Flip Saunders has an impressive track record as an NBA coach. Throughout what by today's standards are lengthy tenures with the Timberwolves and Pistons, he's won 60% of his games and made four trips to the conference finals, but on the flip side, he's lost all four of them and never truly associated himself with anything beyond mediocrity. Apparently, Joe Dumars wants more from his bench boss and has quite understandably terminated Mr. Saunders' employment.
This move makes sense, purely because Flip never seemed like that popular a guy in Deroit. Over the years he's repeatedly made questionable decisions down the stretch of close games and inspired his team to play on the level of their opposition better than any coach in the league. He possesses all the charisma of a dried-up, dirty sponge and was publicly denounced by his team's emotional leader several times.
Detroit needed to shake things up, and Flip's consistent inability to inspire greatness made him an obvious casualty. Saunders failed to gain respect from his players and it showed in their inconsistent play. For a team who's lost its footing atop the East, that's just not gonna fly. He'd be a good fit for a boring team looking for a competent coach with a proven track record, maybe the Pacers or somebody who won't be winning much anyway.
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