The Suns announced Earl Watson as their new head coach

[MrMiyagi]

Why hire a coach right now? I don't hate the hire necessarily, but not even really exploring your options, or at least waiting to see if we miraculously get into the top 2 to incentivize bigger coaching prospects to coach Ingram or Simmons (Highly unlikely, but still)? Bad timing. I would've waited until the ping pong balls were drawn at least.

[silverstyne]

Its not that Watson is a bad hire, its the way that the FO did it that shows gross incompetence:

- Few games before season ends, news came out that Suns interested in D'Antoni and other coaches. I really thought McD ran a tight ship, the leak looks intentional.
- News came out that only very few coaches interested in working for Sarver
- News came out that Suns not willing to pony up salary for top coaches? WTF? Are these guys for real? Talk about being cheap. They coudve just kept their mouths shut.
- Watson is hired before we even start going through the motions of interviewing and bringing in coaching prospects. The move reeks of desperation, kind of like settling for Watson because no one is applying. If they were that happy with Earl, they couldve just extended him two weeks ago lol...

My friends, its these amateurish moves that leaves me despairing about the state of the Suns. How can we move forward, if we cant trust the owner/FO to make the right moves?

[Saberestar]

Why hire a coach right now? I don't hate the hire necessarily, but not even really exploring your options, or at least waiting to see if we miraculously get into the top 2 to incentivize bigger coaching prospects to coach Ingram or Simmons (Highly unlikely, but still)? Bad timing. I would've waited until the ping pong balls were drawn at least.

In his latest interview McDonough said that it was really important to take Watson out of the market because there are a lot of open places for a head coach in the NBA right now. He was loyal to us and he didn't talk with other teams...we wanted to close the deal early in the offseason.

[MrMiyagi]

Why hire a coach right now? I don't hate the hire necessarily, but not even really exploring your options, or at least waiting to see if we miraculously get into the top 2 to incentivize bigger coaching prospects to coach Ingram or Simmons (Highly unlikely, but still)? Bad timing. I would've waited until the ping pong balls were drawn at least.

In his latest interview McDonough said that it was really important to take Watson out of the market because there are a lot of open places for a head coach in the NBA right now. He was loyal to us and he didn't talk with other teams...we wanted to close the deal early in the offseason.

How many teams would've really been gunning for Earl Watson?

[sunshoopjunky]

Jim Boylen? I could see him leaving the Bulls.

YES YES and more YES please.

I am a Boylen fan. I have a post about him in The Next Head Coach thread post#62 viewtopic.php?p=46599393#p46599393 . Not sure I would leave the Bulls though if I am next in line. Plus they gave him associate coach although I am not sure why we couldn't do the same. Then it would be family, did he move his family to Chicago yet? Would they want to go through another move? I think he could be great for us. Huge risk for him not sure he would do it. $$ maybe?

[RaisingArizona]

Why hire a coach right now? I don't hate the hire necessarily, but not even really exploring your options, or at least waiting to see if we miraculously get into the top 2 to incentivize bigger coaching prospects to coach Ingram or Simmons (Highly unlikely, but still)? Bad timing. I would've waited until the ping pong balls were drawn at least.

In his latest interview McDonough said that it was really important to take Watson out of the market because there are a lot of open places for a head coach in the NBA right now. He was loyal to us and he didn't talk with other teams...we wanted to close the deal early in the offseason.

How many teams would've really been gunning for Earl Watson?

0.

[Gorilla Warfare]

Why hire a coach right now? I don't hate the hire necessarily, but not even really exploring your options, or at least waiting to see if we miraculously get into the top 2 to incentivize bigger coaching prospects to coach Ingram or Simmons (Highly unlikely, but still)? Bad timing. I would've waited until the ping pong balls were drawn at least.

In his latest interview McDonough said that it was really important to take Watson out of the market because there are a lot of open places for a head coach in the NBA right now. He was loyal to us and he didn't talk with other teams...we wanted to close the deal early in the offseason.

How many teams would've really been gunning for Earl Watson?

Zero. The answer to your question is zero.

[batsmasher]

Lol, no surprises Suns fans are critical of a process they know literally nothing about.

[Krush32]

Love Earl Watson. Great move showing loyalty to your players and Earl. The whole team comes to you to hire Earl you really cant hire anyone else.

[Gorilla Warfare]

I wish the entire team went to the front office requesting we trade Sarver for someone who knows how to run a franchise.

[DRK]

Im absolutely on board with this hire.

A franchise who has had a revolving door of coaches, GM's, assistant coaches, players... we need some sort of stability. Last thing a promising young core needs is instability within the franchise. Bringing yet another new head coach would be subtraction by addition.

Watson is a good motivator, good communicator, and has an extremely intelligent basketball mind. He is very well respected around the league, and is extremely well respected by the players. Unlike Hornacek and Hunter, Watson actually seems to have some inkling of a personality.

Now hopefully we can get ourselves some god assistant coaches to help the process.

[DRK]

get ready for another 82 games of the offense-destroying Len/Chandler frontcourt

Count me as a minority, but I loved the high-low action that Watson instilled in the offence.

Doesnt neccessarily have to be Len/Chandler, but using a 4 or 5 at the top of the key as a distributor is something Ive wanted to see from the Suns for years.

[saintEscaton]

Lol, no surprises Suns fans are critical of a process they know literally nothing about.

No surprise Suns fans continue to sip the koolaid even when left in the dark

[Frank Lee]

Face the Facts. There were very few applicants.

Watson deserves a chance as much as any other rookie coach we might snag. Glad they didn't interview anybody else. A vote of confidence.

The true challenge lies and building this roster to one that actually can compete. That's going to be on McMully.

