Washington, DC (My Sportsbook) - The Washington Wizards announced Friday that they would not retain Doug Collins as head coach.

Collins posted a 74-90 record in two seasons with Washington and the Wizards failed to qualify for the playoffs under his guidance. He had two years left on a four-year contract.

The move comes less than a month after owner Abe Pollin announced the club would not re-sign Michael Jordan as the President of Basketball Operations.

Collins spoke personally by phone with Pollin and team General Manager Wes Unseld on Friday.

"Several weeks ago, Doug and I spoke and we promised each other we would be fair in whatever happened," said Pollin. "With seven head coaching positions available in the league and with his future here in Washington in doubt, I felt that it was only fair that Doug be given a chance to pursue other interests. Doug was our head coach in a very unique situation, and I know that he worked very, very hard to prepare our team for every game."

The Wizards went 37-45 this past season for the 51-year-old Collins, who has a career coaching mark of 332-287 in eight seasons. He coached for the Chicago Bulls from 1986-89 and was at the helm of the Detroit Pistons from 1995-98.

"I really enjoyed my opportunity to coach the Washington Wizards," said Collins. "My wife and I discovered what a wonderful city Washington, D.C. is and what wonderful people live there. I was disappointed I wasn't able to take the team to the playoffs and give the fans of Washington a taste of what the playoff experience is all about. It was a great experience to coach in front of sellout crowds every night."

The move to let Collins go may open the door for Larry Brown to become the next head coach of the Wizards. Brown resigned from his head coaching position with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday and has been rumored to be a candidate for a few NBA slots, including the head coach of the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. The Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets and Toronto Raptors also have coaching vacancies.

The Washington Post reported Friday that Brown cancelled a meeting with the Wizards because he didn't want to meet with the team while Collins was still employed by the club. Brown and Collins are friends.

As for a search for a person to head up basketball operations, Pollin said the team is in the process of finding a replacement for Jordan.

Jordan was the team's President of Basketball Operations from January 2000 until September 2001, when he came out of retirement for the second time to return to play basketball. In the 3 1/2 years that Jordan was in the front office, a position he kept while he was playing, Washington managed just a 110-179 record.

Jordan had said that the 2002-03 season, his 15th in the NBA, would be his last and that he would retire for good.