The Washington Wizards have made their firing of coach Flip Saunders official, announcing the move via a press release on the team's website. Randy Wittman will replace Saunders as the team's coach on an interim basis. The Wizards have scheduled a press conference for 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon to discuss the decision.
"We felt the team had become unresponsive and we will look to Randy to provide a different voice and a change in philosophy moving forward," Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said in the press release. "We have been transparent in how we would evaluate our team this season and we were disappointed in the lack of development of our players at this point in our rebuilding plan."
Saunders' 51-130 record in two-plus seasons is the worst in franchise history among coaches with at least 150 games. At 2-15, Washington has fewer wins than any other team in the league.
In the press release, Wittman indicated he would look to make the most of his team's physical skills, saying he will emphasize using "the length, athleticism and versatility of our roster to improve our defense and create opportunities in the open court."
In five seasons as a head coach, Wittman's record stands at 100-207 (.326). He most recently served as a head coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2008/09 season, going 4-15 in 19 games before Minnesota dismissed him.
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