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Phoenix Suns: Pros And Cons Of Making Earl Watson Head Coach

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson looks on in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Suns 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson looks on in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Suns 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Earl Watson starting to embrace his role as interim head coach, should the Phoenix Suns make him the official head coach for 2016-17 and beyond?

Phoenix Suns
Mar 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson looks on in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Suns 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s been a season to forget for the Phoenix Suns, who began the 2015-16 campaign with playoff aspirations only to be done in by poor chemistry, a disjointed roster, a myriad of injuries and a fired head coach.

Jeff Hornacek was the fall guy for the Suns, and though it may have been unfair, there’s no doubt that he had lost his team before the calendar flipped to 2016. With Hornacek — and his two main assistant coaches — gone, the Suns turned to an assistant coach who was originally hired over the summer to help lure LaMarcus Aldridge to Phoenix: Earl Watson.

Watson’s rapid ascension from player development coach to assistant to interim head coach in the span of seven months was as unpredictable as this team’s effort on a nightly basis under Hornacek, but now that Watson has taken hold of the role, opinions have been mixed as to the job he’s done.

The Suns are a franchise in a rebuilding state, and could certainly do with a more experienced touch, but Watson has also won over the locker room with positivity that’s ideally suited for a tanking team.

The question is, does Earl Watson deserve to have the interim tag removed and become the official head coach of the Phoenix Suns? Here’s a look at the pros and cons of such an important decision.

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