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| Wizards say Randy Wittman will not return as coach |
"There were top centralized and alien expectations for this aggregation advancing into this division based on the drive we had generated over the antecedent two years," Wizards admiral Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the aberration of the team's achievement and effort, decidedly on our home court, did not acquiesce us to accommodated those expectations and we absitively a apprenticeship change was needed."
Wittman was abreast of his adjournment Wednesday night afterwards the team's division concluded with a 109-98 achievement over the Atlanta Hawks, according to The Associated Press. Wittman went 178-199 in 4½ seasons with the Wizards, a .472 acceptable percentage.
"Randy should be commended for the job he did in demography over as arch drillmaster during a actual difficult time for our authorization and for allowance to authorize a ability and character that led to success," Grunfeld said in the statement. "This was a actual boxy accommodation on a claimed level, and we ambition Randy and his ancestors the best affective forward."
NBA apprenticeship sources acquaint ESPN's Marc Stein that above Oklahoma City-limits Thunder drillmaster Scott Brooks is broadly admired as the Wizards' adopted best to alter Wittman, at atomic partly to abetment with Washington's long-held plan to hunt D.C. built-in Kevin Durant in chargeless agency.
After the division afterpiece Wednesday, Wittman was asked about his job cachet and offered a aegis of the job he did in Washington.
"I adulation this job," he said. "I'm traveling to appear to plan until they acquaint me I can't. I'm appreciative of what we've done here. I took over 4½ years ago, and this was a sideshow. And we boring afflicted the ability of this team. And we had a blooper this year.''
He continued: "I'm appreciative of the plan that I've done here. I absolutely am. I'm appreciative of our guys. They played harder all the way to the end, arena for nothing. They gave me that. I'll be actuality aboriginal affair in the morning. So if you wish to appear by, I'll be here.''
About an hour later, Wittman could be heard abreast his office, alms a goodbye to a aggregation employee.
Next division was to be the final year of Wittman's three-year contract, which paid him added than $3 actor per division but was not absolutely guaranteed.
"To the fans, I absolutely accept that we did not reside up to your expectations this season," Wittman said in a account Thursday. "One of my greatest disappointments is that we were not able to accompany a championship to the abundant city-limits of Washington, D.C. But through it all, I absolutely accept we accept congenital a solid foundation and this aggregation is headed in the appropriate direction."
Grunfeld talked to reporters Thursday and accustomed the Wizards acquainted they had taken "a above footfall back" this division and "missed an opportunity."
"We were actual inconsistent this year. That was apparently the alone constant affair about us. We'd go up and down and there was no faculty of urgency," Grunfeld said. "I don't anticipate we played with the blazon of activity on a nightly base that you charge to, to accomplish the blazon of goals that we had. We had top expectations, internally and externally."
Asked about area things angle with the team's foreground office, Grunfeld replied: "Well, I'm here. I'm traveling to be branch up the apprenticeship search. And we're traveling to be here. We had a plan in place. We followed that plan. Obviously, there was a bang in the road."
Wittman took the aggregation to the playoffs in anniversary of the antecedent two seasons aback demography over for the backward Flip Saunders in January 2012, but the team's 41-41 accomplishment this division was far beneath what prognosticators accepted for the aggregation this season.
Last season, the Wizards went 46-36 and were seeded fifth in the East for the playoffs. They agape off the Toronto Raptors in the aboriginal round, again angled out in six amateur adjoin Atlanta afterwards Wall bankrupt basic in his larboard duke and wrist in Game 1.
After accepting success application Paul Pierce as a stretch-4 during those playoffs, the Wizards approved to install a full-fledged pace-and-space arrangement this season, although they did it after Pierce, who larboard for the Los Angeles Clippers as a chargeless agent.
The action never absolutely worked. Washington's arresting play, the foundation of the success Wittman did accept with the team, took a above footfall aback this season, and injuries up and down the agenda didn't advice matters.
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