Pistons fire coach Flip Saunders
AUBURN HILLS, MICHIGAN (TICKER) —Three straight trips to the Eastern Conference finals was not enough to save Flip Saunders’ job. According to Joe Dumars, more changes could be in store for the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons fired Saunders on Tuesday, four days after Detroit was eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the conference finals.
Dumars, the Pistons’ president of basketball operations, offered multiple reasons for the decision, pointing to Detroit’s lack of urgency during the postseason and citing Saunders’ potential lame-duck contractual status.
“I think this team became way too content and did not show up with a sense of urgency to get it done,” Dumars said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “I can’t sugarcoat it.”
Although Saunders was sent packing Tuesday, Dumars issued an ominous warning to the rest of the Pistons, who often have looked listless over the last three postseasons.
“Make no mistake, everybody’s in play now,” Dumars said. “There are no sacred cows here. You lose that sacred cow status when you lose three straight years like this.”
Saunders, 53, had one year remaining on the four-year contract he signed with Detroit in June 2005.
Dumars admitted that after speaking with Pistons owner Bill Davidson, the Pistons decided against negotiating a extension with Saunders, who will make $5.4 million in the final year of his current deal.
The decision to not extend Saunders’ contract made the next move an easy one for Dumars.
“I didn’t want to send mixed messages to the guys,” he said. “It’s somewhat like a lose-lose situation. When you run into the inevitable bumps during the season, the lame-duck issue comes up.”
The Pistons have not named a replacement, but Detroit assistant Michael Curry reportedly is the front-runner for the job.
According to numerous media reports, Pistons assistant Terry Porter and former Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson also are candidates.
“This will not be a long, drawn-out process,” Dumars said. “The next coach is going to be handed a good team.”
Saunders posted a 176-70 regular-season record in his three seasons with Detroit, compiling the best regular-season winning percentage (.715) in franchise history.
But Saunders’ legacy in Detroit ultimately will be defined by failure in the postseason.
“Decisions like this are difficult to make, especially with the success we have had throughout the last three regular seasons,” Dumars said in a statement released Tuesday morning. “However, at this time, I feel it is necessary to make a change.”
Considered a players’ coach, Saunders at times clashed with several members of the Pistons, particularly hot-headed forward Rasheed Wallace and tough-nosed big man Ben Wallace.
One of the NBA’s most volatile personalities, Rasheed Wallace never seemed to mesh with Saunders. Ben Wallace, a limited offensive player, struggled in his only season with Saunders and ultimately signed with the Chicago Bulls prior to the 2006-07 campaign.
After spending 10 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Saunders was hired by Detroit to replace Larry Brown, who guided the Pistons to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances and coached the franchise to its third league title in 2004.
Saunders brought a finesse style of coaching to a physical Pistons squad that thrived under the defensive-minded Brown. But despite the drastic change in philosophy, Detroit was outstanding in its first season under Saunders, posting a franchise-best 64-18 record during the 2005-06 campaign.
Saunders’ first postseason with Detroit ended in disappointment, however, as the Pistons lost to the eventual champion Miami Heat in the conference finals.
After going 53-29 last season, Detroit was upset in the Eastern finals by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who rallied from a 2-0 series deficit thanks to the amazing individual performance of LeBron James.
The Pistons were one of the NBA’s top teams again this season, going 59-23 en route to the No. 2 seed in the East.
But after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Pistons again were ousted in the conference finals - this time by the top-seeded Celtics.
“It’s time,” Dumars said. “Over a three-year period with this team, with Flip at the helm, it’s time for different direction. Let’s leave it at that.”
A Cleveland native, Saunders owns a 587-396 career record with the Pistons and Timberwolves. Minnesota reached the postseason eight times in 10 season under Saunders, who guided the Timberwolves to the only Western Conference finals appearance (2004) in franchise history.
