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. Wolfpack_1995 04/15/2009 at 11:33 AM #

    “BJD95
    April 15th, 2009 at 9:55 am
    Lee Fowler is one of those five. Take that for what you will.”

    Exactly, Lee has inadvertantly become part of the “lunatic fringe.”

    I’ll take Billy G over Sid. He was way in over his head at UK but what he did at Texas A&M was impressive. I am sure we’d be more patient with Billy G than UK. We gave Les 6 years, Herb 10 years?

    As someone else posted my dream is:

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

    The whole QJ situation seems to be something that is not going away!

  2. McPete 04/15/2009 at 11:34 AM #

    What is the QJ situation? is he replacing justin gainey?

  3. packbackr04 04/15/2009 at 11:35 AM #

    what happened with QJ that is not going away. i heard things were swept under the rug so that QJ could leave respectfully. but what specifically did he do that was so bad?

  4. Noah 04/15/2009 at 11:48 AM #

    QJ behaved inappropriately. I think the problems run much deeper than QJ.

  5. wbnation 04/15/2009 at 11:58 AM #

    Maybe Sid could go back to Cleveland and be an assistant coach there? Do they have an opening? WTF is up with this pointless thread. Why do we care who is going to be the next coach at Washington? Because Lowe once coached under Saunders? Hell he was also a TV analyst for the Timberwolves, have we checked into seeing if that gig is open again. Maybe we can post a thread about that job coming open.

    Man it is really a sad state of affairs when SFN is grasping at straws and posting threads just to try and boil the water under Sids seat. I have a lot more respect for this blog than it is showing by making this post. Unless there is truly concrete info on Sid leaving us this late in the game, which I find highly doubtful, then this thread just puts us back into the lunatic fringe. Stoking fires where there isn’t a flame.

    Kind of like the Fowler being gone rumor. As much as I wish you guys were right, this wait and see, its coming soon, just wait a little longer, just seems to me to be some more wishful thinking on your part. At the end of the day we are probably going to be going into another season with both Sid and “Coach” all the while SFN will be sitting in the corner like a little kid who didn’t get its way screaming and yelling, but making no difference in the end, even with the flames it tried to stoke.

  6. LKNpackfan 04/15/2009 at 11:58 AM #

    Think co-eds

  7. Daily Update 04/15/2009 at 12:18 PM #

    wbnation: Do you have any sources or information that suggests this discussion is pointless? I don’t know that the discussion is or isn’t pointless, but you seemed to be pretty certain. So I just wanted to get your insight on this subject.

  8. wbnation 04/15/2009 at 12:31 PM #

    Daily,
    No inside info, and no certainty. We can have a discussion on the current coach, and the admin if you want to, but to post a thread about a coaching hire in DC is just as pointless as if the thread would have been about an opening in the Timberwolves press box. The coaching change in DC just gave the poster a reason to bitch about the current state of affairs with our coach. Thats fine, but lets at least be honest, and just name the thread, Sid needs to go once and for all. This sly backhand was just that, a backhand. If Sid is actually thinking about going to the Wizards, then say that in the thread. If the poster has concrete info, and certainty, then it should be stated as well. My hunch is there is no concrete evidence and this is just wishful thinking and a slow newsday so the poster just decided he would use The hiring of Saunders as a way to have another thread where we could bitch about how Sid needs to go. So to answer your question this discussion isn’t pointless, its just pointless to reference it with the Wizards hiring.

  9. jbpackfan 04/15/2009 at 12:32 PM #

    So, what some people are saying is because QJ committed some inappropriate actions, Lowe might me out the door? Must be more to it, b/c I can’t imagine they’d force him out after 3 years.

  10. ThomYorkepack 04/15/2009 at 12:38 PM #

    If I was Sidney Lowe and:

    (1) The AD that hired me was going to be fired, and
    (2) I knew that for a lot of reasons that I was very likely to be fired if I didn’t win next season, and
    (3) There were other ‘issues’ around me that has caused my position to be weakened with decision makers at NC State, and
    (3) I knew that I wasn’t going to win next season,

    then why wouldn’t I take a STRONG look at another job with an old friend in order to save face and my own skin?

