Fairly or not, it'll probably take an NBA title, or at least a trip to the Finals, for Flip Saunders to really prove himself in Detroit. This is a team that has played in the last four Eastern Conference Finals (under three different head coaches) with just one NBA title to show for it -- anything less than winning the whole thing is considered a failure. Is Saunders up for that kind of pressure? Does he enjoy coaching a team with a fan base that probably won't stop calling for his head until he hoists the Larry O'Brien over his head? You won't hear him complain about it, but his uncomfortable situation has led some writers in Minnesota to suggest that this year might be his last with the Pistons, and that he's the leading candidate to take the vacant head coaching job at his alma matter, the University of Minnesota. From the St. Paul Pioneer-Press:
The Detroit Pistons, coached by Flip Saunders, have lost three of four and dropped out of first place in the Central Division with star guard Chauncey Billups out with a calf strain.These rumors first started in early December, and Saunders has already denied having any interest in the Gophers job. But if Nick Saban and Jim Mora taught us anything, it's that it's probably better for a coach to lie through his teeth no matter what his true intentions are to avoid becoming a huge distraction.
Saunders, still considered a favorite to return to his alma mater to coach the Gophers at season's end, is being paid $4.5 million in base salary this year, and has bases of $4.5 million and $5 million for the ensuing two seasons. That's excluding bonuses and contract accelerator incentives, some of which already are being achieved.
Saunders' return to Target Center to play the Timberwolves on Jan. 19 is expected to be a sellout.
Personally, I doubt Saunders tries to get out of his contract unless Minnesota comes close to matching the money he'd earn by staying in Detroit. But we shouldn't completely disregard the notion that the Pistons might just let Saunders go. Since Chuck Daly's nine-year reign ended in Detroit, the Pistons have only had one coach last more than two years (Doug Collins lasted three from 1995-98), and no one has lasted more than two since Joe Dumars took over the team. Only time will tell.
