The Suns announced Earl Watson as their new head coach

[Mulhollanddrive]

If Watson wants us to be the best ball sharing team we're going to need new players.

Simmons would be a good start.

[RaisingArizona]

Still baffled he got the job without anyone else even interviewing. There was no rush to lock him up.

Sarver and McDonough could make themselves look better in terms of firing Hornacek: Watson was the real deal, and we knew it all along!

How do you know he's the man for the job when they didn't seriously look at anyone else? It does no harm to interview outside candidates especially when it's still April.

[jcsunsfan]

Still baffled he got the job without anyone else even interviewing. There was no rush to lock him up.

Sarver and McDonough could make themselves look better in terms of firing Hornacek: Watson was the real deal, and we knew it all along!

How do you know he's the man for the job when they didn't seriously look at anyone else? It does no harm to interview outside candidates especially when it's still April.

OK. I don't get this. All the potential candidates are well-known. They are all friends and aquaintances of each other. Its not like anything more is going to be learned in an interview than they already knew. I can see criticism about the selection of Watson, but they had 2.5 months to look at and consider the options. There is no point in interviewing coaches that either you have ruled out or have ruled out you.

They had their priorities with the new coach.

1. Fix a broken locker room.
2. Help younger players develop.
3. Work well with management.
4. Communicate well with players.
5. Be direct and hold players accountable.

Watson was all of these things. So why make him think you are not really sold on him, by continuing to interview others after you interview him?

Again, I am not all that sold on Watson. I will give him the benefit of the doubt. But I really dont have a problem with the process.

[GMATCallahan]

Still baffled he got the job without anyone else even interviewing. There was no rush to lock him up.

Sarver and McDonough could make themselves look better in terms of firing Hornacek: Watson was the real deal, and we knew it all along!

How do you know he's the man for the job when they didn't seriously look at anyone else? It does no harm to interview outside candidates especially when it's still April.

My point was cynical—their certitude would allow them to 'justify' firing Hornacek and replacing him with Watson in the first place—but jcsunsfan puts it well in the previous post.

I would define the bottom line as follows: there is a good chance that the Suns are not going to be that competitive for awhile, and they need their coach to be someone who is patient and oriented toward development. They do not need a Rick Pitino-type—someone who is desperate to win right away and will become impatient and disillusioned in the midst of inevitable losing, as Pitino was in Boston. Watson fits the profile of someone who will develop players, live through some trial-and-error from the front office, and not be so eager to journey through the forest that he will fail to nurture the trees. The same may not have been true of an experienced high-profile candidate such as Thibodeau, Brooks, Van Gundy, or Jackson.

[Puff]

Sarver and McDonough could make themselves look better in terms of firing Hornacek: Watson was the real deal, and we knew it all along!

How do you know he's the man for the job when they didn't seriously look at anyone else? It does no harm to interview outside candidates especially when it's still April.

OK. I don't get this. All the potential candidates are well-known. They are all friends and aquaintances of each other. Its not like anything more is going to be learned in an interview than they already knew. I can see criticism about the selection of Watson, but they had 2.5 months to look at and consider the options. There is no point in interviewing coaches that either you have ruled out or have ruled out you.

They had their priorities with the new coach.

1. Fix a broken locker room.
2. Help younger players develop.
3. Work well with management.
4. Communicate well with players.
5. Be direct and hold players accountable.

Watson was all of these things. So why make him think you are not really sold on him, by continuing to interview others after you interview him?

Again, I am not all that sold on Watson. I will give him the benefit of the doubt. But I really dont have a problem with the process.

I get his concerns, I really do.

1. Any decision that McDonough makes is in question. We are all familiar with his record. I am tired of hearing what a great GM he is and I was a one time supporter. The players he has kept have either been injured or have underperformed. Several of those problem children he had to get rid of are doing well elsewhere.

2. All the suggested mystical powers that Watson possesses has not turned into victories as a head coach or player (Check out his record in my signature). That is part of his permanent record, forever. You would think some of those powers would have rubbed off along the way.

I would have preferred a coach with a winning pedigree. It seems as though all of the coaches that have worked for Popovich are having success at their new destinations other than Brett Brown. Being a winner usually is a big part in any hire for any job. Quite frankly Watson has basically been a loser since he has been in the NBA. I certainly am hoping that changes.

