John Walters

The Detroit Pistons just pink-slipped a coach who, in the last three years, was just one win shy of Gregg Popovich (177-59, with San Antonio) for having the best regular-season record in the NBA.

General manager Joe Dumars just cut loose the only coach in the past five years to have coached in both the Western Conference finals (Minnesota, 2004) and the Eastern Conference finals (Detroit, 2007 and '08).

And yet you are not surprised. Saunders, 53, has been fired twice in the past half-decade. Watching Saunders coach a game from the comfort of your den, you are likely left uninspired by his in-game comportment. Scrutinizing Saunders, a former college star at the University of Minnesota, you are reminded of that constantly overmatched Twin Cities used-car salesman from Fargo, Jerry Lundegaard.

Dumars: "We're going to have to let you go, Flip."

Saunders: "The heck ya' mean!?"

It isn't fair, of course. Saunders has taken three of his last five teams to the conference finals. He set franchise single-season victory total records with both the Timberwolves (58-24 in '04) and the Pistons (64-18 in '06). He must have done something right. Right?

"Flip is a rock-solid coach," says Fox Sports North NBA analyst Mike McCollow, who was a Saunders assistant when he led the La Crosse (Wis.) Catbirds to a pair of CBA championships in the early Nineties.

You know who also won a CBA championship before landing an NBA job? Phil Jackson.

Why did Detroit flip on Saunders, then? He likely fell victim to the most prevalent occupational hazard facing NBA coaches not named Jerry Sloan: being tuned out by veterans.

Saunders, a brilliant offensive mind, is slow to reprimand recalcitrant players, particularly those whose jerseys are top-sellers. In Minnesota he was viewed as being too soft on Stephon Marbury, and in Michigan it was an open secret that Rasheed Wallace barked back at him more than once. In a veteran-heavy locker room such as Detroit's, the battle for respect is a long and arduous road.

Ask Larry Brown. Or George Karl, currently dealing with two of the league's top scorers but inconsistent personalities in Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. Even Jackson, who is on the cusp of becoming the league's all-time leader in championships won as a coach, was engaged a year ago at this time in a struggle for the soul of his team with Kobe Bryant.

It's all about respect, and too few NBA superstars see the purpose in paying it to the guy in the tie at the end of the bench. Saunders, who along with Kevin McHale helped lead the Golden Gophers to a 24-3 record as a senior point guard at Minnesota, never played in the NBA. He, like Lawrence Frank or Jeff Van Gundy, had to travel further to initially earn his superstars' respect.

Unlike Van Gundy, though, Saunders' demeanor wants for intensity. While he has a keen understanding of the game, especially from a half-court offensive perspective, he seemed almost too placid on the bench. Only players such as Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace truly know who was running the show once they started keeping score at the Palace.

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Saunders, whose wife and four children remained back in the Twin Cities area while he coached the Pistons, had a year remaining on his contract. Whether or not he coaches next season is anyone's guess. Suddenly, though, the Chicago Bulls vacancy becomes more intriguing — don't be surprised if Doug Collins stops shuffling his feet and pronto. Saunders excels with point guards (those who listen, that is) and would probably relish the opportunity to help mold a teenage Derrick Rose.

It was Bobby Knight, the in-game antithesis of Saunders, who once mocked a reporter who inquired about his team's "game face". One thing is for certain, though. Saunders might want to work on his before his next job. Outside of taking a team to the NBA Finals, he has accomplished as much as any coach in the league the past half-decade. It would not hurt him to start carrying himself that way.

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