Jay Wright to Suns?

[JCSunsfan]

Its now plastered everywhere that the Suns are pursuing Jay Wright.

I find this hard to believe. McD is about the process. I have no doubt they have reached out to see if he might be interested, but they are also going to consider other candidates. This certainly did not come from the Suns camp. McD and bunch are very tight lipped about this stuff.

Not sure what kind of NBA coach he would be.

Developing.

 

[Mainstreet]

It appears I was preparing a new thread while you were posting so we have somewhat duplicate threads. I will ask the moderators to take mine down or combine them.

 

[Phrazbit]

Damn good coach, wins a ton without having the recruits other top schools get. College to NBA gets dicey as so much of college success is based on recruiting but his strength has been more as a game coach. He presumably must be good at connecting with young players too, a good attribute with our young roster.

 

[AzStevenCal]

He's a better coach than he is a recruiter so sign me up. Maybe he fails but that's a risk with any of them. He's one of the very few college coaches that would interest me and it has nothing to do with his recent championship.

 

[Mainstreet]

Something makes me think the writer may have jumped the gun unless he has inside information. I can't see the Suns leaving Earl Watson out of the loop unless he agrees to being an assistant.

 

[FArting]

 

[Covert Rain]

Sign me up. I am not big on Earl Watson being the long term solution here. Maybe Jay doesn't translate to the NBA but it's worth a shot.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Something makes me think the writer may have jumped the gun unless he has inside information. I can't see the Suns leaving Earl Watson out of the loop unless he agrees to being an assistant.

That's never going to happen. I like Watson and think he'll eventually be a good NBA coach. And I don't agree with the posters that write him off as nothing more than a cheerleader. Everybody with a past connection to him talks about his knowledge of the game and that he's always approached basketball like a devoted student.

But I've had doubts about Watson as a candidate for the Suns job from the moment he signed with Klutch sports. I can't imagine we'd want to jump into another contentious battle with an agent who clearly considers conflict to be the foundation of the negotiation process.

 

[Mainstreet]

Maybe the Suns have already had discussions with Watson's representatives and it is a no go. Perhaps they are now turning in a new direction. It could be a negotiating ploy or an indication that the Suns do not want to do business with this agency. This may be why Jay Wright has suddenly jumped to the forefront.

 

[Covert Rain]

Maybe the Suns have already had discussions with Watson's representatives and it is a no go. Perhaps they are now turning in a new direction. It could be a negotiating ploy or an indication that the Suns do not want to do business with this agency. This may be why Jay Wright has suddenly jumped to the forefront.

It could also be that they are also not convinced he is the long term solution. Interim coaches are often not thought of as long term solutions on teams. This isn't a shocker for me at least if true.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Maybe the Suns have already had discussions with Watson's representatives and it is a no go. Perhaps they are now turning in a new direction. It could be a negotiating ploy or an indication that the Suns do not want to do business with this agency. This may be why Jay Wright has suddenly jumped to the forefront.

I don't think Watson was ever the leading candidate. My guess is they had no obvious choice so they went with the one that had the best relationship with Morris hoping he could bolster Markieff's trade value. I've heard a lot of interviews after an interim has been hired and you can usually get a feel for what the organization is planning from what they say. The comments about Watson and his hiring were not at all encouraging IMO.

I know some people think we've played a lot better since he was promoted but I don't see it. He got some players back healthy which helped considerably and we hit a real soft stretch in our schedule but as far as I can tell we've played even worse under Earl than we did under Jeff. Not that this tells us much about Earl, in addition to dealing with his own learning curve, Watson had very little to work with.

I think he deserves a chance somewhere, even here, but I doubt it happens in Phoenix with Rich Paul involved. But I might be thinking like a frustrated fan when I say that. For all we know, Sarver and McD might love the guy.

 

[Mainstreet]

It could also be that they are also not convinced he is the long term solution. Interim coaches are often not thought of as long term solutions on teams. This isn't a shocker for me at least if true.

It's true, interim head coaches are often not hired to be the new head coach. However, Watson seems to have the players attention and they are playing hard without much talent. Tyson Chandler, particularly, seems to have bought into the rebuilding plans. It would seem sort of weird if the Suns have suddenly locked onto another candidate without the normal process of interviewing candidates. If the Suns quickly turn to Wright, it makes me think the Suns and Watson's agents are not on the same playing field.

