DUMARS TOSSES FLIP

“Everybody’s in play, ‘cause we didn’t get it done.” Tenable words from the mouth of Joe Dumars in his press conference his in the “Motor City” Detroit Michigan on Tuesday, expressing his disappointment with his team’s elimination from the 2007/8 NBA playoffs. Ultimately this signals the start of things to come with a potentially busy off-season just underway, after being sent fishing by the Boston Celtics in 6 games in the 2008 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

He now revs up a new era in the basketball city that has seen the conference finals six years in a row, the last three guided by Flip Saunders who was the successor of Rick Carlisle (now the newly instated coach of the Dallas Mavericks and Larry Brown who was recently announced as MJ’s guy in Charlotte North Carolina), whom he today relieved of his duties. Now the basketball world awaits the future this original Bad Boy has decided to create. There was no reluctance by being rather blunt and not “sugar coating” his desires stating that the possibility of his team’s core could very well change.

But was Dumars’ decision a bit too impulsive, too rash? Seems like the quick decision a lover makes after being disappointed by his/her mate. Expectations not materialising thus giving way to that unforgiving snap of a finger that may place the most consistent four in basketball today of Rip, Chauncy, Sheed and Tay in complete jeopardy.  Like a lover also, he’s clouded with disappointment, too fumed to possibly notice Billups’ carried over a hamstring injury from the Orlando series, that very well may have hampered the team’s second NBA finals appearance since 2004. Probably also overlooking Hamilton’s  near rip of his elbow at the end of game 5, saying that his guys didn’t come out with “ a sense of urgency.” He also further commented on how hard the other three NBA teams vying for Finals appearances played with more umphh than his Piston Team. Whatever the case, he’s a very observant President of Basketball Operations who realised that his team could not get over the Eastern Conference Finals hump three years in a row and thought it unacceptable. Maybe the Utah Jazz’s brass should take a look at Dumars’ plan on “getting over the hump”?

However it is looked at, Mr. Saunders was the first coin to be flipped and tossed out for the off-season, making him another attractive option on the coaching market, for the likes of Steve Kerr and John Paxson to evaluate. (Paxson however is enamoured with a Doug Collins return to Chicago. Would he now set eyes on this released gem?)

Flip has been known as an underachieving coach from his days in Minnesota, with blue collar players like Terrell Brandon, Sam Mitchell, Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, 1998 1^stoverall draft pick Michael Olowakandi, and now finals bound, former league MVP and current Defensive Player of The Year, Kevin Garnett to name a few. Compiling an impressive 176-70 (.715) with Detroit but not being able to concoct a winning recipe to replicate Larry Brown’s immediate title success in 2004. Going 30-21 (.588) in the playoffs with the “team to beat” every year in the East, as we have heard so many times by other reporters, commentators and analysts was just not enough anymore for Mr. Dumars. He emphatically noted though that Flip would not be used a “scapegoat” and he will not be barring any exceptions, implying that everyone will be on the trading block to upgrade his team and a title contender in 2008/9.

With this move in the books, it now opens up the telephone lines for trade options and alternatives. Dumars’ is now again on the market and looking to reinvigorate his ball club and get it back to its championship ways. After losing Ben Wallace to a $60 million, 4 year contract to the Bulls, the Detroit Pistons have consistently maintained its regular season dominance, but continue to falter at the doorsteps of the NBA Finals. With a host of restricted and unrestricted free agencies this off season with names like, Philadelphia’s other AI, veterans like Michael Finely, Antawn Jamison, Shawn Marion and Carmelo Anthony already being shopped by the Nuggets, not forgetting the very talented upcoming draft class (Detroit picking at 29), highlighted by Michael Beasely and Derrick Rose this off-season could very well be interesting for Detroit with a variety of formidable player combinations that would make many GM’s in the league’s salivate.

But anyway, what’s love got to do with it? He’s just a born winner. Talented shooting-guard and exceptional point-guard who was twice an NBA champ (1989, 1990- I was just 4 and 5 years old respectively, knew nothing about basketball, oh well…I do now) Finals MVP, 4-time All Defensive First Team, 6-time NBA All-Star and capping off an illustrious career, in 2006 when inducted to the basketball Hall of Fame. He is now the general (albeit in an executive office) and is once again calling the plays. It was now time to call a time out and bench his leader and he did so with reckless abandon. He should know a thing or two about winning and customising a championship formula and he is clearly on the verge of doing that. He’s driven by winning, by no means just infatuated and that is all the tenacious love Detroitbasketball could ask for. “I haven’t lost sight,” he uttered during his presser today and it is certain and has been proven over the years that he has not and will not be the lover that settles for less.

Further Reading:

Detroit Pistons (2008); “Flip Saunders Not To Return As Pistons Coach,” http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/saunders_080603.html

ESPN (2008); “2008 NBA Free Agent List,” http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=2008freeagents

Ford, C (2006), ESPN, "Ben Wallace makes it official, signs with Bulls,” http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2508742

Lage, L (2008), Yahoo! Sports, “Pistons fire Saunders in first of many big changes,” http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-pistons-saunders&prov=ap&type=lgns

National Basketball Association (2002); “Joe Dumars Bio,” http://www.nba.com/playerfile/joe_dumars/bio.html