The Detroit Pistons fired Coach Michael Curry Tuesday, just one year after being hired and two months after getting a vote of confidence. This was a difficult decision to make, Joe Dumars, the Pistons' president of basketball operations, said in a statement released by the team.

The Washington Wizards Wednesday confirmed the hiring of Flip Saunders to be their next head coach.

The Washington Wizards have reached an agreement with Flip Saunders to become their head coach, sources said. Yahoo! Sports reported a verbal agreement has been made on a four-year, $18 million contract, but that it won't be official until Saunders signs a contract. Wizards interim Coach Ed Tapscott took over when Eddie Jordan was fired early this season.

By Larry Lage, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - In the morning, the Detroit Pistons fired Flip Saunders. By the afternoon, the players were put on notice. "I'm not going to sit here and make Flip the scapegoat," president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said Tuesday.

DETROIT _ Pistons president Joe Dumars watched the final 10 minutes of Game 6 against Boston last Friday and saw a microcosm of the entire Flip Saunders era. "That last 10 minutes played out, and I looked at it and said, `This is the last three years right here,'''Dumars said Tuesday.