Flipped To The Curb
Flip Saunders continually improved as head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. His teams with average talent did an average job: they made it to the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated by superior teams. As much as Minnesota fans griped about never making it past the first round, we have to admit, matching up with world champions every year makes it pretty tough to sneak into the second round of post season play.
When the Wolves finally went out and got some real talent to go along with K.G, Flip led them to the first Western Conference Championship in franchise history. What more can you expect from a coach in the NBA?
This year, Saunders and the Wolves have struggled. They are below .500 and have lost 21 out of their last 33 games. But in a league like the NBA, how much of that can be blamed on the coach? When Latrell Sprewell complains because his latest multi-million dollar contract isn't enough to feed his family, Troy Hudson spouts off because he isn't starting and Michael Olowokandi is busy getting arrested, how is a coach supposed to turn things around?
Kevin McHale said the Wolves were "just not playing at a level that's acceptable, energy-wise." I don't think he was referring to Flip's energy level on the bench. He was talking about the players. Can we really expect a coach to give a Vince Lombardi-style pep talk before each of the 82 regular season games? Can't athletes get themselves ready to play so the coaches can focus on coaching?
This firing wasn't about Flip Saunders and the job he was doing. It was about the players. By not putting forth the effort for which they are being paid, they got their coach fired. This was simply a "mix-up." Any time a professional team goes through a slump like this, management feels the need to mix things up, to try to stir up some emotion that might result in energy on the court.
It's pathetic that it has come to this, but it's certainly not new. Flip is the latest in a long line of coaches who didn't necessarily fail, but fell victim to a managerial need to "mix things up."
When the Wolves finally went out and got some real talent to go along with K.G, Flip led them to the first Western Conference Championship in franchise history. What more can you expect from a coach in the NBA?
This year, Saunders and the Wolves have struggled. They are below .500 and have lost 21 out of their last 33 games. But in a league like the NBA, how much of that can be blamed on the coach? When Latrell Sprewell complains because his latest multi-million dollar contract isn't enough to feed his family, Troy Hudson spouts off because he isn't starting and Michael Olowokandi is busy getting arrested, how is a coach supposed to turn things around?
Kevin McHale said the Wolves were "just not playing at a level that's acceptable, energy-wise." I don't think he was referring to Flip's energy level on the bench. He was talking about the players. Can we really expect a coach to give a Vince Lombardi-style pep talk before each of the 82 regular season games? Can't athletes get themselves ready to play so the coaches can focus on coaching?
This firing wasn't about Flip Saunders and the job he was doing. It was about the players. By not putting forth the effort for which they are being paid, they got their coach fired. This was simply a "mix-up." Any time a professional team goes through a slump like this, management feels the need to mix things up, to try to stir up some emotion that might result in energy on the court.
It's pathetic that it has come to this, but it's certainly not new. Flip is the latest in a long line of coaches who didn't necessarily fail, but fell victim to a managerial need to "mix things up."
posted by Joe Siple | 8:26 AM
1 Comments:
I feel the Wolves needed to do exactly what they did. Flip has had a chance the last 3 years with some very good talent. The Detroit Pistons won last year with marginable talent. He has had the best player in the league and has a playoff series record of about 2-9. In pro sports that just does not cut it. I would compare Flip to Dennis Green! They both have great regular season records but can't get it done in the playoffs. Is Flip a good coach? It depends what you are looking for. If you are satisfied in just making the playoffs then he is your guy! Flip will do fine he is owed 4.5 million next year!!
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