Watson had been given a two-week notice

[JCSunsfan]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...son-Two-Week-Termination-Notice-Before-Firing

This is a bit shocking. Do you all remember the beginning of the 17-18 season? The blowout losses? Watson had already been given his notice. He was a dead man walking and had been told so.

Firing Watson was the right thing. But letting him coach through preseason and the first few weeks of the year after you have already told him that his is gone is a bit odd, at least in basketball.

 

[AzStevenCal]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...son-Two-Week-Termination-Notice-Before-Firing

This is a bit shocking. Do you all remember the beginning of the 17-18 season? The blowout losses? Watson had already been given his notice. He was a dead man walking and had been told so.

Firing Watson was the right thing. But letting him coach through preseason and the first few weeks of the year after you have already told him that his is gone is a bit odd, at least in basketball.

I'm not used to seeing it in the sports world but I don't get why anyone is making a big deal about it? They decided to part ways and gave him 2 weeks to decide what he wanted to do afterwards. It's not like firing him a few days before the start of the season would have made much of a difference in anything except perhaps the optics. And from what we saw in preseason, it's not like we were going all of a sudden turn it around with a new Head Coach, but clearly they weren't seeing the player development they were expecting.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

So we fire our coach at the start of the season before we even see the results and we fire our GM at the start of the season.

It's just so counter intuitive to a professionally run organization

 

[1Sun]

Well, that explains both the horrific start and Bledsoe wanting out. Watson never should have been hired in the first place.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I'm not used to seeing it in the sports world but I don't get why anyone is making a big deal about it? They decided to part ways and gave him 2 weeks to decide what he wanted to do afterwards. It's not like firing him a few days before the start of the season would have made much of a difference in anything except perhaps the optics. And from what we saw in preseason, it's not like we were going all of a sudden turn it around with a new Head Coach, but clearly they weren't seeing the player development they were expecting.

It gave him enough time to start talking about the "us against mgmt" stuff in the locker room, and at the same time Bledsoe decided to bolt. A coach can do a lot of damage in two weeks.

 

[AzStevenCal]

It gave him enough time to start talking about the "us against mgmt" stuff in the locker room, and at the same time Bledsoe decided to bolt. A coach can do a lot of damage in two weeks.

You're kidding right? That sounds like the kind of spin we see from the stable of ESPN experts, I'm surprised it's coming from you JC. Bledsoe quit on the team and reportedly refused contact of any kind with the front office, the coaches and his his teammates (IIRC) during the offseason once we turned down Rich Paul's demand for an early extension. Sure, his stupid tweet about getting out of here didn't come until after Watson's firing but do you really think we were going to keep a player that was pulling this crap, or that Eric thought he'd be here either?

As for bad mouthing management, you could be right but his flaws notwithstanding, that doesn't sound like Watson. Still, two week notices are nice but in the business world you usually don't keep key players in place once you've terminated them and for reasons similar to what you mentioned. They typically have access to sensitive data in addition to employees that can end up biting you in the butt if they're allowed to stay 2 weeks.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Employees give two weeks notice. Businesses don't give two weeks notice

Anyone in a key position within an organization has to be removed immediately when the decision comes or you are risking the organization further disruption

 

[Mainstreet]

You're kidding right? That sounds like the kind of spin we see from the stable of ESPN experts, I'm surprised it's coming from you JC. Bledsoe quit on the team and reportedly refused contact of any kind with the front office, the coaches and his his teammates (IIRC) during the offseason once we turned down Rich Paul's demand for an early extension. Sure, his stupid tweet about getting out of here didn't come until after Watson's firing but do you really think we were going to keep a player that was pulling this crap, or that Eric thought he'd be here either?

As for bad mouthing management, you could be right but his flaws notwithstanding, that doesn't sound like Watson. Still, two week notices are nice but in the business world you usually don't keep key players in place once you're terminated them for reasons similar to what you mentioned. They typically have access to sensitive data in addition to employees that can end up biting you in the butt if they're allowed to stay 2 weeks.

I think McDonough believed Bledsoe would play for the 2017-18 Suns until he could be traded.

It was a really bad calculation.

Maybe he would have if McDonough had not gone so public with it.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Employees give two weeks notice. Businesses don't give two weeks notice

Anyone in a key position within an organization has to be removed immediately when the decision comes or you are risking the organization further disruption

Agree. This is just plain weird. And if true yet another strike against this organization in my book.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think McDonough believed Bledsoe would play for the 2017-18 Suns until he could be traded.

It was a really a bad calculation.

Maybe he would have if McDonough had not gone so public with it.

I don't think it was a calculation so much as he was expecting at least a modicum of professionalism from Bledsoe. Demanding a trade is one thing, McD had to have expected that when he declined to extend early given the circumstances. But cutting off all forms of communication and then intentionally playing below his level is not something that you'd expect from a player under contract.

I understand Eric's side, he felt benching him for tanking reasons would hurt his market value and he wanted us to make him whole because of it, but still, sabotaging the games goes well beyond what's reasonable IMO. Ryan, as usual, probably should have kept his mouth shut but every team in the league already knew the score.

