'People's choice' Saunders says he's not in the running

By Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune

Last update: January 15, 2007 - 10:37 PM

AUBURN HILLS, MICH. - Knowing full well that the question will continue to get asked in spite of his answer, and knowing just as surely that his response wouldn't have to hold up in a court of law, Flip Saunders waded into the Gophers men's basketball issue.

Saunders, the longtime Timberwolves coach in his second, sometimes shaky season leading the Detroit Pistons, remains the object of desire of many Minnesota fans to take the job once held by Dan Monson. But he has two years left after this one on an NBA contract paying more than $4.5 million annually. His thoughts?

"Being an alumni, you want to see that situation get back to where it was -- a dominant Big Ten basketball program -- and they have a ways to go," Saunders said. "I've said all along, I'm focused on winning an NBA championship.

"I haven't talked to anyone back there. So being the 'people's choice?' That's just because I was back there and there are a lot of ties back there. But I've been in this league for a long time. I came here with the idea of winning a ring, and that's what I'm focused to do."

So the Gophers should scratch his name off their list?

"Yeah, because I have a job right now," Saunders said. "Here's where I'm at."

And that settles that.

Still, just in case...

Saunders' Detroit team isn't all that different from his Wolves teams from 1995-2005, in terms of style of play. The Pistons rely a lot on jump shots, take care of the basketball (they commit the fewest turnovers in the NBA), don't gamble for steals, and rack up assists.

"He runs a lot of the same plays, a lot of the same sets," Minnesota coach Dwane Casey said. "Same calls, because I can see Kevin [Garnett's] eyes perk up. He's thinking, 'I heard 10 years of that.'

"That's the mark of a good coach. You tweak your philosophy a little bit, but stay with a lot of the things you had success with."

No showcasing, either

Casey said that Marko Jaric indeed is unable to play because of his sprained right thumb, rather than merely being held out while the Wolves explore trade possibilities. The veteran guard has been unhappy in his reserve role, and the team reportedly has talked at least with Detroit about a deal for one of its excess big men.

"If Marko could help us play today, he'd be backing up Trenton [Hassell], back in his rotation spot," Casey said. "I'm just going on what Marko says [about the injured thumb and his ability to play]."

During pregame warmups, a woman approached Jaric from the stands to ask about his custom-made, silicon splint, saying she suffered a similar injury.

McDyess impresses

The Wolves have been talking to the Pistons about three of their big men -- Nazr Mohammed, Antonio McDyess or Dale Davis.

But based on Monday's performance, perhaps they should be targeting McDyess. The 6-10 forward scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 29 minutes against the Wolves. Davis scored three points and grabbed three rebounds in 16 minutes and Mohammed had two points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.

Going into the game, McDyess was averaging 4.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game. Mohammed averages 7.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in 18.9 minutes and Davis 2.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.1 minutes.

Adding a cylinder

The newest Piston, veteran power forward Chris Webber, reminds Saunders of a player he knew in a past life.

"He's a lot like Garnett, as far as his ability to pass the ball and do a lot of those things," said Saunders, the former Wolves coach. "You put him with the ball and you've got guys like TP [Tayshaun Prince] and Rip [Richard Hamilton] moving, it's going to make us better offensively. Defensively, he's a good rebounder and smart."

Casey, whose club adjusted to four new players a year ago after the Wolves-Celtics trade, guessed that blending Webber into Detroit's experienced mix would go more smoothly.

Steve Aschburner • saschburner@startribune.com