I repeat. The main reason he got the job is that he is more than willing to play Bledsoe, Knight and Booker together. When McDonough heard that from him it was a done deal. If it works out well they will both be heroes. If it doesn't, we will start over again.

Virtually everyone other than Watson, McDonough and Sarver would love to see Knight shipped out immediately if not sooner. Watson is going to take the chucker out of one of the biggest chuckers in the NBA. I will believe it when I see it.

[Damkac]

All the suggested mystical powers that Watson possesses has not turned into victories as a head coach or player (Check out his record in my signature).

You expected him to win games with the players he had?

[Puff]

All the suggested mystical powers that Watson possesses has not turned into victories as a head coach or player (Check out his record in my signature).

You expected him to win games with the players he had?

Hornacek was expected to win, with the same roster. Why not Watson?

Bottom line Watson has been part of losing teams virtually every year he has been involved in the NBA. What makes you think he knows what it takes to win?

The real issue is, what was the rush?

[Matt1979]

All the suggested mystical powers that Watson possesses has not turned into victories as a head coach or player (Check out his record in my signature).

You expected him to win games with the players he had?

Hornacek was expected to win, with the same roster. Why not Watson?

Bottom line Watson has been part of losing teams virtually every year he has been involved in the NBA. What makes you think he knows what it takes to win?

The real issue is, what was the rush?

Maybe that will make him all the more determined to win.

[Damkac]

All the suggested mystical powers that Watson possesses has not turned into victories as a head coach or player (Check out his record in my signature).

You expected him to win games with the players he had?

Hornacek was expected to win, with the same roster. Why not Watson?

Nobody on this board expected Hornacek to win with the roster he had after the injuries. People was mad at him not because of the record but because he was bad at coaching.
I also don't expect Watson to win a lot next season. I expect to see a better ball movement, less selfish plays, better defence, reasonable rotations (whoever will be on Suns roster next season), improvement of young players, good team chemistry. If he could achieve at least some of this goals I will be pleased no matter what the record will be. Let's focus on building the team for future not on winning few more games now.

[Puff]

You expected him to win games with the players he had?

Hornacek was expected to win, with the same roster. Why not Watson?

Nobody on this board expected Hornacek to win with the roster he had after the injuries. People was mad at him not because of the record but because he was bad at coaching.
I also don't expect Watson to win a lot next season. I expect to see a better ball movement, less selfish plays, better defence, reasonable rotations (whoever will be on Suns roster next season), improvement of young players, good team chemistry. If he could achieve at least some of this goals I will be pleased no matter what the record will be. Let's focus on building the team for future not on winning few more games now.

I really hope it all works out as you suggest.

Just call me skeptical. Why should I not be skeptical after the last 6 years?

Just remember the players loved Watson because everyone received playing time due to all the injuries. We will see what happens in the locker room when several of these guys are not getting playing time. We will see how the fans react if he plays Chandler, Price, Mirza and Tucker big minutes while the youngsters sit on the bench. He appears to love those north of 30 veterans. How much are you willing to pay Mirza for the next 3 years?

In McDonough's article today in the Republic he says that they are not going to play Chandler and Len together next season. I believe the Chandler/Len pairing was a Watson idea, wasn't it. The reason they won't be paired together was because of poor results. Who is going to play the 4 next season? He says they are not going to utilize the 2 point guard offense next year. Does that mean that Ronnie Price is going to be the back up to Bledsoe or are we going to draft someone. Do you really want to watch Ronnie Price play extended minutes next year? What happens to Booker's minutes if Knight is the starting SG?

Lots and lots of questions and decisions that need to be made by a GM that has not proven that he is capable of doing his job and a rookie head coach leading the way from the bench.

Thanks Bob

[Saberestar]

In McDonough's article today in the Republic he says that they are not going to play Chandler and Len together next season. I believe the Chandler/Len pairing was a Watson idea, wasn't it. The reason they won't be paired together was because of poor results. Who is going to play the 4 next season? He says they are not going to utilize the 2 point guard offense next year. Does that mean that Ronnie Price is going to be the back up to Bledsoe or are we going to draft someone. Do you really want to watch Ronnie Price play extended minutes next year? What happens to Booker's minutes if Knight is the starting SG?

