Phoenix Suns hire Earl Watson as full-time head coach

The Phoenix Suns have removed the interim tag from Earl Watson to make him the full-time head coach of the struggling basketball franchise entering 2016-17.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, the Phoenix Suns have given head coach Earl Watson a three-year contract extension, thus removing the interim tag from the young coach and end Phoenix’s head coaching search early this offseason.

Phoenix fired former head coach Jeff Hornacek back on February 1st. Watson was the interim head coach for the Suns’ last 33 games of their bad 2015-16 NBA season. While Phoenix only went 9-24 in Watson’s time as interim head coach, it seems that he did a commendable job in management’s eyes to give him an opportunity to lead the team next season.

Both players and members of the Suns’ front office like Watson’s willingness to compete, his leadership style, and his player development.

Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said, “Earl’s natural leadership qualities and his ability to connect with and motivate our players have stood out during his time here in Phoenix. We are excited to see what he can do with a healthy roster after having a full offseason to prepare.”

Suns emerging star at shooting guard Devin Booker spoke highly of Watson in his 2015-16 exit interview, “Once Coach Earl stepped in, we didn’t accept losing anymore. We were fighting in games, even when we were down 15, 20 late.”

Phoenix will still probably be one of the worst teams in the Western Conference in 2016-17, but Watson does seem to have the respect of his players. If he can help with player development, Phoenix could potentially sneak up on some teams next season with their young, but talented group.

While Phoenix did consider other candidates like Luke Walton, Mike D’Antoni, and even former Sun Dan Majerle, the Suns probably made the best choice in removing the interim tag from Watson entering the 2016 NBA Draft.

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