http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3423956

Here's the official announcement: http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/saunders_080603.html

So long, Flip.

They'll probably hire Michael Curry as the next coach; they've been grooming him to be a head coach, and denied the Bulls the opportunity to interview. I'd like to see them at least talk to Avery Johnson, who I think is a pretty good approximation of what they need: a coach who will emphasize defense and kick them in the *** when they need it. And I'll say it once again: God, I miss Larry Brown.

This probably kicks off a summer of change in Detroit. I think Rasheed Wallace has probably played his last game in a Pistons uniform. Everything else, we'll see, but I think big chances start with Saunders, then Sheed, then who knows?

 

Well, they were favored to get to the Finals his first two years, and both times, the Pistons absolutely collapsed in the conference finals. This year, I thought they played pretty well, but blowing that 10 point lead in the 4th sealed his fate.

I'm reasonably sure Joe Dumars isn't going anywhere.

 

2008-9 may be a "take one step back to take two forward" kind of season for the Pistons. I'm not sure what Dumars will look to do. Will he blow up the core group entirely? Probably not, but I'd be stunned if at least one, and maybe two, of McDyess, Wallace, Prince, Hamilton and Billups aren't playing elsewhere. Maybe he'll look away from the "no one star" model and try to pick up someone like Gilbert Arenas, I don't know.

As for Wallace, they don't win the 2004 title without Sheed, it's true, but his hare-brained switch off Robert Horry cost them game 5 of the 2005 finals, and perhaps back-to-back championships. His meltdown in last year's conference finals hurt, and he was all but invisible in this year's conference finals. It's time for him to move on. He's in the last year of his contract, and thus presents prime trade value.

 

You apparently missed the part where the Pistons, you know, actually WON a championship.

 

I have absolutely no idea what will happen. Right now, no one is safe except perhaps Stuckey. I wouldn't be even a little surprised to see anyone else moved, even Billups or Hamilton.

As for Saunders, I think he suffered most from being "not Larry Brown". You know how Jay Fiedler suffered mightily from being the guy who followed Dan Marino? The Pistons loved Brown, flaws and all. Any coach short of that stature who followed was doomed to fail. The best case scenario for Detroit would have been for the front office to bury their differences with LB, but that was apparently never an option. He badly wanted to move on, because, well, that's what he does, and Bill Davidson was (rightly) furious that he was job-hunting in the 2005 playoffs.

Saunders was hired because the Pistons were in a pinch, more than anything. They didn't see the Brown departure coming, and didn't have a replacement lined up. Saunders was there, had a proven track record, and they wanted to move fast, so they hired him. It wasn't a terrible move, and he did a decent job, but they clearly tuned him out and often pined for Brown.