Flip Saunders Appreciation Thread

[Dewey]

The inmates are trying to run the assylum ... I hope Flip stands his ground. Flip has always been more of an offensive coach, so to see him rip defense, it must be BAD.

Flip offensive system works, but takes time to learn. The Triangle is more diffficult and takes time as well. No one ever wants to give coaches the benefit of the doubt when it comes to giving them time to impliment their system. It (Please Use More Appropriate Word) that teams keep firing coaches and never make players accountable.

Jordan said it best ... "It's a players game" ... "no matter how you try to slice it".

[Dewey]

OK Flip, Flop, Fail. Now put your money where your mouth is. There are potentially decent defenders on the roster... they are just seldom on the floor together.

Show me a box score with AJ getting 15 minutes and Blatche getting 33 or so, and I'll start to care again.

IMO benching Jamison or Butler only reduces their trade value. If either are not moved by the trade deadline I'd be shocked if both were still in the starting lineup come March.

so ... ??? WTF?

[fishercob]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/29/AR2009122903298.html

"This team needs a mind-set change," Saunders said. "This team, for the last five years has been known as one of the worst defensive teams in the league. We could take five guys in this room out here and we could have a chance. I think I can go out there on the floor and take anybody on the team, one-on-one at [54] years old, and drive right around them. They can't guard anybody."

"Until our guys decide that it hurts when teams score on you, we've got no chance," he said. "We're kidding ourselves."



I have to applaud the man for trying, nothing he says here or in the article is untrue. Trying to break 5 years of bad habits isn't going to be done in 30 games. Changes are coming, time will tell how signifigant.

+1 on the

Eddie Jordan never took his players to task this publicly for their defense. I think Flip's the right guy to lead the Wizards out of the abyss, even if it takes a while. He did it in Minnesota, and with the right players he can do it here.

[LyricalRico]

Eddie Jordan never took his players to task this publicly for their defense. I think Flip's the right guy to lead the Wizards out of the abyss, even if it takes a while. He did it in Minnesota, and with the right players he can do it here.

Yes! We need more posts like this!

We got your back, Flip!

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

We got your back, Flip!

... yes, so long as AJ is riding the pine.

[MJG]

We got your back, Flip!

... yes, so long as AJ is riding the pine.

... in Cleveland.

[LyricalRico]

[Munson79rip]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4819051

A third player, Andray Blatche, also was slated to be speaking about the Arenas case -- and he was barred from practicing anyway Tuesday, having been suspended for the Pistons game for conduct detrimental to the team.

"He said, 'Well, I didn't get a shot in a game.' If you're 6-10, 6-11, you can get a shot by getting an offensive rebound and getting shots. Anybody, whether it's him or anybody, that thinks a coach has to run plays to get you shots -- that's the sign of a team that's not going to be a very good team," Saunders said.

"I hope it impacts him. I hope he comes back energized. I hope he comes back with a focus. I hope he understands what it takes to win," Saunders added.

Saunders also made clear he wouldn't hesitate to find ways to get players to adapt to how he wants them to play.

"This is how things are going to be, and if guys aren't going to act that way -- if we have to play with five guys, we'll play with five guys," Saunders said. "We have to have a mind-set change."

Asked how difficult it would be to change his players' mind-set, Saunders replied: "It's going to be really easy. You've seen them on the bench. That's the easiest way."

[FAH1223]

Flip is a good coach but he can't win with these players

[Donkey McDonkerton]

I dont appreciate ANYTHING related to the wiz right now.

[LyricalRico]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4819051

A third player, Andray Blatche, also was slated to be speaking about the Arenas case -- and he was barred from practicing anyway Tuesday, having been suspended for the Pistons game for conduct detrimental to the team.

"He said, 'Well, I didn't get a shot in a game.' If you're 6-10, 6-11, you can get a shot by getting an offensive rebound and getting shots. Anybody, whether it's him or anybody, that thinks a coach has to run plays to get you shots -- that's the sign of a team that's not going to be a very good team," Saunders said.

"I hope it impacts him. I hope he comes back energized. I hope he comes back with a focus. I hope he understands what it takes to win," Saunders added.

