Ted Leonsis went on 106.7 The Fan today and had some nice things to say about Ernie Grunfeld and Flip Saunders, making it seem like both might be back next season. In an interview with the Sports Junkies, Leonsis said he was "thrilled" with Grunfeld and "very happy" with Saunders. Audio is here, and a brief transcript is here, via the master transcriber, Dan Steinberg.
You guys know me long enough, I am pretty loyal. I believe we're in it together. And as long as we are on the same page, I think that there's harmony in the organization. And right now, Ernie certainly is executing what we want to do. And I'm thrilled with that. I said we want to tear the team down and be young and have upside and have cap space. Check.
I'm very happy with Flip, because he is teaching in an environment of we want you to compete, we want you to play hard, we want you to bring it, because the line between success and failure in pro sports is really small. And effort and teamwork and camaraderie and heart and grit are important. And we'll tolerate youthful mistakes, but we want people to really want to be here and play here and like playing for one another and being respectful to the fans, and I'm seeing that. I'm really seeing that.
A word of caution, though: don't make too much of this when thinking about both men's futures. Leonsis was asked a question and he answered while being very careful to say he doesn't discuss the job status of his employees directly. It's certainly a good sign for Grunfeld and Saunders, but to do anything other than offer both men their support would have been very out of line.