Coaching at any level can be something that is
frustrating, exciting, and uncertain for the people who do it as a career. You
have to be able to deal with egos the size of California, put your players in
position to win the game, and deal with fans who can be finicky to put mildly.
However, when you are an NBA head coach all those things you deal with are
magnified by 100 times. Earl Watson is in the middle of all this with the
Phoenix Suns.
Earl Watson is in the middle of a situation that no
coach wants to be in. Watson took over for Jeff Hornacek who was fired amongst
a multitude of issues that affected the team internally and on the court. Is
Watson going to be able to get rid of the “interim” label in the off season?
That is a legitimate question for the organization heading into the summer of
2016.
What has Early Watson been able to do to earn the job?
Well, if you take a look at the Suns situation in terms of wins and losses he
has not done much. His record since taking over for Jeff Hornacek is a paltry 6-22
and that equals out to a winning percentage of 21%. That doesn’t get anybody
hired, but it certainly gets somebody shown the door at the end of the season.
Professional sports is win/lose business, coaches know this, but sometimes the
wins don’t come because of other outside forces that the coaches can’t control.
A season ending injury to starting point guard Eric
Bledsoe practically ended the Suns season. Bledsoe had a torn meniscus in his
knee 31 games in and that gave the Suns no chance at getting back to the
playoffs. Not that they had a chance anyways.
One other item that has not helped Earl Watson was the
Suns mistake of keeping disgruntled forward Markieff Morris for over half the
season. Once the Suns let Jeff Hornacek go, Earl Watson made a quick
announcement that Morris would be a go-to player for the team. Really? This
malcontent would be someone that the organization would rely on for scoring and
even stability? Big mistake, huge mistake. Even though Watson made the
statement, I am not even sure he believed what he was saying to the public
about Morris. It was purely a move to see if Morris would stop his petulant,
childish behavior. It worked for a little bit and by that I mean about 24
hours. Morris was not a good locker room guy, he was immature, and was only
looking out for his own self interests. Team was not a word that Markieff
Morris was accustomed to using. In the end, Morris was shipped out of town to
the Washington Wizards. I simply found it amazing that the Phoenix Suns found
someone to take Morris.
What has Earl Watson done that will keep him as the
coach of the Phoenix Suns? Good question. According to many of the players,
namely Tyson Chandler, he has brought accountability and a calming presence to
the Sun’s locker room. With a young squad that is important because Watson can
show the young players what it means to be a pro and direct them in a positive
way when the players do something negative on the court. Young players today
need a bit more understanding today than they have in the past and Earl Watson
provides that empathetic tone for the Sun’s players.
Bottom line, does Watson stay on as the head coach? I
think he does because the Sun’s organization has to be a little honest with
themselves in terms of whom out of the possible coaching candidates will come
to Phoenix. Tom Thibodeau isn’t coming here. His personality won’t work here.
Young guys don’t respond to task masters very well or they tolerate them in the
beginning, just to tune them out after they tire of the yelling or screaming
the coach does. The second thing is that Watson isn’t acting like an interim
coach. The way he talks and acts is one of a guy who is planning to stay long
term with the organization. He talks about “embracing the process”. Most
coaches are not talking about process if they think they are only going to be
around a few months, so my thinking is that the Phoenix Sun’s need to keep Earl
Watson and let him prove his metal over the course of a full season or two.
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