Flip Saunders

Philip "Flip" Saunders (born February 23, 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States [1]) is head coach of the NBA's Detroit Pistons and one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Continental Basketball Association. Image File history File links Flip_saunders. ... Image File history File links Flip_saunders. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... The head coach in sports coaching is the coach who is in charge of the other coaches. ... The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... The Detroit Pistons are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in the Detroit metropolitan area. ... The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) is a professional mens basketball league in the United States. ...

High school player

Flip Saunders was an All-America basketball player at Cuyahoga Heights High School in Cleveland. In his senior season, 1973, he was named Ohio's Class A High School Basketball Player of the Year, leading the state in scoring average with 32.0 points per game. At the University of Minnesota he started 101 of his 103 career contests and as a senior teamed with Kevin McHale, who would be part of the Boston Celtics legacy of the 80s, and more recently, has been the Minnesota Timberwolves' vice president of basketball operations. Together they led the Gophers to a school-best 24-3 record. Cuyahoga Heights High School is a public [[high school] located in Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Washington Avenue Bridge at night The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, almost always abbreviated U of M, and sometimes referred to as The U by locals, is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. ... Kevin Edward McHale (born December 19, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player who starred for thirteen seasons in the NBA for the Boston Celtics. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Minnesota Timberwolves are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. ...

Coaching career

College

Saunders began his coaching career at Golden Valley Lutheran College where he compiled a 92-13 record, including a perfect 56-0 mark at home, in four seasons. In 1981 , he became an assistant coach at his alma mater, Minnesota, and helped guide the Golden Gophers to the Big Ten championship that season. After five seasons at Minnesota, he became an assistant coach at the University of Tulsa where he worked for two seasons before heading to the pro ranks. The Big Ten Conference is the United States oldest Division I college athletic conference. ... The University of Tulsa is a private, comprehensive university awarding bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ...

Saunders would leave after seven productive seasons as a head coach in the CBA, where he ranks second with 253 career victories. He began his CBA career in 1988-89 with the Rapid City (SD) Thrillers, then moved to the La Crosse (WI) Catbirds for five seasons (1989-94), where he won two CBA Championships, before coaching in 1994-95 with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He also served as general manager (1991-93) and team president (1991-94) of the Catbirds. Saunders' impressive CBA tenure included seven consecutive seasons of 30 or more victories, two CBA championships (1990, 1992), two CBA Coach of the Year honors (1989, 1992) and 23 CBA-to-NBA player promotions. The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) is a professional mens basketball league in the United States. ... Rapid City is a city in Pennington County, South Dakota, USA. As of the 2005 census estimate, the city had a total population 62,167. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... The Rapid City Thrillers was a professional basketball club based in Rapid City, South Dakota that competed in the Continental Basketball Association beginning in the 1987 season. ... Location in the state of Wisconsin Coordinates: Counties La Crosse County Government  - Mayor Mark Johnsrud Area  - City 57. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked... The La Crosse Catbirds were an American basketball team based in La Crosse, Wisconsin that was a member of the Continental Basketball Association. ... The Sioux Falls Skyforce are a basketball team that play in the NBA Development League. ...

Minnesota

Saunders joined the Minnesota Timberwolves on May 11, 1995 as general manager, working under his former teammate at the University of Minnesota, Kevin McHale. On December 18, 1995, Saunders was named head coach of the Timberwolves, replacing Bill Blair. The Minnesota Timberwolves are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (132nd in leap years). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... The term general manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. ... Washington Avenue Bridge at night The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, almost always abbreviated U of M, and sometimes referred to as The U by locals, is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. ... Kevin Edward McHale (born December 19, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player who starred for thirteen seasons in the NBA for the Boston Celtics. ... In the Gregorian calendar, December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years), with 13 days remaining until the end of the year. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Bill Blair is a former head coach in the National Basketball Association. ...

This happened shortly after McHale took over basketball operations for the Timberwolves. He added the coaching duties to his GM responsibilities after the team got off to a 6-14 start. The Timberwolves went 20-42 the rest of the year, but the emergence of young Kevin Garnett as a front-line NBA player was a major plus over the second half of the season. Kevin Garnett (born May 19, 1976) is an American professional basketball player for the NBAs Minnesota Timberwolves. ...

