There's been speculation for quite awhile, but the team finally made it official on Monday morning: Randy Wittman will drop the interim tag for next season, making him the head coach of the Washington Wizards. Terms of the deal were not released, but it was reported that he was under contract through the 2012-13 season prior to this announcement.
Randy Wittman To Return As Wizards Coach, Team Announces
Wittman took Washington over in January after Flip Saunders struggled to get the team to respond to him. It wasn’t exactly a quick turnaround, as Washington still ended up with one of the worst records in the league, but the team found momentum late as they closed out the season by winning eight of their final 10 games.
“We are excited to bring Randy back as head coach and give him the opportunity to build on the positive momentum that the team showed under his leadership last season,” team president Ernie Grunfeld said in a press release. “We were very pleased with the development of our young players and the commitment to winning he instilled despite taking over the team under difficult circumstances.”
The Wizards will add the third overall pick in this year's draft along with John Wall, Nene and a host of other young players with potential. Whether Wittman's able to turn the young team around remains to be seen, but it's nice to see the veteran coach being given an opportunity following the end to Washington's season.
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