At this point, no news is good news for Flip Saunders in Detroit.
That seems to be exactly the sort of news that assistant Michael Curry is bearing at this point.
As reported by Shannon Shelton of the Detroit Free Press:
The morning after the Pistons fell to the Celtics in Game.6 of the Eastern Conference finals, players and coaches gathered their things, held informal meetings and left the team practice facility for the final time this season — and possibly ever.
Saunders was among the first to leave, departing shortly after noon and heading directly to his vehicle without speaking with media members assembled in the parking lot.
More than two hours later, the perceived top candidate to replace him emerged. Assistant coach Michael Curry talked briefly about his future with the Pistons but said he didn’t speak about the top job with team executives Saturday morning.
"It hasn’t been discussed," Curry said. "We just finished the season. My mind was focused on the opportunity that we had to get to the Finals. My mind wasn’t on nothing else and no other team prior to now."
Not ringing good cheer for the embattled Detroit coach, but it's certainly good enough for a stay of execution.
For now, we'll straddle the fence by reserving judgment on Saunders as well.
It has always been clear that he was a downgrade from Larry Brown, but there aren't many coaches on the face of the planet that wouldn't qualify for the same classificiation. While I don't think the guy is necessarily brilliant by any stretch of the imagination, the players seem to like him, and while there has been plenty of disappointment in Detroit, there is something to be said for three conference finals appearances in as many seasons.
The Pistons will need to have someone they see as quite solid already lined up to replace Flip if they choose to can him.