There are national rumblings that Detroit Pistons coach Flip Saunders is under a NBA Finals-or-else ultimatum this spring. But that’s unlikely if Pistons president Joe Dumars still believes the veteran core of this team still has another season of serious championship contention within it regardless of these playoffs.

If you dump Flip, who’s his replacement? It has to be a veteran coach if the core remains intact, and there aren’t any fitting that prerequisite on the unemployment line right now.

Flip’s safe unless there’s an unquestionable collapse in the second round of the playoffs.

-Detroit Free Press