Flip Saunders shares his defensive secrets

From A. Sherrod Blakely:

Former Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who was fired by Detroit over the summer, will spend time at the Washington Wizards training camp. Every year, Wizards coach Eddie Jordan invites a coach or coaches to training camp.

In addition to Saunders, Jordan also invited Hall of Fame coach K.C. Jones to speak to his players.

Washington all-star forward Caron Butler spent time talking to Saunders about defense -- specifically, how Saunders approached defending him and "what were some of the things you (Saunders) focused on," Butler told reporters. "And he (Saunders) said, 'We just hoped that you had a bad night.' "

Last season, Butler averaged 20.3 points per game. But against the Pistons, he averaged 15 points per game.

I was surprised by Butler's average against the Pistons last year because I remember him having some huge games against the Pistons in the past. In his three years in Washington, he's faced Flip and the Pistons 10 times. He averaged 27.5 points per game in the first five but just 13.2 in the last five. I'm guessing there's more to the story than simply hoping for the best. Still, it makes for an amusing anecdote.