We are not going to utilize the 2 PG system next season. We are DONE with this ****.
We are not going to play Chandler and Len together next season.

IMO those news are GREAT because a ton of us saw that Booker is the real deal and he needs to start next to one PG, hopefully a healthy Bledsoe.

[darealjuice]

Just remember the players loved Watson because everyone received playing time due to all the injuries. We will see what happens in the locker room when several of these guys are not getting playing time. We will see how the fans react if he plays Chandler, Price, Mirza and Tucker big minutes while the youngsters sit on the bench. He appears to love those north of 30 veterans. How much are you willing to pay Mirza for the next 3 years?

In McDonough's article today in the Republic he says that they are not going to play Chandler and Len together next season. I believe the Chandler/Len pairing was a Watson idea, wasn't it. The reason they won't be paired together was because of poor results. Who is going to play the 4 next season? He says they are not going to utilize the 2 point guard offense next year. Does that mean that Ronnie Price is going to be the back up to Bledsoe or are we going to draft someone. Do you really want to watch Ronnie Price play extended minutes next year? What happens to Booker's minutes if Knight is the starting SG?

Well there's no guarantee that Ronnie Price or Mirza Teletovic are back next year, since they're both free agents. Either way, I would expect Mirza to have the same role off the bench next year if he sticks around, he seemed pretty content being the scoring spark off of the bench. We don't even have a Power Forward signed to the roster at the moment, much less a starter worthy one, so I'd expect us to try getting one on the roster before the season starts.

If Brandon Knight is still around, it's hard for me to imagine Ronnie Price being here too. There are 96 minutes at the guard positions every game, and I'd imagine they would just split those minutes 3 ways with Bledsoe, Knight, and Booker at 32 minutes a game. Even with the talk about potentially playing Booker at 3 for stretches, but that's like a max of 10-12 guard minutes freed up, which I would think Price would want more than. It'd be better for him to sign a contract with a team that needs a decent back up point guard and will be in the playoffs race. We can draft a PG with the Cavs/2nd Round pick or sign someone not expecting many minutes if we feel like Archie isn't a good enough emergency option, assuming he's still here.

I felt like Watson played veterans out of necessity. He never had a game with TJ Warren healthy, so we can't say that he was forced to sit on the bench for PJ, and it's not like Chase Budinger is going to be worth giving minutes to. Alex Len, Devin Booker, and Brandon Knight all got big minutes when they were healthy and out of foul trouble under Watson. Jon Leuer struggled staying completely healthy and was a liability on defense, so they decided getting Alex Len development time on the court at the "4" was more valuable than giving him minutes. The only guy that was really getting spurred for a 30 year old was Archie Goodwin, and I think it was to have some sort of semblance of Basketball being played on the court, because Archie Goodwin playing the point is a **** show.

I'm glad we won't be seeing Len/Chandler again, but I don't think it was every supposed to be a "successful" pairing. It seemed like the reason we played so much of Len and Chandler together was to get Len court time and get his mid-range game to develop a bit. Developing Len and giving him valuable minutes, even if out of position, is more valuable than putting Leuer or Teletovic on the court over him. If we held him and Tyson exclusively to center, they'd only be able to get like 24 minutes a game a piece, and I'd rather see development Len than like 8 more minutes of Leuer or Teletovic on the court for the sake of development. We don't have a 4 signed to the roster yet for next season, I would expect us to draft there or make some kind of offseason move to bring one in.

I think Tucker is going to make people win their role for next season over the offseason. In his recent interview on Burns and Gambo, when Gambo was talking about how Knight expects to have the same role he did at the start of this season in the exit interviews, Earl said he wants competition at the position and the best player is going to win out. I expect to see rotations of Bledsoe-Booker/Knight-Booker/Bledsoe-Knight. Even if, against all of our wishes, Knight starts next year, Booker can easily be getting 30+ minutes a game, and he seems mature enough to be willing to accept that off the bench role.