    It makes a lot of sense, actually. We shall see.

  11. ryebread 04/15/2009 at 12:52 PM #

    I think wbnation is making some good points and those points were the cause of my original question. Is there smoke here that suggests a correlation of events or is this just a post that is a “what if?” I honestly have no insider information on this topic and would suspect that we’re seeing SL back next year. Given my opinion, I view this topic as more “lunatic fringe” type posting.

    At the same time, I’ll be the first to admit that there could potentially be far more to it. SFN typically is a good source so maybe there is smoke if this topic is posted. Maybe the message is what Girlfriend in a Coma mentioned — buckle up, it’s about to be a wild ride.

    I personally think we’re going to see LF leave and Harper hired in women’s bball. Glance could have been bypassed and Harper hired long ago if there wasn’t something larger happening. The timing around the golf tournament, the statement that we’d be hiring someone “mid-April,” Lee’s public statements that seemed a bit defensive, etc. all suggest something might be brewing. Of course, I admit that I have a bit of a conspiracy theorist in me as well, so………

  12. Greywolf 04/15/2009 at 12:58 PM #

    SFN: No offense…but you are falling for a classic ‘trap’ in your analysis that we see a bunch — basically, since you wouldn’t personally make a decision (&/or have enough information to come to a particular conclusion) then of course that conclusion can’t happen.
    `
    Continuing the trap in the positive mode:
    &/or have enough information to come to a particular conclusion, then of course this is the decision that will happen.
    `
    We assume a set of parameters to be true and base our reasoning and rationale on those parameters is the most common basis for incorrect conclusions.

  13. wufpup76 04/15/2009 at 1:04 PM #

    “Of course, I admit that I have a bit of a conspiracy theorist in me as well, so………”

    ^This has served many State fans well. Myself certainly included 🙂

  14. Wolfpack_1995 04/15/2009 at 1:07 PM #

    Who is going to cover for QJ and Sid if Fowler is gone?

  15. Greywolf 04/15/2009 at 1:10 PM #

    As we consider what we would do and when, we are often failing to consider protocol that will be followed in the BOT/Chancellor decision making and execution process. It would make it a lot easier on our nerves if the BOT/Chancellor protocols were known.

  16. Greywolf 04/15/2009 at 1:21 PM #

    Wolfpack_1995
    April 15th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
    “Who is going to cover for QJ and Sid if Fowler is gone?”
    `
    What does this mean?
    When Calorina keeps shit out of the news or manages to handle it internally, it’s called good PR and good management. When NCSU keeps shit out of the news or manages to handle it internally, it’s own fans call it a cover-up. WTF is that all about?

  17. packbackr04 04/15/2009 at 2:18 PM #

    if QJ had inappropriate relations with Co-eds, and Sid didnt fire him immediately. Lee should have fired them both asap. not only is it sick, disgusting, and most likely illegal, it is a huge liability issue for the university.

    SFN: I think a lot of people would agree with your conclusion. You know…if the facts related to QJ’s time on staff played out along those lines.

  18. wbnation 04/15/2009 at 2:40 PM #

    so now this thread has gone from the “Wizards hire Saunders” to the QJ fondles co-eds. And you wonder why they call us the lunatic fringe??????

  19. Greywolf 04/15/2009 at 2:43 PM #

    ThomYorkepack
    April 15th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
    If I was Sidney Lowe and:

    (1) “The AD that hired me was going to be fired,”
    Should TOB, the Volleyball coach, and the WBB coach be concerned?
    (2) “I knew that for a lot of reasons that I was very likely to be fired if I didn’t win next season,”
    Not winning could be a reason to be fired, what are some of the other “lot of reasons… likely to be fired?
    (3) “There were other ‘issues’ around me that has caused my position to be weakened with decision makers at NC State,”
    What are these ominous ‘issues’ that ‘weakened’ Sid’s position?
    (3) “I knew that I wasn’t going to win next season,”
    How does he know he isn’t going to win next season. I thought only message board participants had that kind of knowledge.

