Ex Suns Coach Earl Watson claims he wanted the team to draft Tatum

[Ronin]

Jayson Tatum recently revealed he was enamored with the Phoenix Suns in 2017 before Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski convinced him to work out with the Boston Celtics.

Ex-Suns head coach Earl Watson insists the feeling was mutual -- and that Phoenix would have taken Tatum in the 2017 NBA Draft if team owner Robert Sarver hadn't overruled Watson.

"I was pushing Tatum," Watson told The Athletic's Jay King. "Like, we had to move up for Tatum, we had to get Tatum. And ownership chose Josh Jackson.

https://sports.yahoo.com/earl-watson-claims-suns-owner-145213802.html

 

[GatorAZ]

I’m surprised how much play this is getting on the internet. Earl Watson has no credibility.

 

[95pro]

I’m surprised how much play this is getting on the internet. Earl Watson has no credibility.

But Tatum does

 

[Cheesebeef]

this is stupid. we didn't have an opportunity to draft Tatum.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm guessing the Celtics liked Tatum better that Fultz and Ball so they traded down to #3 where he would still be available.

Sounds like the Suns wanted Tatum at #4 but of course he wasn't there. Maybe the Suns were hoping the Celtics would keep the top pick.

 

[Finito]

I was hoping the Suns would of drafted Shaq but he went before us ugh.

complaining that we didn’t draft a guy we never had a chance to draft is just stupid. Shut up Earl

 

[Cheesebeef]

I was hoping the Suns would of drafted Shaq but he went before us ugh.

complaining that we didn’t draft a guy we never had a chance to draft is just stupid. Shut up Earl

lol. agreed.

 

[TJ]

I'll bag on Sarver all day long, but this is a silly attempt by Watson to save face after the embarrassing coaching display he put on while in Phoenix.

 

[hcsilla]

I was hoping the Suns would of drafted Shaq but he went before us ugh.

complaining that we didn’t draft a guy we never had a chance to draft is just stupid. Shut up Earl

I'm not so sure.

Josh Jackson canceled a workout on Celtics which pretty much could be part of the great operation called "How to secure drafting Josh Jackson by the Suns".

I remember some reports that time referring the Suns proudness of tricking the Celtics out of selecting Josh Jackson.

Maybe the Celtics would have selected Tatum anyway, but the Suns' masterplan might have helped them doing it.

Tatum or not, taking Jackson at #4 was a fantastic move by the Suns.

 

[Finito]

I'm not so sure.

Josh Jackson canceled a workout on Celtics which pretty much could be part of the great operation called "How to secure drafting Josh Jackson by the Suns".

I remember some reports that time referring the Suns proudness of tricking the Celtics out of selecting Josh Jackson.

Maybe the Celtics would have selected Tatum anyway, but the Suns' masterplan might have helped them doing it.

Tatum or not, taking Jackson at #4 was a fantastic move by the Suns.

hindsight is 20/20

I was jumping up and down at drafting Josh Jackson he was 100% the guy I wanted in that draft.

 

[GatorAZ]

But Tatum does

He said he wanted to be a Sun. Not sure what that has to do with Watson’s claims.

 

[hcsilla]

hindsight is 20/20

I was jumping up and down at drafting Josh Jackson he was 100% the guy I wanted in that draft.

Yes, I just responded to the part that we never had a chance to draft Tatum.

We probably had some, but fortunately fooled the Celtics on Jackson...

 

[Yuma]

I do think the part of Watson's statement that rings true, and maybe this is hindsight, getting Booker and Tatum on the court at the same time, that would be amazing. The double teams Booker gets now, there's no way to sustain that with Tatum on the floor.

I do like the scenario he painted of Tatum hitting 40 corner J's in a row and Sarver saying he wanted someone else. Whether that story is true, it paints Sarver as a guy who passes on obvious talent.

 

[BC867]

I do think the part of Watson's statement that rings true, and maybe this is hindsight, getting Booker and Tatum on the court at the same time, that would be amazing. The double teams Booker gets now, there's no way to sustain that with Tatum on the floor.

I do like the scenario he painted of Tatum hitting 40 corner J's in a row and Sarver saying he wanted someone else. Whether that story is true, it paints Sarver as a guy who passes on obvious talent.

The old story. Sarver is the Manager of the Investors. Not the General Manager.

If he would let the basketball people do their jobs, we wouldn't be in this mess.

His MO has been awfully similar to . . . Oh, never mind! What is he going to do
next? Trade the players who don't compliment him enough?

 

[Yuma]

The old story. Sarver is the Manager of the Investors. Not the General Manager.

If he would let the basketball people do their jobs, we wouldn't be in this mess.

His MO has been awfully similar to . . . Oh, never mind! What is he going to do
next? Trade the players who don't compliment him enough?

 

[Mainstreet]

If anyone wants further closure, Danny Ainge said the Celtics were always going to draft Tatum.

“There was a story that came out this week about Jayson going to Phoenix. Jayson was never gonna end up in Phoenix. Even if he didn’t come in for that second workout with us days before the draft in Boston, we were still going to take Jayson Tatum," Ainge told Zach Lowe on The Lowe Post.

"We had our eyes set on Jayson Tatum. We were very confident that Philly was taking Markelle (Fultz) and that Lonzo (Ball) was going to L.A. We were very confident in that assessment.”

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...ayson-Tatum-Was-Never-Gonna-End-Up-In-Phoenix