way Mark Jackson would work is if they usher that boy sheed out the front door wit a trade. Dude is good trade bait right now. 13 mil expiring contract. Man o man. But Mark Jackson would be a good fit ONLY if Sheed is gone, I mean he needs to go either way in my opinion.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Kobeef says:
This is going to be a tougher hire than most think.
YOu are recruiting a coach for a team that is on the way down.
I would expect teams like Chicago (who as far as I know are still denying the Collins hire) Atlanta, Miami etc would be more appealing for the remaining high profile coaches.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
E$ says:
not surprised…..
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Big freeze
I don’t know freeze? Dude whines A LOT, a 7 foot 300 pound 2 year old.
“Their not giving me the ball.”"I make free throws when I need to”"I’m not to fat my uniform is just too small”"why do I need to get in shape before camp?”
This is just a small list of the ridiculous mess this dude says and does. Dude is a premadonna.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Celts Fan says:
hell ya Chuck. Throwing Miami under the bus when they were only in the crap situation they were in BECAUSE THEY GOT HIM AND MADE A HUGE GAMBLE AT A TITLE - WHICH THEY WON. I used to like him a lot, not anymore. Still funny, but damn…
and the Pistons need to hire Avery Johnson.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Marbell says:
There will be a 2pm press conference where Joe D is expected to name Michael Curry as the Pistons new coach. This was reported at mlive.com
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
Celts
I like the avery idea.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Scott says:
I agree with Chuck about Sheed having to go either way. The only way he could’ve remained a Piston would be if they had of won the Title.
Its one things to joke around/prank people if you win it all, cuz then its all good times and ‘he knew what he was doing’.
But when you lose, people see that shit as a HUGE negative. As hard as it is to say, they really do miss the fire that Ben Wallace used to bring.
I can’t see these Pistons getting dirty like they did back in the day. I mean really, if you took this exact team with their mentality, and threw them in the fire that was the Pacers rivalry a few years back, I don’t think this team brawls. Which is to say I don’t think they have the same intensity that they used. The fire is all but burnt out.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Big Freeze says:
Whatever bro. Shaq will bend u over like this dude: http://realgm.com/code/furballs/images/shaq_ferry.jpg
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@big freeze
LOL!! You ain’t right yo!! Unless shaqs entire body is made of bulletproof material, I doubt I would have anything to worry about homey!
Good way to help phoenix clear some cap space. LOL!!
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
DaPro says:
LMAO
@Big Freeze
Sick azz picture fam, very disturbing
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Kobeef says:
@Dime
Check out the combine results now over at DraftExpress.com
The big news is that Mike Beasley is a 6′8 SF (basically measures the same as Carmelo or Lebron) and not a 6′ 10 PF which will certainly affect his chances of being the #1 pick. In fact, I will say that with this news I am now 100% sure Chicago drafts Derrick Rose.
Rose was a bit short (6′2.5) but has a long wingspan (6′8″).
Jerryd Bayless & Brook Lopez are the other guys who did not measure well: Bayless has a J.J. Redick/T-rex body-type measuring 6′3 and with a 6′3 wingspan. Lopez is slow as hell and was dead last in the agility drills.
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Big Freeze says:
yo kobeef, don’t just look at the height, but look at the weight, strength, and body type of beasley. just cuz he’s 6′8″ doesn’t mean he won’t be able to bang in the paint. he is thick and strong as hell, and he pushed up more reps than kevin love’s fat ass. look at jason maxiell, dude is only like 6′7″ but he plays big. beasley is the truth.
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
Detroit needs a proven coach to come in. The Mark Jackson experiment will have to wait. Give Avery a shot, or dare I say Isaiah.
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
YOUNGFED says:
@Kobeef
How are we on the way Down. With 3 rising yong players. I getting sick of this we’ve been supposedly on the way down ever since we won that Damn Championship.
“The gift and the curse”-Jay-Z
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Juanito says:
Michael Curry will be the new coach. Not Avery…for God’s sake no. That’s just stupid.
So is Laimbeer. Come on people, use your freaking heads. The guy can’t even get along with his WNBA players for fuck’s sake; how can he manage NBA egos when his own is waaaaay too big?
The Pistons have been primed to promote from within for awhile now. Expect Curry to get that job, and for Terry Porter to probably leave the team (it sucks to get passed over). Also expect Lindsey to retire and become an assistant under Curry. Rasheed to Indiana for J O’Neal. Crazy? Not so much…think about it fools
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Kobeef says:
@Younfed
If you can’t admit that the Pistons are sliding off the “top shelf” of the east I’m gonna have to call you a Pistons-homer.
- Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, Toronto, Philly are all going to get significantly better this offseason. All but Boston have a significantly younger core than Detroit.
Detroit has invested in a team of Win-now vetrans and it is catching up with them. Chauncey looked a step slow, Rasheed is looking like he’d rather retire. Sure Stuckey and Tayshaun are young and solid but other than that Detroit is going to be another year slower in 2009.
And don’t give me that “Amir Johnson is the future of the pistons…” garbage.
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Sam I Am says:
The Verdict is in…
We find the Detroit Pistons : Guilty ! of NOT advancing and to meet their potential and are now sentenced to 10 years of failure in the Eastern Conference
Shaq the Prisonguard will see you now lol
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Kobeef says:
@ Freeze
You can be effective as a 6′8 PF in the NBA but you are not first overall pick material unless you are the complete package of skill, size and athleticism.
Beasley is 2-3″ shorter than a prototype PF in the NBA (Duncan, Garnett, Gasol) and besides his attitude was already a concern = he will get beasted in the post by the elite PF’s in the game.
