...who would you want as the new coach?

(I'll cringe as I read some of these I'm sure)

I would go with Bill Laimbeer.

I would go with Bill Laimbeer.


*cringes*

then...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v63/GlennDanzig/scream.jpg

Nancy Lieberman-Cline?

http://www.yunglee.com/my-images/larry_brown.jpg

Thread closed.

Not much available....Rudy T I guess.

great, here comes tom izzo/doug collins lovers...

Heres one to fuck up the game. I say Let zeke coach the squad with no powers at all over personel moves..


but seriously just get a defensive expert. Actually i'd also say laimbeer. kiss my ass if you dont like it. :)

but seriously just get a defensive expert.

or

http://www.yunglee.com/my-images/larry_brown.jpg

http://rick-adelman-news.newslib.com/img/logo/6471.jpg

^Was he in heaven when that photo was shot?

If so, God needs some additional megapixels.

2nd choice

http://www.dod.state.ga.us/hqang/boarstale/images/Rumsfelda.jpg

Maybe this will be our first vBookie wager.

Michael Curry is at 0101010 to 1 odds.

:mccosky:


Repairing the broken string

It's to the point now where I don't want to listen to talk radio after a particularly bad Pistons loss. I know exactly what's going to be said. "Fire Flip." Whenever the Pistons lose or play poorly, it's Fire Flip. Pistons win 64 regular season games, lose in the conference finals, Fire Flip. It's such a simpleminded response. It's almost Pavlovian. It's like fans are conditioned that when any little thing goes wrong, you fire the coach. Given how often the Pistons have changed coaches over the years, maybe it's understandable.

But it's wrong. I hear people say Flip should be fired, but I never hear anybody give any reasons why. His offensive systems are sound (among the most respected in the league), as are his defensive concepts. You know, Flip didn't huddle with the players before the game Wedensday and say, 'OK, look guys, I want three of you to play this way on defense, and you two guys, do something else.' No. He established a game plan -- how to defend pick and rolls, how to trap or not trap the isolation plays, etc. If somebody breaks the plan, doesn't follow through on his responsibilities, then the plan falls apart. Is that on Flip?

Here's what's happening to the Pistons -- they are learning how to play without Ben Wallace. It's a simple truth. Rasheed, Tayshaun, Chauncey and Rip were all able to play a certain way on defense -- cheat, take chances, break assignments, play on instinct, whatever -- because Ben always had their backs. Do you know that Larry Brown rarely set out specific defensive game plans when he coached the Pistons. In certain end-game situations, of course, he would set specific defensive assignments. But for the most part, he just let them play. And over time they developed a synergy (thanks for reminding me of the word, emailer Mike). It was like they were on a string -- you've heard that expression. Well, the string is broken now. Nazr Mohammed or Antonio McDyess will not be able to erase their mistakes like Wallace could so the Pistons have to change the way they play defense. They have to play it more by the book. They can't take chances or break coverages. They are going to have to break some old habits and it's going to take time. Eventually, they will develop the same kind of synergy with Mohammed (though it will never be as strong as it was with Wallace, for obvious reasons). Unfortunately, we have to sit through all the growing pains.

You aren't going to build synergy by firing the coach. That's ridiculous. I mean, I know the popular thought is, players win games and coaches lose them. But I am not buying that. It bothered me before last year when some of the players talked about how LB got too much of the credit for them winning in 2004 and getting back to the Finals in 2005. Yet, when things went bad last year, a couple of the players were quick to throw Flip under the bus. You can't have it both ways. You can scapegoat Saunders all you want, but the guy can coach. He doesn't have to make any apologies for where he is at. There are no holes in his resume. He has coached and been successful at every level. He's paid his dues. He's fair. His principals are solid. He prefers to avoid conflict, but he can be stern and he can hold players' accountable. If a player doesn't respect him, well that's more of an indictment against the player than the coach, in my view.

Anyway, another topic. Nazr Mohammed. I honestly believe he is a better player than he has shown, thus far. Right now he looks slow (his transition defense is glacier-like). But I think it's born out of confusion and uncertainty. It's going to take a couple of months before he fully integrates with both the system and the four other starters. Right now, he's having to think too much. He isn't just reacting and playing the game. And when you do that, you find yourself a step or two behind every play. He's better than this. Be patient with him. Go back and watch what he did to the Pistons in Game 7 of the 2005 NBA Finals if you need a reminder of how good he can be.

Thirty games. That's when we'll know what we have here with this group. If they are still struggling, still hovering around the .500 mark, then I do expect Joe Dumars to start looking for ways to upgrade the roster. I don't think he will move any of his core players, but he has plenty of tradeable commodities. First of all, the Pistons are between $7 million and $8 million under the luxury tax threshold (though they are over the salary cap). They also have two No. 1 draft picks (theirs and Orlando's unless it's a top five pick). Those picks are like gold, because this draft is expected to be loaded. On top of that, Dumars could package Dale Davis (last year of his contract, $4 million), Flip Murray (player option for next year) and Carlos Delfino (still operating on his rookie deal) to get whatever Dumars decides is missing -- either a more athletic big man or another scorer.

easiest excuse is that its the players fault too. but whatever. i want him gone. thats just my preference.