It's all speculation at this point without any facts to support it.

 

[Covert Rain]

It's true, interim head coaches are often not hired to be the new head coach. However, Watson seems to have the players attention and they are playing hard without much talent. Tyson Chandler, particularly, seems to have bought into the rebuilding plans. It would seem sort of weird if the Suns have suddenly locked onto another candidate without the normal process of interviewing candidates. If the Suns quickly turn to Wright, it makes me think the Suns and Watson's agents are not on the same playing field.

It's all speculation at this point without any facts to support it.

No doubt that could be a factor and you could be exactly right. However, I would have to think that if this was BAU, you would just start the hiring process and start bringing in a bunch of candidates. Doesn't this smack more of hey...this hot coach might be available and we want to get in on this now type thing?

 

[SirStefan32]

Suns were very open about their off season plan when Hornacek got canned. They said they would pursue candidates and that Watson would get an interview and a fair chance, but they were clear that he wasn't going to become the coach by default.

 

[GatorAZ]

What is his salary at Nova? I would think other NBA teams would pony up as well...

 

[FArting]

What is his salary at Nova? I would think other NBA teams would pony up as well...

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/mens-basketball/coach/

 

[GatorAZ]

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/mens-basketball/coach/

Well that's more than Horny's salary was/is. My guess is he'll use pro teams to get a lift from Villanova. I can't see the Suns paying out 5m a year.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't think Watson was ever the leading candidate. My guess is they had no obvious choice so they went with the one that had the best relationship with Morris hoping he could bolster Markieff's trade value. I've heard a lot of interviews after an interim has been hired and you can usually get a feel for what the organization is planning from what they say. The comments about Watson and his hiring were not at all encouraging IMO.

I know some people think we've played a lot better since he was promoted but I don't see it. He got some players back healthy which helped considerably and we hit a real soft stretch in our schedule but as far as I can tell we've played even worse under Earl than we did under Jeff. Not that this tells us much about Earl, in addition to dealing with his own learning curve, Watson had very little to work with.

I think he deserves a chance somewhere, even here, but I doubt it happens in Phoenix with Rich Paul involved. But I might be thinking like a frustrated fan when I say that. For all we know, Sarver and McD might love the guy.

I'm not going to argue the point whether the Suns have played better under Watson... or not. With all the injuries and trading Markieff, it's hard to tell. I do give Watson credit for raising the morale of the team and raising team effort. Tyson Chandler could have easily become a disgruntled player rather than playing hard at the end of the season and now he is making plans to help advance the team in the off season.

What I am saying is Earl Watson should be considered for the Suns head coaching position or as an assistant. Maybe the Suns have already gone through this process and are moving directly to hire a head coach without interviewing multiple candidates.

The situation is clear as mud right now.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I do give Watson credit for raising the morale of the team and raising team effort.

I do too.

 

[sunsfan88]

What is his salary at Nova? I would think other NBA teams would pony up as well...

Well that's more than Horny's salary was/is. My guess is he'll use pro teams to get a lift from Villanova. I can't see the Suns paying out 5m a year.

Right now he's getting paid $2.4M/yr so he won't need $5M/yr as a raise, even $3.5M would be quite a raise.

 

[Mainstreet]

Right now he's getting paid $2.4M/yr so he won't need $5M/yr as a raise, even $3.5M would be quite a raise.

Villanova will likely try to keep Wright. If the Suns want him they are going to have to pay him. In the past the Suns have had a tendency to hire coaches on the cheap which seldom works. Other teams may pursue him as well.

 

[TJ]

Damn good Xs and Os coach. Plus, he gets more with less talent.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I think the Suns made first contact and asked his people if he would interview. Somebody in his camp leaked that to the media as the Suns pursuing him, when it was just a preliminary contact. No way they legitimately pursue anyone before the season actually ends.

They are going to win tonight because of this.

 

[GatorAZ]

Bickley said he heard that Jay Wright is close with the McDonough family but I'm not sure how solid it was. I'm sure the McD brothers are close with a lot of ppl in sports though.

 

[sunsfan88]

Damn good Xs and Os coach. Plus, he gets more with less talent.
Should also be noted that McD handpicked Brad Stevens from Butler when he was in Boston.

Did he really?