 

[Sunburn]

I've never seen nor heard of someone given two weeks notice of their termination. This makes no sense. Sarver is a businessman. He knows the game when it comes to letting people go. I am just befuddled.

 

[AZCrazy]

Watson, if nothing else, was known to be a good man with a moral foundation. Doubt he would have viciously undermined the organization if given the chance. No one ever questioned his integrity.

 

[Russ Smith]

Was it public knowledge that Larry Brown had planned to join the Phoenix staff but was delayed by prior engagements? IT came out during the UCLA coaching search, Watson is campaigning for the job and one of the proposals was UCLA would hire Watson, and bring in Brown as a non recruiting assistant. An article then was dug up that quoted Brown saying he'd already agreed to do that exact thing in Phoenix with Watson but he was delayed, and then Earl got fired after 3 games so it never happened. This now makes me wonder if that's why they let Watson start the season, they thought Brown was going to be there to help and when he couldn't be, they decided to just fire Watson?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Was it public knowledge that Larry Brown had planned to join the Phoenix staff but was delayed by prior engagements? IT came out during the UCLA coaching search, Watson is campaigning for the job and one of the proposals was UCLA would hire Watson, and bring in Brown as a non recruiting assistant. An article then was dug up that quoted Brown saying he'd already agreed to do that exact thing in Phoenix with Watson but he was delayed, and then Earl got fired after 3 games so it never happened. This now makes me wonder if that's why they let Watson start the season, they thought Brown was going to be there to help and when he couldn't be, they decided to just fire Watson?

Now that’s an interesting twist if true. Larry brown would’ve been what was needed imo.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Was it public knowledge that Larry Brown had planned to join the Phoenix staff but was delayed by prior engagements? IT came out during the UCLA coaching search, Watson is campaigning for the job and one of the proposals was UCLA would hire Watson, and bring in Brown as a non recruiting assistant. An article then was dug up that quoted Brown saying he'd already agreed to do that exact thing in Phoenix with Watson but he was delayed, and then Earl got fired after 3 games so it never happened. This now makes me wonder if that's why they let Watson start the season, they thought Brown was going to be there to help and when he couldn't be, they decided to just fire Watson?

Interesting. I hadn't heard that about Brown. I have no idea if that played a role either way but even with Watson gone it would be nice if we could bring him in.

 

[1Sun]

Now that’s an interesting twist if true. Larry brown would’ve been what was needed imo.

Very much so. Not worth keeping Watson, though. Watson really had no business coaching at all, let alone being an NBA head coach.

 

[SirStefan32]

Interesting. I hadn't heard that about Brown. I have no idea if that played a role either way but even with Watson gone it would be nice if we could bring him in.

Well, he was Igor boss for a couple of years in Detroit. It would be interesting if he joined his staff in Phoenix.

 

[1Sun]

Well, he was Igor boss for a couple of years in Detroit. It would be interesting if he joined his staff in Phoenix.

Why would any coach who is categorically better than Igor agree to be an assistant to Igor?

 

[Russ Smith]

Why would any coach who is categorically better than Igor agree to be an assistant to Igor?

Because he's had 5 surgeries in the last 18 months including neck surgery and apparently he doesn't think he can physically be a head coach anymore but still wants to coach.

The UCLA rumor came up after the fired Alford first, it was going to be him assistant Watson or Edney has the HC, but they promoted Bartow. Then again a week ago the Watson and Brown rumors came out and that article was unearthed by UCLA fans who were wondering if Brown would really agree to be an assistant to Earl.

 

[JerkFace]

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[1Sun]

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Well, I guess that means we will never see another Klutch Sports client in a Suns uniform as long as Sarver is Managing Partner. Let's hope that agency doesn't get even more powerful than it already is...

 

[AzStevenCal]

That explains the 2 week notice. And I'd imagine that all went down due to the ultimatum regarding a Bledsoe extension and Eric subsequently freezing out everyone connected to the Suns.

And after the Davis fiasco I'd wager we'll see more franchises refusing to deal with Rich Paul in the future.

 

[sunsfan88]

Does that mean if Watson had fired Rich Paul and the Suns still come out getting blown out of the gates by seemingly every team we played while looking like we wasted the entire offseason doing yoga instead of an actual basketball training camp, then Watson would’ve remained the head coach?

*please do excuse my run on sentence.

 

[Hoop Head]

The Rich Paul connection makes the most sense. For whatever reason that's always brushed under the rug and not discussed when Watson is but Earl was the first, and I believe only, head coach that Rich Paul repped. It wasn't hard to see how things would play out with Watson and Bledsoe because if there is one thing we know about Rich Paul, he doesn't care about anything but money and he's fine pushing things farther than any agent has before.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

The Rich Paul connection makes the most sense. For whatever reason that's always brushed under the rug and not discussed when Watson is but Earl was the first, and I believe only, head coach that Rich Paul repped. It wasn't hard to see how things would play out with Watson and Bledsoe because if there is one thing we know about Rich Paul, he doesn't care about anything but money and he's fine pushing things farther than any agent has before.

I’ll be interested to see if Klutch has any legs once lebrons been retired for 5 years.