Right now he looks slow (his transition defense is glacier-like). But I think it's born out of confusion and uncertainty.

This statement is ridiculous. If there is one aspect of his defense that shouldn't be affected by the change in teams its his transition D. Its universally principle oriented.

remember who's making the excuse

some things i agree with, but some i don't. like this:


If somebody breaks the plan, doesn't follow through on his responsibilities, then the plan falls apart. Is that on Flip?
the coach can't just throw up his hands and say, "well, i told him to do _fill_in_the_blank_.....not my fault." he's the coach, the leader. if someone's not doing their part, he needs to adjust. maybe play someone else who doesn't break assignments. maybe change the plan to fit the players. maybe he needs to motivate the players better. whatever it is, i don't like McCosky's attitude of "it's not Flip's fault that the players aren't doing what they are told." in the real world, if you're a manager or CEO and can't get your subordinates to follow directions, you're not much of a leader.

but, i do tend to agree with McCosky's point that it's too early to fire Flip and too early to write off this team. there are definitely growing pains here and i hope to God that we'll slowly starting seeing some cohesion soon.

The substitutions and amount of bench run can only be blamed on Flip though.

BTW, I hope we don't move our draft picks. With all the players that had to wait a year to enter the draft, we could really end up with 2 good young players here. We'll need that if Billups decides to leave. I also have faith in Dumars to draft the right type of player. He's seen what a lazy Darko and a hot/cold Delfino are doing here. That's why he took Max. Not to replace Ben in 5 years (he didn't see Ben leaving this year), but to be another hard working piece of the puzzle and help while Ben was still here. I think Joe learned his lesson with taking a hyped player (Darko) and not his type of player.

I hate Flip Saunders too, but he's seriously better than most any option out there...

There is a chance we get a solid playoff run this season with Flip...

Not so much with anyone else outside of Larry Brown and maybe Rick Adelman...

Chuck Daly?

Somebody needs to find the thread we had when LB was fired.

Lots of good names there I bet, lol.

Mike Woodson, if available, would be a good choice.

I would even take a guy like Marc Iavaroni or P.J. Carlesimo. They can't be any worse than Flip.

i say let flip stay as the coach until we completely crash and burn and realise we need to make some major moves. no sense in having a competent coach suffer through those hard times as it might burn him out. :)

seriously- a lot of blame should be on the players. but flip can't manage playing time worth a shit. that's a huge weakness IMO.

i'd like rick adelman. but really i'd like a guy with some fire, who isn't afraid to get in our guys faces when they're slacking. that is what we need IMO.

i'd love chuck daley but i think he's way past coaching the nba.

and i second the notion that it would be STUPID to trade any of our draft picks. if anything we need to ACQUIRE MORE draft picks, as we are in desperate need of more young, dynamic talent.

if we try to throw a band-aid on this gaping wound of a team we have right now, we'll be screwed for much longer. i hope to God we don't trade away a pick in an effort to patch this team together a little longer.

it won't work, and as i said, it would rob us of a great opportunity to add young talent we desperately need which is what our picks could do.

Maybe Terry Porter?

im confused. first chris mccosky says you dont play defense in the nba anymore, then he says the pistons are stuggling because they havent figured out their deffense yet?

guess he has kept one unwavering message though: the pistons are headed in the right direction, whatever that direction is.

the local media is 100% garbage, all they do is spin spin spin. There's another article today talking about how fans are bored by the regular season and waiting for the playoffs, as the reason why interest in the Pistons have died down. Like its all routine.

no, fans are "bored" because the team is sucking ass and barely plays D. Stfu stupid spinner.

im finding it easier to root for this team than i thought it'd be (i still have no faith/love for sheed), but the pistons not selling out would be a real feather in my hat. fuck bill davidson.

I don't buy his ringing endorsement of flip but I do think he's dead on with the thirty games bit. Losing Ben is just too big of a change to absorb in just a few games.

The trick is to develop a coping mechanism for dealing with the disgusting losses we'll have to watch along the way. I recommend a drinking binge that lasts until xmas, punctuated by occasional moments of clarity for message board posts.

The trick is to develop a coping mechanism for dealing with the disgusting losses we'll have to watch along the way. I recommend a drinking binge that lasts until xmas, punctuated by occasional moments of clarity for message board posts.

[smilie=clap.gif] [smilie=beer.gif] [smilie=party.gif] [smilie=drunk22.gif]

If Flip, winner of >72% of his games as Pistons coach, were fired today, we'll never get a coach worthy of the team until either:

1) Bill Davidson dies or sells out, or
2) The team degrades to where Terry Stotts would be a worthy coach.

Flip's got to -want- to leave to get the coaches you dream of.

Since we're engaged in fantasyland coaching replacements, I'll go with Pop.