Flip

Word out of Detroit is Flip Saunders has been relieved of his duties. However, he may not be out of work for too long. The Phoenix Suns have reportedly been looking to hire a veteran coach to deal with the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire. This begs the question: Could Saunders be just the guy the Suns have been waiting for?

Steve Kerr & Co. have been very deliberate in looking for a head coach. Most of the candidates who have been interviewed for the job are young coaches without much NBA coaching experience, and if the Suns had really found a candidate the organization was really fond of, the team would likely have already named its next head coach.

There's certainly a lot for the Suns to like about Saunders. His 176-70 regular-season record with the Pistons was impressive. He also helped guide the Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals in each of his three seasons with the club and finished with an overall record of 30-21 in the postseason.

Suns' sources have told HOOPSWORLD the organization would prefer a coach accustomed to working with veteran, superstar-caliber players. Saunders coached Kevin Garnett in Minnesota for years and dealt with the perpetual headache that is Rasheed Wallace in Detroit. Surely then he could deal with a roster of O'Neal, Stoudemire and Steve Nash, right?

While Saunders found a lot of success during his relatively short tenure in the Motor City, he also failed to get the Pistons over the proverbial Conference Finals hump. This is the same hump the Suns tried unsuccessfully to get over during the Mike D'Antoni era.

That said, a veteran coach more accomplished than Saunders likely won't surface at any point this offseason. If the Suns are serious about winning a title in the next two seasons, the franchise should move quickly to secure his services. If, on the other hand, the organization wants to rebuild,