Win or lose: Jobs are no longer safe in the NBA

By: Vince Vitale

The most recent firing of Flip Saunders of the Detroit Pistons is just the latest case of how unfair this business really is. We’ll come back to Flip soon but first let us go to before Flip when this problem first started.

In 2004 the Pistons defeated the Lakers in 5 games. This led to a complete makeover for the Lakers. Such moves were made to send Shaq to Miami, let me add they won a championship the season after his arrival. The most shocking change was at the coaching spot. Phil Jackson was removed from his duties at coach. The same Phil Jackson that won 9 rings with the Bulls and Lakers throughout the past 20 years. I don’t think you can find anyone better than 9 rings on their fingers, or anyone more qualified for their job, but still he was released from his duties.

That was just the beginning.

A year after that Larry Brown himself would not be coaching for the Pistons anymore because Detroit management thought his health was inconsistent. The same guy who won them a championship and split apart the Kobe-Shaq combo just a season before was gone. He would go on to sign a massive contract with the Knicks and he gets fired a year after that job. You can’t blame anybody for him not doing well with the Knicks because nobody in the world can get that team to win. So who fills the spot of a legend like Larry Brown. Flip Saunders, the same guy who got fired in Minnesota a year after they made it to the Western Conference finals. So now the Pistons make it to several Eastern Conference championships throughout the next couple years.

All while having a great record in the regular season each and every year. This just wasn’t enough for Joe Dumars though. I mean this guy does know what he is doing after all. Look at his great drafting ability. He is the guy who picked Darko with the second overall pick. Meanwhile Wade, Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony all turned into perennial all stars.

Fast forward to this year, the Pistons have the second best record in the entire league and Flip gets fired. Instead of pointing the finger at Billups’s bad health, or Rasheeds complete insanity, or even Tayshauns vanishing act, we point the finger at Flip. Well this is just why the business is how cold hearted it is. Alongside with Flip, Avery Johnson and Mike D’Antoni are also gone from their respective ball clubs That’s right the Suns and Mavs who have been competing with the Spurs throughout this entire decade fire their coaches. Did anyone think that maybe the Jason Kidd and Shaq deals had an affect on the team by any chance. Anyhow with all this being said Mike D’Antoni now gets to coach the Knicks.

Only prayer can help you now Mike.

Meanwhile a guy who just won coach of the year last year in Avery Johnson doesn’t even have a job. There is no time in the NBA, you either win a ring or get fired. Anyhow, the Pistons will probably replace Flip with Michael Curry. A guy who used to play for the Pistons but hasn’t been the head coach in this league for a single game.

Good luck Detroit.

I rest my case with a simple point, management is cruel to coaches for no reason, this is the same league that allowed Scott Skiles to get fired this year on Christmas Eve.