The picture above says it all. Like Flip, I am sure there are many NBA fans worldwide scratching their collective heads right now. Flip, after a 176-70 regular season record, a 30-21 postseason record and leading the Pistons to three straight conference final appearances, finds himself without a job this afternoon.
Now, I can understand that Joe Dumars and the Piston front office expects the best, but honestly, where do they go from here? The "free agent" coaching market isn't exactly booming this season! Mike D'Antoni was probably the one "marquee" name available and he has already been scooped up by the New York Knicks.
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One would imagine if Flip decides he wants to continue coaching, he will have little trouble landing a new job (Doug Collins may want to tell Chicago "yes" pretty soon), but I am completely lost on what direction Detroit goes now. They are an aging team with an "old" nucleus and no true offensive threat.
Now don't get me wrong, Billups, Hamilton, Prince and Wallace are certainly very talented offensively, but in today's day and age you need that one guy that can simply take over when needed. A Kobe Bryant/Lebron James/Chris Paul/Deron Williams type of player, and Detroit simply does not have that guy on their current roster.
The Eastern Conference is getting stronger each year and Detroit may have just taken a large step back. Is it time for Tom Izzo to give the NBA a chance? If you are a Pistons fan, do you really want to trust your team in the hands of an inexperienced NBA coach?
However, according to report, assistant coach Michael Curry seems to be a lock of becoming the next coach of the Pistons. He has been an assitant for a few years but has never been a head coach before. I don't think he will be the right guy to motivate and keep the Pistons core players hungry and urgent.
As the picture states, to me, this move is a real head scratcher.
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7 months ago
I also have trouble figuring this move out. Flip was a great coach, and he shouldn't have any trouble finding another job. Like you said, though, I expect many coaches to say "yes" very fast.
7 months ago
Well I hear they are thinking about Assistant Coach Michael Curry, which I think would be the best move. He already knows the players and is familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the team and with a great GM like Joe Dumars, I'm sure they will pick up some good players this off-season for Rasheed and we might just get over that Eastern Conference hump. Firing of Flip was kind of making me wonder as well, but Flip wasn't the sole reason for those wins at all, the players were, so I'm not sure we are throwing away as good of a coach as his record shows.
As for the big name player, I'm not sure if really do need someone like Kobe or Lebron to make our team better. When we first one the championship back in 2003, a lot of the analyst were saying we did so well BECAUSE we didn't have a Kobe/Lebron. It was too hard for the other team to really know who they had to watch when 4 out of the 5 players could have had an amazing night.
Do I think it would hurt us having another player who was very strong offensively? No not really, but I don't know if it's necessary.
7 months ago
Let me start by saying this, I trust Joe D, but I can't for the life of me figure this one out, at least in the past when we fired a coach we had someone reliable waiting in the wings ie Brown and Saunders. Now we might end up w/ the bottom of the barrel, but I gotta trust Joe D.
7 months ago
I love this move! Flop (I mean Flip) lost this team a long time ago. Rasheeeeeeeeeeed is next, and I can't wait for that day. I've been watching Pistons basketball for 30 years and he's the most annoying player I've ever seen associated with that organization. Laimbeer was annoying, but he played his heart out EVERY play. I can't stand Rasheed Wallace as a player. I hear he's an amazing person off the court...
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