The Wizards plan to return to the playoffs next season. So who better to chart the course than a man who’s been there in every one of his 11 full seasons as an NBA head coach?
The Wizards appear close to hiring Flip Saunders to replace interim head coach Ed Tapscott. According to a league source, the Wizards are targeting Saunders, but no deal is in place. Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld is unlikely to make anything official until after the season finale Wednesday at Boston.
Saunders, 54, has a 587-396 career record, taking the Minnesota Timberwolves to the playoffs eight straight times (1997-2004) and the Detroit Pistons to three postseason appearances (2006-08).
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The Wizards’ interest in an experienced coach such as Saunders indicates their confidence that All-Star Gilbert Arenas will be healthy and the team will be ready to return to the playoffs next season. With starters Arenas (knee), Brendan Haywood (wrist), and DeShawn Stevenson (back) out most of this season, the Wizards (19-61) have slumped badly after four straight trips to the playoffs.
The Wizards fired Eddie Jordan following a 1-10 start this season. Saunders has often been mentioned as a potential successor along with former NBA head coaches Avery Johnson, and Dwane Casey.
Jordan and Saunders have much in common. Both are considered popular with players and get high marks for their offensive strategizing. But both have also been criticized for their playoff failures.
Saunders, who has a 47-51 mark in the playoffs, survived seven straight first-round exits at Minnesota before taking the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals, where they lost to the Lakers in six games. When Minnesota started a disappointing 25-26 the following year, Saunders was fired and replaced by Kevin McHale, the T’Wolves’ general manager.
Saunders was hired the next year by Detroit after the departure of Larry Brown, who had taken the Pistons to consecutive appearances in the NBA finals. Saunders coached Detroit to the Eastern Conference finals three straight times, but frustration grew as the Pistons couldn’t get over the hump.
– Examiner staff writer John Keim contributed to this report.