On the other hand, Rose is 6′2 with a huge wingspan, awesome speed, great playmaking and massive hops (40″ vert) = there are few PG’s in the NBA who can match him.
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Juanito says:
Kobeef -
What an ignorant take. How do you figure Boston, Orlando, etc are going to “all get better”? Boston will only get older, and nobody else has the pieces to really shake up their rosters during the offseason. Meanwhile, how are the Pistons a “win-now” team? 6 straight EFC appearances translates to “win-now” in your book? Again, you must mean the Celtics, who bought their roster and will see it crumble once they get ousted by the Lakers in 5.
Chauncey was injured, Sheed had one foot out the door two weeks ago, and the core of young players on Detroit rivals any in the league save maybe the Blazers at this point. You should really research what you say before you post bullshit my friend…
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Kobeef says:
@Juanito
6 straight EFC appearances sounds like a team that is designed to win now…but maybe you have a different take. It also sounds like a team that is probably getting to the end of its reign considering the other side of that arguments is that they have been eliminated
twice in a row from the conference finals. Unless your goal for the team is to reach the conference finals.
“core of young players on Detroit rivals any in the league save maybe the Blazers at this point”
Wow, really? You think that?
How about New Orleans? How about Atlanta, Orlando, Toronto? Based on that argument I assume you feel Stuckey+Amir Johnson+Tayshaun is better than Horford, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith? Rashard, Dwight Hedo? CP3, West Chandler? Bosh + Calderon?
This is Boston’s first season together and Rondo and Perkins are important role players but very young. Both will be better next season and Pierce, Garnett and Allen will be even better as a team next year.
When you say that 40% of your starting lineup is uninterested or becoming injury prone I think that is time to start worrying. Chauncey is not young. Expect the injuries to be a regular thing.
And last, you don’t go firing your coach if you think your team is fine the way it is.
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Juanito says:
None of those combos save Atlanta is really that young. Rashard and Hedo? Not young at all. So yeah, I think Detroit can be on par with all of them. Perkins and Rondo are vastly overrated, and both will likely be exposed in the Finals. I’d lay even money that Boston never wins a ring with this group of players.
Injury prone? One thing you cannot accuse Detroit of is that. They have had one of the most consistent starting 5’s this decade and a cheap shot by Jameer Nelson does not make them injury prone.
Finally, I obviously don’t think things are fine the way they are. I am all for revamping. Flip had his chances, and Sheed’s moodiness has bit them in the ass one too many times. However, with the best backcourt in the league intact and some exciting young players fairly well-developed now, I don’t see a drop off for this team. The East is still too weak. None of the aforementioned is anywhere near the level of Detroit. If Detroit adds a veteran big or two, they will be back in the ECF again next year. Unlike the Celtics, who will not.
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
the celtics gonna end up like the miami heat. in 3yrs, they gonna struggle to win 25 games—watch.
as for the piss-tons, they need a hungry vet. if not tracy mcgrady, they should deal to get younger and more athletic. they should look to move rip hamilton and rash-weed wallace to charlotte bobcats for jason richardson and emeka okafor
someone mentioned that trade scenario on here yesterday (i forget who), but i like it.
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
Juanito
I don’t know man?
Rip-30 or approaching
billups-32 or approaching
The pistons starters are getting old.
yeah you right on that hedo and rashard statement. Them dudes is 29 years old, Rashard is 28 but he comin up on 29 in a couple months.
young in the league is 25 and under. I say that cause some come outta college at 22,23 years old (seniors), a couple of years usually is enough to know who has it and who doesn’t and they should have developed a lot by that time, even comin off the bench. So I would have to agree with you anout the Pistons young core, them boys is all 25 and under and can flat out hoop
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Juanito says:
Yeah, unless your core is LeBron’s age or younger, you’re pretty much old. That makes teams like San Antonio ancient. Detroit has had the foresight to develop their youth, while SA just keeps stocking up on retreads like Horry, Thomas, and Barry. The Celtics are fucked too. Who you gonna build around? Rondo, Perkins and Powe? Everyone else is on the wrong side of 30. KG,Allen,Cassell, PJ Brown, all trying to pull a Barkley/Malone/Payton to get that ring they could never manage alone. yall know is exactly right. The Celts will be ringless and shitty in 3 years as the T Wolves laugh their asses off…
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Michorizo says:
He lasted longer in Minnesota and they only got to the western conference finals once out of the 10 years they went to the playoffs … Dumars is cut-throat, isn’t he?
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
shake&bake says:
I wish the Bulls would have waited and got Flip instead of Collins.
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:31 pm
DaPro says:
Na Fli pisn’t the answer in Chicago, too many young personalities to deal with
Curry might not be a bad option
He’s already familiar with the team and he’s the union rep (I believe)
He knows the players and what can push them and he’s a former player himself
Also, I like Avery but he didn’t understand how to utilize Kidd, we know he’s a micromanager
What kind of style would best fit the Pistons?
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
doc says:
Flip need to go be assistant for the Lebrons.
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
AY says:
a lot of support for flip here… i don’t know why. i don’t even understand how he’s still coaching. he doesn’t do a good job managing egos, he doesn’t make adjustments quickly enough, his plays are not that innovative, he never makes his team play better, and his teams never get over the hump. It’s hard to go all the way with a weak coach; it’ll be the first time in a long time if doc can take the celtics all the way, because he’s about the same as flip in terms of competence. Let me recap the coaches from the last 20 years of champions: philip, pop, daly, larry brown, riles, rudy T. It would be a sad day when doc rivers’s name is spoken in the same breath as those 6.