Saunders also made clear he wouldn't hesitate to find ways to get players to adapt to how he wants them to play.

"This is how things are going to be, and if guys aren't going to act that way -- if we have to play with five guys, we'll play with five guys," Saunders said. "We have to have a mind-set change."

Asked how difficult it would be to change his players' mind-set, Saunders replied: "It's going to be really easy. You've seen them on the bench. That's the easiest way."

Maybe these young players, for all their athletic talent, really are whiney loafs. When there's a dispute between a coach with almost 600 wins and a guy who's only been in the league a couple years, I'm going with the coach ESPECIALLY if those players have had problems with coaches before.

[closg00]

Thanks Flip for drawing up a potentially game-winning play that was NOT an iso. Thank you, Thank You, Thank You. Yo know who not to trust next time.

[Rafael122]

Just like to say that the last 4 or 5 games have been really fun to watch and I think it's emphasized how good of a coach Flip is. They needed to change histhis team. Players are buying into the system and it's worked. It's almost as if he was handcuffed and he couldn't do anything.

[GhostsOfGil]

Just like to say that the last 4 or 5 games have been really fun to watch and I think it's emphasized how good of a coach Flip is. They needed to change histhis team. Players are buying into the system and it's worked. It's almost as if he was handcuffed and he couldn't do anything.

i agreed. flip gets way to much hate on these boards. he was hired into a bad situation. his system really works when players actually listen to him.

[closg00]

Just like to say that the last 4 or 5 games have been really fun to watch and I think it's emphasized how good of a coach Flip is. They needed to change histhis team. Players are buying into the system and it's worked. It's almost as if he was handcuffed and he couldn't do anything.

I agree, these post-trade games have been fun to watch. However, I think it's too-early to give the credit to Flip. One could argue that the recent wins would have come sooner had Flip "freed" Andray Blatche & McGee earlier. Flip was forced to finally insert Blatche into the starting lineup after the "stale" starting line-up that Flip had stuck with, had been disbanded.

The first couple of games the team was just playing on-the-fly, the new guys certainly did not memorize Flips system in 1 or 2 days, nor have they adapted fully to his system by-now most-probably.

[verbal8]

Just like to say that the last 4 or 5 games have been really fun to watch and I think it's emphasized how good of a coach Flip is. They needed to change histhis team. Players are buying into the system and it's worked. It's almost as if he was handcuffed and he couldn't do anything.

I agree, these post-trade games have been fun to watch. However, I think it's too-early to give the credit to Flip. One could argue that the recent wins would have come sooner had Flip "freed" Andray Blatche & McGee earlier. Flip was forced to finally insert Blatche into the starting lineup after the "stale" starting line-up that Flip had stuck with, had been disbanded.

The first couple of games the team was just playing on-the-fly, the new guys certainly did not memorize Flips system in 1 or 2 days, nor have they adapted fully to his system by-now most-probably.

I wonder if the EG tried to get "Flip guys" in the recent trades. While Mike Miller and Foye have not justified the cost to acquire them, they have played pretty well this season. The guys who struggled this season were guys who Flip inherited.

[closg00]

I wonder if the EG tried to get "Flip guys" in the recent trades. While Mike Miller and Foye have not justified the cost to acquire them, they have played pretty well this season. The guys who struggled this season were guys who Flip inherited.

It's doubtful that Ernie targeted anyone in the Dallas trade, Ernie was looking to unload contracts and Dallas was looking to unload Howard, the other guys were included to make the salaries match our out-going.

[TheSecretWeapon]

closg00 has it right. Ernie may have preferred certain guys, but the deadline-ish deals were finanical moves. The key was to make the salaries match up. The talent he got back was secondary.

[TheSecretWeapon]

closg00 has it right. Ernie may have preferred certain guys, but the deadline-ish deals were finanical moves. The key was to make the salaries match up. The talent he got back was secondary.

[pancakes3]

true. "flip guys" means a penetrating pg, whereas EG is just stockpiling athletic wings. i'm not sure how much of this is Flip's coaching. I think Blatche getting major minutes coupled with Thornton playing above his pay grade are the real keys to our recent success.