[Sunsdeuce]

I'll be back at the end of next season when he's fired. I'm done with being irrelevant.

Couldn't have said it better. I've haven't been posting, basically waiting for a fresh start, but nooooooo.

Can't put enough bang head emojis here.

[bwgood77]

A month ago I didn't think he was the right move, but the more I hear stories about him and what the players say about him, and how he is respected around the league, I began to think perhaps he would be a good guy to hire, and was kind of on the fence.

But I have gradually come to think he is the right hire right now. I think he will be good for the young players we have and the young ones coming in. Less important is that OUR vets like him, but what IS important about that, is that if we want to go after some veteran free agent in the future to complete the team, or whoever it may be, it just shows he is widely respected regardless of age of player.

One post someone made in another thread, I thought was really informative:

Just a quick note as I've only just found out that my favorite player is the head coach for the Suns. I've followed Earl since he was a freshman at UCLA and have always admired his tenacity, his passion, and his toughness. I've also seen how he's grown from that homesick kid who wasn't ever supposed to get off the bench (yet he was the first ever to start every game in a 4-year career at UCLA), to a guy who became a coach on the floor during his last few years in the league, and now to getting a chance to serve as head coach for an NBA team.

When watching him in Utah it literally seemed like the game slowed down a bit as he would direct the younger guys on the second unit into position, point out where they needed to be, and helped them excel. Not that he slowed down the game to waste time, but he was able to help the young guys develop in the games while he was playing the point. He's been a true student of the game most of his life, has fostered relationships with some of the greatest minds in the game, and has known many of the players in the league for years and years. He understands the game, he understands egos, and he understands that it's about the team, becoming solid men and citizens, not just basketball stars.

For those of you wondering why he would have been given the opportunity to coach at this point, this is the background, and there are a large number of people within the pro-basketball community that have felt for years that he would become a head coach in the future. If not a head coach I know he wanted to become Mayor of his hometown - maybe that will happen for him down the road after a nice long coaching career.

[DirtyDez]

Watson seems laid back and likeable so I understand the player's support for him. Whether the reports were true or not about Watson being "the guy all along" I think it's clear McD simply doesn't have the "clout" to go against the player's emphatic wishes.

[batsmasher]

Lol, no surprises Suns fans are critical of a process they know literally nothing about.

No surprise Suns fans continue to sip the koolaid even when left in the dark

I'm drinking kool-aid for assuming McD practiced due diligence? Well I'll be damned.

I'll say this about Earl: he seems to be a good motivator. Teams that overachieve are teams that believe in themselves. Horny got that in year 1. Earl can get that next year. But my biggest concern is in his actual coaching ability. I haven't seen much to suggest he can actually coach, and he doesn't come off as the sharpest tool in the shed. All his answers sound rehearsed and methodical, which kind of gives a hint at what type of coach he will be.

[GetYourPHX]

A month ago I didn't think he was the right move, but the more I hear stories about him and what the players say about him, and how he is respected around the league, I began to think perhaps he would be a good guy to hire, and was kind of on the fence.

But I have gradually come to think he is the right hire right now. I think he will be good for the young players we have and the young ones coming in. Less important is that OUR vets like him, but what IS important about that, is that if we want to go after some veteran free agent in the future to complete the team, or whoever it may be, it just shows he is widely respected regardless of age of player.

One post someone made in another thread, I thought was really informative:

Just a quick note as I've only just found out that my favorite player is the head coach for the Suns. I've followed Earl since he was a freshman at UCLA and have always admired his tenacity, his passion, and his toughness. I've also seen how he's grown from that homesick kid who wasn't ever supposed to get off the bench (yet he was the first ever to start every game in a 4-year career at UCLA), to a guy who became a coach on the floor during his last few years in the league, and now to getting a chance to serve as head coach for an NBA team.

When watching him in Utah it literally seemed like the game slowed down a bit as he would direct the younger guys on the second unit into position, point out where they needed to be, and helped them excel. Not that he slowed down the game to waste time, but he was able to help the young guys develop in the games while he was playing the point. He's been a true student of the game most of his life, has fostered relationships with some of the greatest minds in the game, and has known many of the players in the league for years and years. He understands the game, he understands egos, and he understands that it's about the team, becoming solid men and citizens, not just basketball stars.

For those of you wondering why he would have been given the opportunity to coach at this point, this is the background, and there are a large number of people within the pro-basketball community that have felt for years that he would become a head coach in the future. If not a head coach I know he wanted to become Mayor of his hometown - maybe that will happen for him down the road after a nice long coaching career.

Well you've certainly found the biggest puff-piece on the internet in favor of the guy. Suns fans can throw superlatives around as much as they want to justify the hire, but it doesn't mask the stench of desperation that emanates from everything this front office touches. "Slowed down the game," "student of the game," "greatest minds in the game," "understands the game." Come on. Just another fan post on RealGM.

Who has Earl Watson been learning all of these finer aspects of the game from? It's not like he's played on any relevant teams. The best coach he ever had was a half season of old and tired Jerry Sloan.

Look. I want the Suns to do well. I'm a fan for life - but we don't need to sugarcoat the **** around here. Earl Watson isn't some great basketball mind that's going to save the Suns. This is not our Brad Stevens hire. This guy hasn't ever ran or been part of a successful professional basketball program and his only experience is being a NBA journeyman. I'm glad he's a "nice guy" and the players like him but that doesn't make him a great coach.

So if someone wants to drop the superlatives and explain to me how this guy, the innovator of the Chandler/Len frontcourt, is anything more than a patsy until we have the talent to be relevant...

I'm all ears.

[TeamTragic]

You guys act like we had a **** choice