In assembling Earl Watson’s first staff as Suns head coach, the ideal scenario was to find a former NBA head coach whose experience could enhance Watson’s leadership while having an established relationship that would continue the familial feeling being emphasized.
Jay Triano fit the bill for being Toronto’s former head coach, the Canadian national team’s head coach and holding NBA jobs since 1998. But as the four-year lead assistant of a Portland team with a run of success, Triano would have been difficult for most to entice into a similar job with a non-playoff team.
The groundwork was laid during the 2013-14 season, when Watson was playing his final NBA season in Portland and clicked with Triano.