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.

FGS update: Flip Saunders out as Pistons head coach

The last straw for Joe Dumars was when he saw his team get knocked out of the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive season. Flip Saunders is no longer the head coach of the Detroit Pistons.

There were already rumors that Flip was already on the hot seat before the season even began and they wouldn't have died down until he had a successful season, or at least make it to the NBA Finals. But instead, he has failed once again to bring the Pistons back to the Finals after they made it there in the previous two seasons before Flip was the coach.

Those back-to-back finals appearances were credited to the former head coach, Larry Brown. There aren't that many comparisons that you can make between Saunders and Brown. The main reason why Brown was able to take a championship caliber teams to the Finals is because he had proven that he was a winner. Whether it was in the NCAA or in the NBA; Brown was the kind of coach that knew how to motivate his team. That seemed to be Saunders' main problem. There has always been talk regarding the chemistry between the Pistons and Flip, most recognizable Rasheed Wallace. There was a lack of respect for Flip and that is something that Brown demanded from his team. He was able to get that, partially because of his history as a successful coach and partially because...he was just that type of coach.

The question that surrounds this move made by Dumars is "was it the right move"? Was it the coach that reflected the players, or was it the players that reflected the coach?

Flip has had a championship caliber team for the past three seasons, but he hasn't been able to lead them to another championship. Motivation was a visible problem with this team and the coach is highly responsible for bringing the fire in their team. But at times, we saw the Pistons get cocky and play like they had nothing to prove. How much of that is their fault?

As much as people like to put everything on how Flip runs the team, some of it is not his fault and that is why the firing of Flip won't be the only move that Dumars will make. Expect to see some player movement over the Pistons offseason.

We will have more updates on this once we receive more information.

Detroit vs. Orlando: Scrap City

By: Ray Dunseith

For a series where most articles that I read prior to it focused on how the starting shooting guards for each team are great friends (one even gave the other one their dog as a gift), the match up of the Orlando Magic and the Detroit Pistons seems to be headed in a rather violent direction. Both teams are scrappy and very hungry. Dwight Howard is one of the most physical players in the NBA, and Jason Maxiell and Antonio McDyess aren't quick to back down from fights. There were numerous pushing matches throughout the whole game, but what really tells me this is going to be a brawler was when Walter Herrman and Pat Garrity (yes that’s right that guy Pat Garrity) were about to fight playing the garbage minutes in the fourth quarter. I don't like it.

I love it.

It shows what heart both players have and how much they support their teammates (not that either one is really considered an enforcer on their team). Anyway, the point being made here is that don't let the Piston's 20 point lead fool you. This is going to be an exciting series for all of you NBA fans outside of Central Florida and the Mitten that didn't catch game one to come check out (even for you Western Conference fans that are used to 1,000,000 point games. I mean hey, this should be more exciting than Tim Duncan and those boring-a#$ Spurs).


Besides, if Boston gets upset by Atlanta (it is possible guys, just ask Mark Cuban about those kind of upsets), than this will be better than Hawks/LeBron and some other guys.

NBA Playoff Match-ups: Eastern Conference

By: Byron Parker

Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks were able to squeeze themselves into a playoff spot within the last week and a half. They have managed to finish the season under .500 and still clinch the eighth seed. But that just means that they will have to face the No. 1 seed in Boston. It may not be fair for people to write off the Atlanta Hawks against the rejuvenated Celtics, but that just may be the case. The Hawks are 0-3 against the Celtics in their season series and in those games, Atlanta showed no kind of trouble for the C’s. In all three games against Boston, Atlanta lost by 10 or more points. Paul Pierce has been scoring 22.3 points a game against Atlanta in his match up against Hawks forward, Marvin Williams. Williams isn’t the right defender for Pierce for obvious reasons. Pierce’s strength and ability to drive the ball to the basket is too much for Williams and Doc Rivers knows that. So he tends to run plays that involve Pierce going straight to the basket. And with Pierce being the good ball handler that he is, he has no problem with setting up the play himself and trusting himself to do the right things. This is Doc Rivers’ fourth appearance in the playoffs as a head coach and he has not had success at all. All four appearances resulted in a loss in the first round but if there is a year to change all of that, it’s now. He has a hungry team in all stars like Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen. These three were the best on their respected teams but once they all got together in Boston, they’ve done nothing but show their strength in the NBA. All if them have basically been having fun and boosting the confidence of the rest of the team by leading them to the best record in the NBA. We all see that they are comfortable playing with each other. And there may be a lot of star power on this team, but they don’t let that affect how they play unlike some other teams would allow (cough-Denver-cough). Atlanta is eager to knock Boston out of their place but the numbers just don’t convince enough people to choose them over the C’s. This is a team that doesn’t possess a lot of playoff experience and even if they did, would it be enough to upset Boston? Mike Woodson has yet to accomplish anything in the NBA as a head coach, even though he’s only been coaching for 4 seasons. No disrespect, but it’s obvious that Atlanta doesn’t have enough weapons to overcome the powerful C’s.

