Report: Flip Saunders agrees to take over Washington Wizards

General NCS Basketball113

From Fox Sports:

Flip Saunders has agreed to become the new coach of the Washington Wizards, with an announcement expected next week, according to an NBA executive.

You may remember that Sidney Lowe served as an assistant to Saunders with the Detroit Pistons prior to his hiring at NC State. Lowe originally joined Saunders in Minnesota in 2003 prior to their move to Detroit in 2005.

Owner Abe Pollin has approved the hiring of Saunders, the choice of president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld to succeed interim coach Ed Tapscott, the executive told The Associated Press. The executive spoke on condition of anonymity because the season has not ended and the Wizards are not yet prepared to make a formal announcement.

The announcement isn’t expected until next week because the Wizards’ season ends Wednesday, and Grunfeld will be out of town for the NBA Board of Governors meetings Thursday and Friday.

Saunders will be taking over the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards are 19-62 after Monday night’s home loss to Toronto and need to win their final game at Boston to avoid matching the franchise mark for worst record over an 82-game season.

Saunders has coached for 13 NBA seasons, 10 with Minnesota and three with Detroit, with a career record of 587-396. Eleven of those teams made the playoffs, and he led the Pistons to three consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference finals from 2006 to 2008.

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General NCS Basketball

113 Responses to Report: Flip Saunders agrees to take over Washington Wizards

  1. BJD95 04/15/2009 at 8:55 AM #

    I have no idea if he actually will leave to join Flip, but it makes all the sense in the world.

    Regarding Josh Davis, why would you expect Lowe to act in any way other than his own self-interest (i.e., taking anybody he can get)? That holds true whether or not he goes back to NBA clipboard holding or not (and the Washington job wasn’t in place at the time of offer).

    I don’t think Davis can sign until 4/18, so I would hope he goes this week rather than next (if he’s going, as I hope he is).

  2. Packman02 04/15/2009 at 8:58 AM #

    Sid’s gonna be here for at least two more years.

    Was listening to Taylor Zarzour (sp?) last night and he and his guest (think it was David Glenn) mentioned that, AS OF RIGHT NOW, no one in the ACC is a ‘lock’ to make the tourney, sans UNC and Duke. That includes a WF team that has Aminu coming back, Clemson and Florida State (who I think WILL make the tourney).

    If WF loses Teague they are seriously damaged – Aminu is legit but without a good (experienced) PG, he’ll be limited (remember the Hickson days?). Yes, Ish Smith is servicable, but he’s not in the same universe as Teague.

    Miami is losing McClinton and another strong player (who’s name escapes me at the moment).

    VT is losing Vasaillo.

    MD is losing Vasquez.

    Clemson has to lose some players (their current lineup seems like it has been intact for YEARS).

    BC is losing Rice.

    GT is GT (even with Derrick Favors).

    Anyways, my point is that we could, concievably, make a run at a top-half finish next year. The ACC is going to be a shadow of what it was this year and I, for one, was encouraged by what I saw with the frosh and soph players last season. Taylor’s guest (Glenn?) also mentioned that players TYPICALLY make huge strides between their sophomore and junior years so, if that applies to Tracy and Javi, I think we might have a much better inside-outside game than most anticipate.

    Another guest (Glenn – I know this particular guest was Glenn) also ran through the Wall saga, stating that NC State has been recruiting him the longest/ hardest but ‘didnt’ have much of a chance’. I’d like to know how he’s reachd that conclusion, as he didn’t provide any evidence to back up his statement.

  3. Bubba 04/15/2009 at 9:00 AM #

    Whats the big deal with Sid going down to Miami to evaluate the Williams kid? We havent offered a schollie. Should he ignore the kid? What if he’s better than Javi,Farnold and Julius right now(which isnt that hard to fathom actually)? What if he goes to UGa and averages 20 and 10 as a frosh and Sid decided to stay in Raleigh and not go evaluate? Surely its worth the 700.00-800.00 dollars it will cost to go take a look.

  4. Thinkpack17 04/15/2009 at 9:07 AM #

    I support Sid, but I see no reason to offer this kid Williams. Unless he is 4 inches taller than I have heard and we can use him at the 2 I just don’t see the point. Carrying 4 PGs for the next two years just doesn’t make sense, and that’s the count if you regard Brown as a pure 2.

  5. Noah 04/15/2009 at 9:08 AM #

    Whats the big deal with Sid going down to Miami to evaluate the Williams kid?

    It’s that metaphor about the waters you’re fishing in. St. Louis looked at the kid and didn’t offer.

  6. Packman02 04/15/2009 at 9:14 AM #

    Isn’t Sid heading down to Miami per the request of Monte Towe (who, allegedly, is enamored with Vincent Williams). Not offense to Vincent, who I’m sure is a fine player, but, Monte doesn’t exactly have a great track record when it comes to scouting.

    Larry Harris, he ain’t.

  7. Bubba 04/15/2009 at 9:16 AM #

    “St Louis looked at the kid and didn’t offer”

    St Louis probably has a better backcourt than we do right now 🙂

  8. Wulfpack 04/15/2009 at 9:18 AM #

    The evidence that Wall isn’t interested in NCSU when NCSU has recruited him the hardest is that he continues to show a lot of interest in other schools, including just recently our two key rivals.

