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. Wulfpack 04/15/2009 at 3:29 PM #

    Is St. Paul’s hiring? You know, his alma mater?

  2. Noah 04/15/2009 at 3:30 PM #

    If the worst you could say about Quinton Jackson was that he liked to bang college girls, you’d never hear or read a bad word about him from me. As long as everyone’s a willing participant, it’s none of my business.

    That said…I don’t think that has anything to do with the problems with QJ.

  3. Greywolf 04/15/2009 at 3:36 PM #

    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.”
    `
    and a lot of people would be wrong. See my comments about due process above.

  4. Greywolf 04/15/2009 at 3:38 PM #

    Noah
    April 15th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
    “If the worst you could say about Quinton Jackson was that he liked to bang college girls, you’d never hear or read a bad word about him from me.”

    We both need to go to football thread… 😉

  5. Noah 04/15/2009 at 3:42 PM #

    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.

    You make it sound like such accusations involve private behavior that occurred behind closed doors…a lot of he said/she said.

    Maybe it’s time to revisit that assumption?

  6. Noah 04/15/2009 at 3:56 PM #

    When Sidney Lowe wins 2/3 of his conference games (I refuse to give credit for the first six weeks of the season) and goes to an NCAA tournament, maybe we can talk about comparing him to Wannestadt.

    Until then…

  7. packbackr04 04/15/2009 at 4:03 PM #

    so noah, what ELSE did QJ do? as if this first accusation isnt bad enough.

  8. Six Pack 04/15/2009 at 4:05 PM #

    It looks like Kellie Harper, WCU’s head coach will be hired by Jed to be the new Women’s B-ball coach. I don’t know if this is good or bad, but I thought I would pass it on. At least, she knows what it is like to be a winner, she led Tennessee back in the late 1990s from the PG position.

  9. Greywolf 04/15/2009 at 4:26 PM #

    Grey: Perhaps the legal department of NCSU suggested Sid NOT fire QT until an investigation was complete and all the facts were in.

    Noah: You make it sound like such accusations involve private behavior that occurred behind closed doors…a lot of he said/she said. Maybe it’s time to revisit that assumption?”
    `
    Noah, How you get “private behavior that occurred behind closed doors…”
    out of “Perhaps the legal department of NCSU suggested Sid NOT fire QT until an investigation was complete”,
    beats the hell out of me. The only thing I am assuming is that saying anything that remotely defends Sidney Lowe is like waving a red flag in a bull’s face. You get very upset and lose all reason.

  10. wufpup76 04/15/2009 at 5:01 PM #

    Are Mike Freeman and/or Greggggg Doyel posting comments here now?

  11. NeverGiveUp 04/15/2009 at 6:18 PM #

    Alpha,

    What is up with Fowler? I am tired of checking in here with high hopes every 5 minutes. If Fowler makes the announcement tomorrow, I am going to be seriously discouraged.

  12. Noah 04/15/2009 at 8:11 PM #

    Noah, How you get “private behavior that occurred behind closed doors…”
    out of “Perhaps the legal department of NCSU suggested Sid NOT fire QT until an investigation was complete”,

    Why do *you* need to investigate something you witnessed? Why do you something *you* told someone else to do?

  13. bradleyb123 04/16/2009 at 10:37 AM #

    What did QJ do? Or “allegedly” do?

    Until this thread, I haven’t heard anything about this.

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