I can see us using the first half of the season trying to build Knight's trade value so we can try trading him for something worthwhile at the mid season trade deadline. McD knows/will realize his value right now is very low after his surgery and that we won't get anything worth trading him for this offseason.

[jcsunsfan]

In McDonough's article today in the Republic he says that they are not going to play Chandler and Len together next season. I believe the Chandler/Len pairing was a Watson idea, wasn't it. The reason they won't be paired together was because of poor results. Who is going to play the 4 next season? He says they are not going to utilize the 2 point guard offense next year. Does that mean that Ronnie Price is going to be the back up to Bledsoe or are we going to draft someone. Do you really want to watch Ronnie Price play extended minutes next year? What happens to Booker's minutes if Knight is the starting SG?

We are not going to utilize the 2 PG system next season. We are DONE with this ****.
We are not going to play Chandler and Len together next season.

IMO those news are GREAT because a ton of us saw that Booker is the real deal and he needs to start next to one PG, hopefully a healthy Bledsoe.

I think they felt they were thin at PF and C and decided to give it a try. It was more necessity driving experimentation that a legit lineup.

[GMATCallahan]

I think Tucker is going to make people win their role for next season over the offseason. In his recent interview on Burns and Gambo, when Gambo was talking about how Knight expects to have the same role he did at the start of this season in the exit interviews, Earl said he wants competition at the position and the best player is going to win out. I expect to see rotations of Bledsoe-Booker/Knight-Booker/Bledsoe-Knight. Even if, against all of our wishes, Knight starts next year, Booker can easily be getting 30+ minutes a game, and he seems mature enough to be willing to accept that off the bench role.

I can see us using the first half of the season trying to build Knight's trade value so we can try trading him for something worthwhile at the mid season trade deadline. McD knows/will realize his value right now is very low after his surgery and that we won't get anything worth trading him for this offseason.

I agree, but if Booker is not starting at the start of next season, expect plenty of griping fans who will not be viewing the big picture ...

[jcsunsfan]

I think Tucker is going to make people win their role for next season over the offseason. In his recent interview on Burns and Gambo, when Gambo was talking about how Knight expects to have the same role he did at the start of this season in the exit interviews, Earl said he wants competition at the position and the best player is going to win out. I expect to see rotations of Bledsoe-Booker/Knight-Booker/Bledsoe-Knight. Even if, against all of our wishes, Knight starts next year, Booker can easily be getting 30+ minutes a game, and he seems mature enough to be willing to accept that off the bench role.

I can see us using the first half of the season trying to build Knight's trade value so we can try trading him for something worthwhile at the mid season trade deadline. McD knows/will realize his value right now is very low after his surgery and that we won't get anything worth trading him for this offseason.

I agree, but if Booker is not starting at the start of next season, expect plenty of griping fans who will not be viewing the big picture ...

If Knight legitimately beats out Booker, I guess I have no argument. But that means he is playing team ball. Knight was more efficient from the three than Booker last year. Most people choose to ignore that. Booker started out the season playing very efficient ball, but when everything was placed upon his shoulders at the end of the year, his efficiency dropped significantly as defenses collapsed on him. I want to see that efficient Booker again. THAT is where his value will be going forward. The league has plenty of ball-hogging chuckers. Which is what Knight is right now, but what he cannot be going forward.

[GMATCallahan]

If Knight legitimately beats out Booker, I guess I have no argument. But that means he is playing team ball. Knight was more efficient from the three than Booker last year. Most people choose to ignore that. Booker started out the season playing very efficient ball, but when everything was placed upon his shoulders at the end of the year, his efficiency dropped significantly as defenses collapsed on him. I want to see that efficient Booker again. THAT is where his value will be going forward. The league has plenty of ball-hogging chuckers. Which is what Knight is right now, but what he cannot be going forward.

Yeah, Booker actually proved extremely inefficient after the All-Star break and as the season progressed.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bookede01/splits/2016/

His free throw shooting saved him a little and kept him from a True Shooting Percentage under .500 in the second half, but not by much.

I would be curious to see his three-point field goal percentage in catch-and-shoot situations versus off-the-dribble ones.