  9. packbackr04 04/15/2009 at 9:24 AM #

    when is the BOT meeting today?

    my wish list for the presser that follows is>>>>

    Fowler is out.
    Sid has resigned.
    Jolly is named head womens coach

  10. Bubba 04/15/2009 at 9:25 AM #

    BOT meeting isnt today, its tomorrow and Friday

  11. legacyman 04/15/2009 at 9:32 AM #

    No one on here should be stating unequivocally that Sidney is going to be fired next year or the one after unless you want to be considered a blithering idiot. Sidney is rebuilding the basketball program and logical supporters get this fact. He has two very good classes on the way and by that time all of the former coach’s players will be phased out…not run off like Calipari did. Sidney played the holdovers and gave them a chance to complete their careers which is very commendable. He could have cleaned house and brought in a bunch of new faces but he didn’t. He will get the time to return our program to where we want it so get on the train or jump off and leave.

  12. Packman02 04/15/2009 at 9:34 AM #

    ^^ Good point, Wulfpack. But isn’t it possible that this kid is just drawing this out because he knows he CAN. I don’t think being receptive to the intrest of other schools is a slap in the face of State, it’s just good business sense in this case. I don’t agree with this excessive ‘flirting’, but it helps fuel the Wall-Hype machine, ensuring massive coverage wherever he lands next year, ultimately vaulting him upwards in the draft (ie. $$$).

    As for Glenn’s comment, we don’t know who ‘doesn’t have a chance’ with Wall because Wall hasn’t said so.

  13. BJD95 04/15/2009 at 9:39 AM #

    Every indication is that Wall will not come to NC State, and that has been true for some time. If you choose not to believe it because it couldn’t be proven in a court of law, that’s your business.

  14. Greywolf 04/15/2009 at 9:40 AM #

    Let me take a break from my dreary desk job and give my expert opinion as to why Sid went to Miami to look a basketball player… Ugh, could it have been to maintain hes relationship with HS coach who asked him to take a look? Or is that too far-fetched to consider?

  15. Thinkpack17 04/15/2009 at 9:41 AM #

    ^^I about as optimistic a fan that you are going to find when it comes to State basketball, but there really is no hope of Wall coming here. He hasn’t said it, but we just keep getting bumped. He hasn’t talked about State in a loooong while. Baylor hires his AAU coach…we get bumped a spot. Bill Self talks to him outside a locker room…we get bumped again. Memphis promises to buy his mom a house, down another spot. He visits Coach K and gets a call from National Champ Roy Williams, down two more spots. He hasn’t talked about us for a while.

  16. newt 04/15/2009 at 9:43 AM #

    John Wall just plain hasn’t decided yet. Folks make this stuff too intriguing. There is no source out there that knows the “real truth,” which they choose to reveal to a select few, who then share “what they can” on a local radio station or message board.

    John Wall does not know where he is going to college.

  17. Thinkpack17 04/15/2009 at 9:43 AM #

    “Let me take a break from my dreary desk job and give my expert opinion as to why Sid went to Miami to look a basketball player… Ugh, could it have been to maintain hes relationship with HS coach who asked him to take a look? Or is that too far-fetched to consider?”

    Like I said…I’m an optimist. So PLEASE let that be the case.

  18. Greywolf 04/15/2009 at 9:45 AM #

    legacyman
    April 15th, 2009 at 9:32 am
    “No one on here should be stating unequivocally that Sidney is going to be fired next year or the one after unless you want to be considered a blithering idiot. Sidney is rebuilding the basketball program and logical supporters get this fact. He has two very good classes on the way and by that time all of the former coach’s players will be phased out…not run off like Calipari did. Sidney played the holdovers and gave them a chance to complete their careers which is very commendable. He could have cleaned house and brought in a bunch of new faces but he didn’t. He will get the time to return our program to where we want it so get on the train or jump off and leave.”
    `
    There’s about 5 of us on the train now…

  19. Thinkpack17 04/15/2009 at 9:47 AM #

    “There’s about 5 of us on the train now…”

    I think I’d rather have it that way.

  20. Noah 04/15/2009 at 9:48 AM #

    I look forward to the next round of excuses from those five people.

  21. Thinkpack17 04/15/2009 at 9:51 AM #

    I have never given excuses.

  22. Packman02 04/15/2009 at 9:53 AM #

    ^^^ I’ll admit it, it seems that we have an outside, at best, chance of landing Mr. Wall but, until he confirms it, I’ll continue to hold out hope that good will conquer evil here, delusional as it may be.

    Anyways, back on topic, Sid will be around for at least two more years, IMO. After that point, if we haven’t turned the corner then it WILL be time to look elsewhere. An involuntary departure before the beginning of next season seems highly unlikely, especially given the shallow talent pool of available coaches currently ( with ‘available’ being defined here as, ‘willing to talk to NCSU legitimately; not in an attempt to extort a higher salaray from one’s current team).

    The other hypothesis seems to be that Flip sweeps in and lures Sid back to the Association. Just my opinion, but that seems extreme on two counts:

    1). Sid would be publicly admitting failure, no matter how hard it is spun as ‘a great opportunity’ and

    2). I think Sid has too much love for State basketball to abandon it, especially in its present state.

  23. BJD95 04/15/2009 at 9:55 AM #

    Lee Fowler is one of those five. Take that for what you will.

  24. Thinkpack17 04/15/2009 at 9:58 AM #

    ^^^Yes…but like the others, he will soon be off.

  25. choppack1 04/15/2009 at 10:03 AM #

    BJD – Do you know when he gave up on the volleyball coach he fired?

    Also, he didn’t give up on Amato either did he?

    legacyman – It’s very possible to be concerned w/ the direction that our basketball program is going and want a coaching – especially after next year.

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