Wouldn't it be something if Joe Dumar's press conference was more for Flip than the fans.

It was so many implications of the what wasn't done during the playoffs which directly reflects coaching.

I am going to look at this like a yearly Job Performance Evaluation. Last years Objectives/Goals (for 2007) consisted of the following:

OBJECTIVES

DEVELOPMENT OF THE BENCH: During the 2006 Finals, one of the major weakness' was not only our backup players consisting of McDyess, Mo Evans and others, we need to shore up the bench in order to make our 2007 bench more effective:

OBJECTIVE MET/UNMET: NO, Grade - UNSATISFACTORY

REDUCE STARTERS MINUTES: During the 2006 ECF the starters averaged over 40 minutes per game. Edict to the coach for the 2007 season.. give Delfino more minutes backing up Tay & Rip, Play Dale Davis & Maxiel in order for them to develop and raise their game for the playoffs, play the backup PG to spell chauncey.

OBJECTIVE MET/NOT MET: NO, Grade- UNSATISFACTORY

SOLIDIFY THE BENCH ROTATATION: Self-Explanatory

OBJECTIVE MET/UNMET: NO, UNSATISFACTORY for the majority of the season was DNP, Coaches Decision, was it due to Flip's inabilty to coach him up or was it Nazr's inability to understand the offense.

VIABLE REPLACEMENT FOR BEN WALLACE: Nazr Mohammed

OBJECTIVE MET/NOT MET: NO, Was DNP for the majority of the season, Coaches Decision, was it due to Flip's inabilty to coach him up or was it Nazr's inability to understand the offense OR was he a flat out bust?

INCORPORATE AJ into the rotation:

OBJECTIVES MET/UNMET: No, he received no playing time until the tail end of the season in which his play was pretty decent.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: POOR, none of the objectives were close to being met during the season.

I am sure there were more goals and objectives for Flip for the 2007 season.

Based on the ones that I was familiar with that were put out by Joe last year I was able to comment on those alone.

If this was a regular job being in a regular full-time position for 2 years, I would be fired, demoted or placed in a position with decreased responsibility. The coach did not achieve the goals that were set in place when he arrived here and fell short two years in a row.

A carbon copy of year one.

It appeared to me that Joe addressed all of the above and more during his press conference. Now if I was Flip and really, really heard what Joe was saying, I would be "like" damn, he definitely will be scrutinizing my every move next season, I would be getting nervous right about now and asking himself, "do I want to suffer the embarrassment by being called out in front of my players and peers?

I feel pretty much the same way with your points. However, I believe that Flip doesn't need to get this third hand through some media relations peice. I think they sat this down and talked it out.

Joe talked about being hands off in the past. I think he's given FLip the opportunity to fail already so Dumars will HAVE to enforce his will on this team. Flip still here means that he is pliable in that way.
The other alternative is that flip (there is a government term for this but I forget) just says yes, ok, and does what he does.

Delfino and Maxiell got minutes but I wouldn't say that they were developed. Maxiell especially proved his worth and then sat the next game. whatever. A better for has to be done. 30 minutes a night sounds like a step in the right direction. We HAD the talent to win this way but it looked like our guys played 75% effort 25% longer minutes.

As for AJ, i don't mind seeing him so much last season but if he sits most games this season, I'll be pissed to no end.

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I am in the same boat as you guys are. What we are talking here is not just minutes for the bench, but consistent minutes and a set rotation. So that guys know that they will get their playing time and will be rewarded for good play. What this does is eliminate the pressure on them to "show what they can do" in that 2-3 minute span that they do get on court. And AJ's playing time goes without saying. Joe promised to be more hands on this time around, lets see if he follows through.

I think that Flip and JD really, really talked. The conclusion was evident. They both have been successful and driven basketball players. Self motivation as a singular internal process is personally driven. Reaching certain accomplishment along with status (as a collective whole) rewards the accomplishments and you have a room full of self-evident and comfortable multi-millionaires.

Repeated successful accomplishments dissipates the individual motivation and motivation seeks the "piggy-back" or "let George do it" syndrome. This is where player leadership comes in. That leader (there is generally only one which can rally the troops) does not have to be a success in every attempt, which may be obvious only to the players. The grinding factor and its uplifting effect, is in the consistency of the effort. The leader, by way of example (and the hardest on himself), is always there.

As a coach, I was always hardest on the leader, because he was the boiler container. Most people are impressed with the resulting steam. The coach is merely the shovel and the players are the organic mix called coal. The summation (and greater than the individual items) is a movement forward.

The pistons lack a container.

Our coach is not the shovel. He's a teaspoon.

Not even. He's a baby spoon.