    “then why wouldn’t I take a STRONG look at another job with an old friend in order to save face and my own skin?”
    `
    What face is there to be saved. What skin to save? With Sid’s severence package, he can wait out another coaching job. Don’t have to feel sorry for Sid, there are plenty of schools who would love to have a coach of Sid’s abilities and contacts recruiting for and coaching their team.
    `
    BJD: We are not going to give you a platform to say something so profoundly insulting. Funny how you want to throw stones while comparing Lowe to Willingham – when the ONLY thing they have in common is the color of their skin.
    `
    If I were Sid… well, neither you nor I are.

  20. ryebread 04/15/2009 at 2:49 PM #

    Grey: While I agree with many of the points that you make, I’m not sure if the best analogy for SL is Ty Willingham. Ty got at least two different BCS head coaching jobs in football and wasn’t a resounding success at either. Heck, his UW stint was downright dreadful.

    In all honesty, I think that SL reminds me the most of Dave Wannstedt. Wanny had two different NFL head coaching jobs and put up poor records at each. He then went back to his alma mater to try to restore greatness at a dormant program and is currently on the hot seat due to a mediocre record there.

  21. ThomYorkepack 04/15/2009 at 2:55 PM #

    Are you seriously saying that you think that another major college would hire Sid as a HEAD COACH? Maybe you are right, but I would be absolutely shocked if that happened.

    Is being the Ty Willingham of college basketball a good thing? He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt he couldn’t coach his way out of a paper bag…the dude went 0-12 at Washington last year and was deservedly fired. The difference with Lowe and Willingham is that Ty actually had one GOOD year at ND, while Lowe has had none at State.

    I’m not saying that I think Sid should be ousted. I was just presenting a scenario that had some logic to it. Sid would have a lot better chance of landing another head job in the NBA or college if he wasn’t fired by NC State.

  22. BJD95 04/15/2009 at 2:57 PM #

    I can promise you that nobody else is going to give Sidney Lowe a head coaching job in college. He would find about as much interest in his “skills” as Chuck Amato did.

  23. StateFans 04/15/2009 at 3:16 PM #

    Don’t forget how much we were going to miss Mike O’Cain and that other schools were going to line up for him! Oh, macd really nailed that one.

  24. Wolfpack_1995 04/15/2009 at 3:22 PM #

    ” Greywolf
    April 15th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
    Wolfpack_1995
    April 15th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
    “Who is going to cover for QJ and Sid if Fowler is gone?”
    `
    What does this mean?
    When Calorina keeps shit out of the news or manages to handle it internally, it’s called good PR and good management. When NCSU keeps shit out of the news or manages to handle it internally, it’s own fans call it a cover-up. WTF is that all about?”

    Coverup?…Some shit leaks regardless. See Dick Sheridan and cheerlearders.

    Only a matter of time when someone leaks the shit on QJ, Sid, and Fowler.

  25. Greywolf 04/15/2009 at 3:28 PM #

    packbackr04
    April 15th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
    “if QJ had inappropriate relations with Co-eds, and Sid didnt fire him immediately. Lee should have fired them both asap. not only is it sick, disgusting, and most likely illegal, it is a huge liability issue for the university.’
    `
    My first reaction upon reading the above actually was sick and disgusting… My thought was, ‘how sick and disgusting could it be if it were a co-ed?’ When I was a freshman a good portion of my time was thinking about ‘sick and disgusting’ things I would like to do with a coed. Seriously, what are you thinking advocating immediate firing of those accused of wrong doing. This ain’t Duke. Think Lax. Perhaps the legal department of NCSU suggested Sid NOT fire QT until an investigation was complete and all the facts were in. You’re concerned about a huge liability? Have you not heard of due process? Usually public employees are put on administrative leave, frequently WITH PAY, during investigations of wrong-doing.
    `
    BJD: Quit being a race-baiting asshole or prepare to be banned. We know details about QJ’s “antics” – they are disgusting, and it has nothing to do with race.

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