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Griffin, Rubio Or Bust For WizardsLeague sources say the Wizards are going for Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio or bust in May's 2009 NBA Draft Lottery. They want an immediate contributor and difference-maker and do not believe any of the other players in the pool will be able to make the impact of those two prospects. Should the Wizards end up with the third pick or worse, they are expected to trade the pick for a veteran. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Saunders: I Can Work With ArenasFlip Saunders, the new coach of the Wizards, is confident that he'll be able to work with star guard Gilbert Arenas. "I think we'll do great together," Saunders told ESPN.com in his first public comments since agreeing to a four-year deal worth $18 million. Saunders reached a verbal agreement with Washington more than a week ago. "The thing about Gilbert is, no coach is ever going to have a problem with how much he loves the game," Saunders said. "He puts in an unbelievable amount of time working on his game. He's a competitor and he wants to be great. "If you look at my teams, I've had a point guard-oriented offense pretty much everywhere I've been. Myself and my point guard, we're usually joined at the hip." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Wizards Officially Name Saunders 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." "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." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Wizards Apr 2009 Archive
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Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced on Wednesday that the team has named Flip Saunders as head coach.