He guided the Timberwolves to their first-ever playoff berth in the 1996-97 season, his first full season as an NBA head coach, and to a franchise-record 50 victories in 1999-2000 which was duplicated in 2001-2002. The 1996-97 NBA season was the 51st season of the National Basketball Association. ... The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... The head coach in sports coaching is the coach who is in charge of the other coaches. ... The 1999-2000 NBA season was the 54th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The 2001-02 NBA season is the 56th season of the National Basketball Association. ...

After the Timberwolves' success in the 2003-04 NBA season, in which they made the Western Conference Finals, they struggled in the 2004-05 season, winning fewer than half of their games. On February 12, 2005, Saunders was fired and replace by then-Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale as head coach. Many fans believed that the firing was unwarranted, citing instead the contract troubles of Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell as the reasons for the team's failure. However, many also acknowledged that Saunders had already coached eight seasons in Minnesota, and perhaps a new voice was needed. The 2003-04 NBA season is the 58th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The 2004-05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kevin Edward McHale (born December 19, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player who starred for thirteen seasons in the NBA for the Boston Celtics. ... Samuel (Sam) James Cassell (born November 18, 1969 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American basketball point guard who currently plays for the NBAs Los Angeles Clippers. ... Latrell Fontaine Sprewell (born September 8, 1970 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2004-05 NBA season. ...

Detroit

Saunders replaced Larry Brown as coach of the Detroit Pistons on July 21, 2005. Under Saunders, the team set a new franchise record for wins during the regular season, finishing with a 64-18 record. Saunders coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas. Larry Brown For other people of the same name, see Larry Brown (disambiguation). ... The Detroit Pistons are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in the Detroit metropolitan area. ... July 21 is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 NBA All-Star Logo The 2006 NBA All-Star Game was played on Sunday, February 19, 2006 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, home of the Houston Rockets. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Country United States State Texas Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Incorporated June 5, 1837 Government  - Mayor Bill White Area  - City  601. ...

Despite the successful season, however, Saunders has been a target of criticism for the Pistons' playoff performance, in which the Cleveland Cavaliers pushed them to 7 games in the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The worn-out Pistons then lost the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat in 6 games. Saunders has received criticism for the poor defensive showing by the Pistons in the East finals. This has been speculated as a deciding factor in Ben Wallace's decision to sign a free-agent contract with the rival Chicago Bulls in the 2006 offseason.^{[citation needed]} The 2007 playoffs also ended in disappointment for Saunders and the Pistons as the Cavaliers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win the next four games and the Eastern Conference title. The Cleveland Cavaliers (also known as the cavs) are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Playoff Struggles

For seven consecutive years, Flip Saunders failed to get out of the first-round of the playoffs. In 2004, the T-Wolves were heavily favored to win the Western Conference and he came up short falling to the Los Angeles Lakers 2-4 in the series. In 2005-06, Flip inherited the Detroit Pistons after Larry Brown parted for the Knicks. The Pistons were coming off back-to-back NBA Finals appearances including one NBA Championship in 2004. The Pistons won the most games in the NBA in 2006, had four All-Stars in their starting lineup, and were the heavy favorite going into the playoffs to capture the NBA Championship. They lost the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat, 4 games to 2, a team that they had gone 3-1 against in the regular season. Many locals in the Southeastern Michigan area speculate that Flip's future in Detroit will lead to his dismissal after another poor performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-2 in the 2007 NBA Playoffs.^{[citation needed]} The Cleveland Cavaliers (also known as the cavs) are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. ... 2007 NBA Playoffs logo The 2007 NBA Playoffs is the postseason of the National Basketball Associations 2006-2007 season. ...

Personal

He and his wife are the parents of four children, including twin daughters, Rachel and Kim, who were contestants on the 2003 TV show Star Search. Another son, Ryan, plays basketball at his dad's alma mater, the University of Minnesota.

External links

• Profile at NBA.com
• Parent of Twins entry at Twinstuff.com