Wizards Officially Announce Hiring of Flip Saunders As New Head Coach.
Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has named Flip Saunders as head coach.
"We're very proud to bring a proven winner like Flip Saunders on board as our head coach," said Wizards Chairman Abe Pollin. "After going through what was a very difficult season, I know our fans share in my anticipation of what we can accomplish with new leadership, a healthy roster and a renewed commitment to excellence."
Saunders, who becomes the 22nd head coach in franchise history, owns a 587-396 (.597) record over 12-and-a-half seasons with Minnesota and Detroit.
"We clearly identified Flip as the top candidate for the job and were happy to find that our situation proved to be a good fit for him as well," said Grunfeld. "We were able to move quickly as a result and we're confident that this is a major step towards putting this team back among the Eastern Conference contenders."
The terms of the deal finds Saunders receiving $18 million over four years.
Saunders achieved seven 50-win seasons, led his teams to the playoffs 11 times and reached the Conference Finals on four occasions during his tenures with the Timberwolves and Pistons. He is one of only six coaches to be named head coach of the All-Star team in both the Eastern and Western Conferences and currently ranks seventh among active coaches in winning percentage (12th all-time) and eighth among active coaches in total wins (21st all-time).
"There were many factors that led to this being the right situation for me, but the most intriguing was the commitment of Mr. Pollin and Ernie to win a championship," said Saunders.
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Saunders was released from the Detroit Pistons last year, four days after the Pistons lost to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Playoffs.
What a difference a year makes.
Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has named Flip Saunders as head coach.
"We're very proud to bring a proven winner like Flip Saunders on board as our head coach," said Wizards Chairman Abe Pollin. "After going through what was a very difficult season, I know our fans share in my anticipation of what we can accomplish with new leadership, a healthy roster and a renewed commitment to excellence."
Saunders, who becomes the 22nd head coach in franchise history, owns a 587-396 (.597) record over 12-and-a-half seasons with Minnesota and Detroit.
"We clearly identified Flip as the top candidate for the job and were happy to find that our situation proved to be a good fit for him as well," said Grunfeld. "We were able to move quickly as a result and we're confident that this is a major step towards putting this team back among the Eastern Conference contenders."
The terms of the deal finds Saunders receiving $18 million over four years.
Saunders achieved seven 50-win seasons, led his teams to the playoffs 11 times and reached the Conference Finals on four occasions during his tenures with the Timberwolves and Pistons. He is one of only six coaches to be named head coach of the All-Star team in both the Eastern and Western Conferences and currently ranks seventh among active coaches in winning percentage (12th all-time) and eighth among active coaches in total wins (21st all-time).
"There were many factors that led to this being the right situation for me, but the most intriguing was the commitment of Mr. Pollin and Ernie to win a championship," said Saunders.
"I look forward to enjoying the great support and homecourt advantage from Wizards fans that I've always seen from the opposing sidelines and to making each game at Verizon Center an exciting event."Saunders comes to the Wizards after leading the Pistons to three straight 50-win seasons, three straight division titles and three straight appearances in the Conference Finals from 2005-06 to 2007-08. He finished with an overall record of 176-70 (.715), the highest winning percentage for any coach in franchise history. Saunders began his NBA coaching career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he compiled a 411-326 (.558) record from 1995-2005 and became the winningest coach in franchise history. He guided the Timberwolves to eight consecutive playoff appearances from 1997-2004, culminating in a trip to the 2004 Western Conference Finals.
Saunders was released from the Detroit Pistons last year, four days after the Pistons lost to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Playoffs.
What a difference a year makes.
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