Much of the matter just comes down to discretion, knowing what you can and cannot do (or what you can do well versus less well), and not settling for a mediocre shot if you can create a better one. Unfortunately, the emphasis on shooting the three in today's NBA renders that kind of discretion more challenging for a younger player. The difference with Knight is that he has played five years in the league and has failed to make significant or sustained progress in that regard, whereas Booker offers greater hope.

For the record, Booker shot .343 overall on threes last season, compared to .342 for Knight.

[letsgosuns]

People have become so obsessed with statistics nowadays that they are not letting their eyes be the judge. Anybody who watches the games knows that Booker is a better basketball player than Knight. Sure Booker is going to have growing pains along the way and have nights where he is off and plays like the 19 year old that he is. But everything about his game exceeds Knight's by so much it is not even fair. The only thing Knight is actually any good at is when he goes on a hot streak which happens every now and then. I truly cringe when watching Knight play basketball. He is one of the worst players I have ever watched because he cannot even do a simple thing like dribble correctly.

[Damkac]

letsgosuns shouldn't you change "the Morris brothers" with "Brandon Knight" in your sig?

[bwgood77]

I think Tucker is going to make people win their role for next season over the offseason. In his recent interview on Burns and Gambo, when Gambo was talking about how Knight expects to have the same role he did at the start of this season in the exit interviews, Earl said he wants competition at the position and the best player is going to win out. I expect to see rotations of Bledsoe-Booker/Knight-Booker/Bledsoe-Knight. Even if, against all of our wishes, Knight starts next year, Booker can easily be getting 30+ minutes a game, and he seems mature enough to be willing to accept that off the bench role.

I can see us using the first half of the season trying to build Knight's trade value so we can try trading him for something worthwhile at the mid season trade deadline. McD knows/will realize his value right now is very low after his surgery and that we won't get anything worth trading him for this offseason.

I agree, but if Booker is not starting at the start of next season, expect plenty of griping fans who will not be viewing the big picture ...

If Knight legitimately beats out Booker, I guess I have no argument. But that means he is playing team ball. Knight was more efficient from the three than Booker last year. Most people choose to ignore that. Booker started out the season playing very efficient ball, but when everything was placed upon his shoulders at the end of the year, his efficiency dropped significantly as defenses collapsed on him. I want to see that efficient Booker again. THAT is where his value will be going forward. The league has plenty of ball-hogging chuckers. Which is what Knight is right now, but what he cannot be going forward.

Knight's efficiency dropped dramatically after Bledsoe went down too. He was actually shooting much better, especially from deep, earlier in the season.

Bledsoe shot quite a bit better than both of them from deep, and Leuer and Telly shot even better.

The main point being, Bledsoe needs to be playing to help everyone get more open shots. If Knight will pass or shoot quickly, than that would help as well. Booker probably got the least amount of minutes playing with Bledsoe, so I imagine that would have a pretty big impact on Booker's overall #s.

[jcsunsfan]

If Knight legitimately beats out Booker, I guess I have no argument. But that means he is playing team ball. Knight was more efficient from the three than Booker last year. Most people choose to ignore that. Booker started out the season playing very efficient ball, but when everything was placed upon his shoulders at the end of the year, his efficiency dropped significantly as defenses collapsed on him. I want to see that efficient Booker again. THAT is where his value will be going forward. The league has plenty of ball-hogging chuckers. Which is what Knight is right now, but what he cannot be going forward.

Yeah, Booker actually proved extremely inefficient after the All-Star break and as the season progressed.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bookede01/splits/2016/

His free throw shooting saved him a little and kept him from a True Shooting Percentage under .500 in the second half, but not by much.

I would be curious to see his three-point field goal percentage in catch-and-shoot situations versus off-the-dribble ones.

Much of the matter just comes down to discretion, knowing what you can and cannot do (or what you can do well versus less well), and not settling for a mediocre shot if you can create a better one. Unfortunately, the emphasis on shooting the three in today's NBA renders that kind of discretion more challenging for a younger player. The difference with Knight is that he has played five years in the league and has failed to make significant or sustained progress in that regard, whereas Booker offers greater hope.

For the record, Booker shot .343 overall on threes last season, compared to .342 for Knight.

Sorry. Meant to say for his career. Knight is a .360 career 3 point shooter. So far Booker is .343.