After taking over for Jeff Hornacek as Head Coach 49 games into the 2015-16 season, Earl Watson finished the remainder of the schedule with a 9-24 record. The popular opinion was that the front office would seek a proven veteran coach to mold this young team for playoff contention. But General manager Ryan McDonough and owner Robert Sarver chose a completely different, and surprising direction.
The front office had options aplenty. There was an unprecedented number of highly distinguished coaches available. Tom Thibodeau, Scott Brooks, Luke Walton, Frank Vogel, David Fizdale, and Dave Joerger were all awaiting to fill vacancies throughout the league but not one received a call from the Suns.