Tayshaun: Blame Players, Not Flip Saunders

Notes from a trip to the NBA Playoffs.

Will losing in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight year cost Flip Saunders his job? He was asked about his job security just two questions into his post-game press conference last night, but he was in no mood to discuss it.

"That's not a question to answer right now," he said. "[I'm] just thinking about the game and the loss. I'm sure that's something Joe [Dumars] and I will sit down and evaluate."

For what it's worth, Flip has at least one influential supporter in the locker room as Tayshaun Prince deflected some of the criticism frequently directed at the coach, saying that tonight's game was "a prime example" why it's not always his fault since Saunders put his players in position to win before they failed to execute down the stretch.

"We had a 10-point lead," said Prince. "I think in the fourth quarter, when you're up and you have a good lead ... we have to respond and really close the game out like we should. Hopefully that won't be a problem after this game, hearing that [the loss was due to] a coaching problem. Hopefully that negativity won't be there."

He added, "[The media] talked so bad about him after those couple of years that we lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, [saying] it was pretty much his fault. The players got to take this one on the chin."

Something to consider, though, is that Saunders now has just one more year left on his contract. For a guy who's been criticized for allegedly not having the complete respect of the locker room, it could be disastrous to bring him back as a lame duck coach. If Dumars isn't comfortable extending Saunders, it'd be best to simply replace him now.