Reporter's Gut Tabs Flip for Wiz
Is Flip Saunders a difference maker?
By KYLE WEIDIE
Updated 9:36 PM EST, Tue, Mar 10, 2009
Some reporters report valid rumors, some convey baseless conjecture, some throw out educated hunches and some report gut feelings derived from a Malcolm Gladwell-esque Blink! conditioning.
Washington Post beat reporter, Ivan Carter, is around the Wizards all the time. So when he has a gut feeling, we should listen, right?
Carter's latest intuition is that Gilbert Arenas will not come back this season. But the "will he, won't he" is a far too tired song and dance.
No, the intriguing emission coming from the bowels of Carter is that Flip Saunders will be the next coach of the Wizards.
However, with luxury tax woes impending, will Abe Pollin shell out the money it would take to get Saunders, considered the number one coaching prospect on the market, to DC?
A Sacramento Kings blog speculates that Saunders might command a 4-5 year contract at the rate of $5 million per, making him a pipe dream for the financially struggling Kings franchise.
Saunders is not new to the Wizards. His presence at last summer's training camp certainly raised eyebrows.
But would Flip be the right fit for the Wiz? Stereotypical problem numero uno has been inept team defense. Saunders literally wrote the book on the match-up zone, albeit, it's the very same defensive scheme that assistant Randy Ayers has been trying to implement with arguable success.
However, the main issue at hand is playoff success, an area in which Saunders has had *gulp* minimal success. He was only able to guide Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves past the first round of the playoffs once in eight tries, and he lost in the Eastern Conference finals three straight seasons as coach of the Pistons, after Larry Brown had guided Detroit to back-to-back Finals appearances, winning one championship.
Saunders appears to be the prettiest girl in the most expensive dress at the dance. If Pollin truly wants the championship he craves before his time has come, he'll pony up the money. Then, perhaps the Wiz can get retro, returning to their '06-'07 slogan of "Go All In."
Kyle Weidie also writes Truth About It and contributes to Bullets Forever, both Washington Wizards blogs. He has come to embrace the Curse O' Les Boulez.
Copyright NBC Local Media
First Published: Mar 10, 2009 4:25 PM EST
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