Did anyone check out Glen Taylor's comments in the St Paul Pioneer Press defending McHale's decisions? Among other things he says McHale wanted to re-sign chauncey in 2002 but Flip Saunders was against it. How crazy is that? Can it be true? Why did Detroit hire Flip if there was something between him and Billups? If Flip was against giving Billups mid-level money, how come he was not against giving him $60M this summer? Does Chauncey know that Flip stabbed him in the back in 2002? Is Glenn Taylor making this thing up to protect his protege (McHale)? It seems the last one is the likeliest explanation. It's always easy to put all the blame on the guy who's not there anymore... If that's the case, I really hope Flip would sue Taylor's rich azz for that. This league is sick with the way owners and GMs manipulate things to deflect public criticism
Agreed -- on the other hand, he did play for so many teams (Celtics, Raptors, Nuggets, Wolves -- any others I'm missing?) earlier in his career because he was so frustrating to watch, so it wasn't Detroit's mistake alone. He was pegged as a Mike James-type player who'd never be a contender's starting p.g. Further, the Pistons would do well to get rid of him (and Rasheed, with whom Chauncey was complicit in playing lazy basketball) after last year's playoff meltdown.
Billups was a completely different player. Larry Brown had a profound impact on how Chauncey plays today. That is the reason why Detroit didn't even offer him that much when they signed him over in 02.
Both Chauncey and Flip respond to Taylor's slander... I liked Flip's putdouwn: "are you better now than three years ago?" (It was in the CHRON, too lazy to link...) Taylor is the biggest jerk among owners, he's worse than Sterling...
I don't care about that, but Flip is a lousy playoff coach. Dumars should have fired him and traded the idiot Sheed!
Flip is a very good coach. It's just that Dumars hasn't been able treplenish the talent since their championship year. Just consider, they lost Okur, Mike James, Ben Wallace and what did they get? creaky-knee-Mcdyess and a bunch of kids.