Detroit Pistons vs. Philadelphia 76ers

If an upset were to occur in the playoffs, this would be the logical pick. Philly has been one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs, believe it or not. Throughout February and March, the 76ers were able to compile a record of 19-9 which included a couple of “mini” win streaks. These hot runs surprised many and now they see themselves holding down the 7th seed in the East which leads them to face the veteran team in the Detroit Pistons. One bonus that the Pistons DO consist of are veteran players which enables them to know how to play come playoff time. They’ve been to the Eastern Conference Finals four seasons in a row. The last two seasons have been failures under the head coach, Flip Saunders as this might be his last year to retain his position in the Pistons organization. Many blame him for the weak playoff losses in the past couple of seasons and feel that he is not capable of guiding a championship caliber team into the Finals. That may be true but there is a lot you can learn from being booted out of the playoffs two years in a row, especially since he still has the same team. The Pistons have gone through the first round without a problem over Saunders’ tenure in Detroit and this is the time where it seems like the Pistons have their heads on straight. Saunders will usually rest his starters towards the end of the season and this gives them time to relax before the playoffs begin. So as soon as the first round comes, they come out with a lot of energy and tend to treat their opponents as no problem. The thing for Philadelphia is that they’ve been using their starters in the last couple of weeks of the season in order to retain a playoff spot and fight their way into a higher seed. Detroit on the other hand already had clinched the 2nd seed and they had nothing to worry about, therefore giving the starters the opportunity to rest and letting the bench develop over the last couple of weeks. Philly is no pushover though. The season series is tied at 2-2 giving Philly a confidence boost going into the playoffs against them. Andre Iguadola is averaging almost 20 points a game against the Pistons and he has been the strength of their success. But Detroit just may have too much for Philly, even though Philly is playing the role as the underdog.

Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors
Orlando has taken the season series between these two teams, 2-1. And if you want honesty, the Raptors 41-40 record is a fluke. The Raptors have a really young, energetic team that hasn’t showed their full potential yet this season. So the chance of it showing in the playoffs just doesn’t favor them. Orlando on the other hand, has showed their potential throughout the 07-08 season. They were able to get off to a hot start and play consistent, team basketball which has led them to clinch the 3rd seed in the playoffs. Not many would have picked the Magic to do what they’ve accomplished this year, but their team is amongst the top in the East. The Raptors still show weaknesses in their lineup and many question their toughness. They do have Chris Bosh who has put together another solid season, scoring 22.5 points and grabbing 8.7 boards a game. But they don’t have anybody that can replace him off of the bench. So Bosh could easily get into foul trouble and the middle would basically be open for Dwight Howard. The match up between Howard and Bosh will be a fun one to watch because they are both the big men whom which their franchise is revolved around. They are dangerous scorers inside, Bosh is probably the most versatile and Howard is probably more intimidating. Both are excellent defenders and they bring a lot to the table when it comes to leadership. But when it comes to the all around team aspect, Orlando has a lot more. Hedo Turkoglu is one of the most underrated players in the NBA who can do things like hit clutch three’s, to drive the ball to the basket. Another threat that Orlando has is Rashard Lewis who is among the best at the small forward position. He compliments the team in all aspects of the court. And since coming to Orlando, Maurice Evans has been a key for the Magic’s success by both, coming off of the bench and contributing to starting on the floor. There are just too many threats on the floor for Orlando…at least when it comes against playing Toronto. Both teams rank among the top five in the NBA in shooting the three ball, but Orlando is mediocre at protecting the perimeter. That shouldn’t be a main problem for Orlando because they are among the best when it comes to scoring in the paint; something that is needed in playoff time because you can’t win off of jump shots all day. Orlando is the favorite for this series.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards
This should be one of the most intriguing match ups in the Eastern Conference. This has showdown has a lot of significance to it because of the trash talking that has already occurred on the Washington side. Wizards guard, DeShawn Stevenson had the nerve to say that the NBA’s leading scorer, LeBron James is overrated. And superstar Gilbert Arenas went on to say that he doesn’t believe that the Cavs can beat the Wizards in the playoffs three years in a row. In saying that, Arenas does have a point. The Cavs have entire different look to their team with the additions of Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith and Wally Sczerbiak. So it will be interesting to see how head coach, Mike Brown can get them to run well in the playoffs. It shouldn’t be any different than the regular season, but the energy level will have to be turned up a notch if they want to dominate the 1st round. On the other side, Washington didn’t have Gilbert Arenas in last years 1st round against the Cavs, so they have a different look to their lineup that Mike Brown didn’t see in last years playoffs. Since Arenas has returned from that knee injury that sidelined him for most of the season, he has been held to limited minutes for precautionary reasons. In only about 21 minutes per, Arenas has been able to come off of the bench for the last part of this season and put up 14.6 points a game. That is an encouraging sign for the Wiz going into the playoffs. The only thing that concerns people is that the Washington “Big Three” haven’t all played that much together in a while. Caron Butler has been bothered by injuries over the last several of weeks of the season and he’s basically been on and off of the court. Antawn Jamison will be the key going into this series for plenty of reasons. Jamison possesses all kinds of abilities on the floor. He knows how to play exceptional defense, he can make cuts to the basket and his jumper is a threat. This has been one of his best seasons thus far, averaging 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds a game. The Cavs are coming into this match up with questions still surrounding their ability to play team basketball. Lebron is the pure star on this team, but they tend to get the job done when it needs to be accomplished. And with all of the recent trash talking that has been going on in the Washington locker room, the Cavs feed off of that. We all know LeBron loves it, as he showed it a couple of times this season when he had fans taunting them and he went on to take over those games and lead the Cavs to victory. If he is on the court with the same people who were talking trash about him and his team, imagine the possibilities. This looks like a match up that is truly evened out on all sides, and it looks like it will go deep. But the Cavs may be the ones that take this one away for the third consecutive year. As you can see, there are a few terrific match ups coming out of the first round in the Eastern Conference. There will likely be a lot of series going to deep, so the great match ups indicate that it will be difficult for a sweep to occur in this first round.