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**Austin Kent** · 10-30-2006, 04:16 PM

Quote:

With the NBA regular season quickly approaching, Pistons coach Flip Saunders played coy when asked Saturday whether he is comfortable with the shape and preparedness of his team.

"I've got a comfort level," he said, looking over his shoulder, back at the players on the court practicing jump shots and free throws.

A good comfort level?

"I've got a comfort level," he said. "That's all you're going to get."

His questionable comfort level notwithstanding, Saunders gave his team a day off Sunday to break up the monotony of having six days between the preseason finale and the regular-season opener on Wednesday against Milwaukee.

It might seem an odd thing to do. Why not use every available day to get ready?

The answer is twofold. A long season looms and the Pistons have a refocused commitment to peaking at the end, not in the first two months as they did last season.

Free Press

**Austin Kent** · 10-30-2006, 04:18 PM

Quote:

AUBURN HILLS -- It was an odd thing to be asking about a coach in the second year of a four-year contract, especially one who had won a franchise-high 64 games last season. Still, given the way things ended, it seemed like a legitimate question to pose to Pistons president Joe Dumars.

Is Flip Saunders on trial this season?

"Not at all," Dumars said.

Dumars' support of Saunders, the man he hired to replace Larry Brown after the Pistons had won the championship in 2004 and made it back to the Finals in 2005, never waned last season. When Ben Wallace got into a snit with Saunders and refused to enter a game in Orlando last April, Dumars backed the coach. When Wallace and other players (Antonio McDyess, Tayshaun Prince) publicly complained during the playoffs, Dumars had Saunders' back, again.

And during the summer, when he met individually with each player, Dumars made it clear that Saunders was the coach and that wasn't going to change.

Detroit News

...and Joe D. has his back

JoeD · 10-30-2006, 05:52 PM

I don't remember Tayshaun or Antonio snubbing Flip. Can someone fill me in?

I know Tayshaun said something that implied Flip didn't make good adjustments until the end of the Cavs series, but I hardly call that snubbing. Especially since it was an understatement.

Goubot · 10-30-2006, 06:26 PM

This stuck out to me:

Quote:

"He was pretty hands-off last year," Dumars said. "He didn't want to come in and disrupt what he felt was a good thing. My comment to him was, 'That was OK for one year. Now put your imprint on this. It's your team. Run this thing like you want to run it. Coach this team like you want to coach it.'

"He's done that. He's been much more assertive this year. He is putting his imprint on this team."

Saunders laid down new ground rules at the first team meeting. Team buses and planes were leaving at their scheduled times. No more waiting around for tardy players. Rasheed Wallace was the first to inadvertently test that when he showed up late for the bus to practice in Puerto Rico and had to find his own way to the gym.

There would be no more debate about playing zone defense. It was going to be part of their defensive package. The pressing and trapping that had worked so well for him in Minnesota is also now part of the Pistons' daily game plan.

...

**DetBNyce** · 10-31-2006, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lope31

...and Joe D. has his back

I think that's more important than it sounds... Even though Flip did well, he does have some things to work on. Time management and his x's and o's, well at least how he adjust to other coaches' gameplans, need to get better.

JoeD · 10-31-2006, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goubot

This stuck out to me:

I think that is the only thing that can possibly excuse Flip.

I don't know if anything he does will give me confidence in him when the playoffs come. Last season we won too much to analyze any mistakes.

When the playoffs came he made horrible adjustments and a poor use of the rotation.

I won't say he was entirely horrible. I remember him commenting on what he was trying to do. He kept on coaching the offense and giving plays (not sure if he called them but designed them to be an option) which would give us an open shot. I think he did that well, we just shot like ****. Maybe we could of won if we made them.

I hope this year he focuses on more than just his strengths. I hope our offensive execution improves, but there will be atleast a few games a series where we don't shoot well. He needs to have back up plans, or whatever else it takes.

Maybe this year, with "flip putting his mark on the team for the first time" he will pay more attention to defense with his zone. Maybe that is the only D he knows how to coach, but that would be an improvement.

I think I buy into Flip coaching us better this season but I still have playoff adjustments on my list of doubts.
This is my list of fears btw:
1. Rebounding
2. Interior defense (preseason was all about letting the other team waltz in the paint, unless DD was in)
3. Playoff adjustments.

If we are good in those areas, I am confident enough to predict that we will blow the league away again in the regular season, and go into the playoffs as a better and more prepared team.

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