Randy Wittman often seemed to be on unsteady ground in Washington even when the Wizards were going well the last few years.
Missing out on the playoffs this season after making it to the second round each of the last two years removed all ambiguity, though, and the team announced Thursday that Wittman will not return for 2016-17.
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“There were high internal and external expectations for this team coming into this season based on the momentum we had generated over the previous two years,” Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said in a release. “Unfortunately, the inconsistency of the team’s performance and effort, particularly on our home court, did not allow us to meet those expectations and we decided a coaching change was needed.”
The Wizards finished 41-41, putting them 10th in the Eastern Conference, and went 22-19 at Verizon Center. Overall, Wittman was 178-199 (.472) in the regular season and 12-9 in the playoffs after taking over for Flip Saunders in January 2012.
Speculation on potential replacements has centred on former Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks. Reeling in Brooks could have the added benefit of making the Wizards more attractive to Kevin Durant, the Thunder standout poised to hit free agency this summer. Wizards fans have long held out hope that Durant, who grew up in the Washington area, will come home to be the franchise's centerpiece.
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The Vertical also reports that the Wizards have interest in Jeff Hornacek (formerly of the Suns) and Mike D'Antoni, whose most recent stop was on the 76ers bench. D'Antoni has previously been the head coach of the Nuggets, Suns, Knicks and Lakers.
