"People Thought I Was CRAZY For Starting Devin Booker" Former Head Coach Earl Watson Explains

[@FuboSports]

Full episode is in the end card, click through to see more of Earl dropping gems

[@aamirchoudhry366]

Coach, call me to a practice or give me a shout. Im a hidden Gem, i have all the talent to be the greatest scorer of all time. Coach Watson, God Bless you.

[@brandonwavvy4670]

Crazy to think all the players he named are prospering today by playing exactly the way Earl said

[@libraalibaba]

Some guys are meant to develop players even if they don't win titles. Very underrated part of being a coach in the NBA.

[@isaiah6139]

It sounds good in theory, but his teams got beat by 50 two times in the first three games of the season then he got fired after 3 games

[@haysan32]

@@isaiah6139 Cuz the team was shitty 😂😂😂 that’s not his fault

[@adams782003]

Facts, I so respect this dude game IQ!

[@juanshaftpatel7488]

all because they got away from him...

[@igalkhohlov3057]

Coach defined the roles for each player, and voiced his plan. That is exactly what Jimmy Butler wanted Brett Brown to do with the 76ers.

[@popi2971]

Facts, but that's why he's finally gone. Now we going to see what Doc can do.

[@CWJ0725]

The sixers should have given Earl Watson a chance instead of Doc. Earl didn't have much with the Suns but he made the most out of it. Doc had everything he needed with Lob City Clippers and current Clippers team, and still he messed up

[@maxni1396]

Big Facts

[@d.luvevo711]

@@CWJ0725 I was/am iffy about the Doc signing but that's not the right idea. The last Clippers team played less than 30 total games together, PG was beyond horrible and they were still up 3-1, leading by almost 15 at the end of the 3rd quarter of Game 5... The *only* thing Doc was wrong for was not being able to close. But coaching-wise, he did everything to put them in a position to succeed.

[@saphirejewelscoward]

Doc is a dinosaur in the league

[@moretothegame]

Players love authentic coaches

[@Nothingisonyourscreen]

You can be authentic and likable all you want that don’t mean you gonna win sure as hell doesn’t mean your coaching style will work. He’s a cool dude and definitely can relate to players but Devin Booker scores 70 points in a losing effort and your letting the team celebrate afterwards, I think he focused too much on the being liked by the players instead of coming up with a system that would win ball games.

[@mikelmoon100]

@@Nothingisonyourscreen - Call the situation as it stood at that time: the Suns was not talented enough to win more games in the West. I’m primarily talking about consistently good defense because - based on some of the games I watched - they blew leads frequently.

[@brownhippy]

Until they don't win

[@garrityfrazil778]

But NBA team owners don’t

[@actionexchange569]

owners love winning coaches...

[@makavellyrs5127]

Earl Watson deserves a coaching spot everything he broke down he made these guys monsters with speech and give them alot of field goals to take brilliant#

[@makavellyrs5127]

@@GermanCruzthedev yeah it's the west and it was a re- building team who had injuries he didnt have enough stars he was turning them into stars though

[@juanshaftpatel7488]

no he doesnt.. hes a scrub

[@sganet_]

I think he’s more of great assistant coach who can communicate with players and get the best out of them, not the same when it comes to countering opponents’ strategies.

[@N8veJay]

He def should be a asst Coach... head coach has more complexities to finding the teams strength and counter tactics vs opponents 🏀

[@jayfeev215]

@@sganet_ I agree! In all sports there are just certain guys who are great assistants or associate head coaches that aren't quite built to be the guy. So yeah he should definitely be a coach on a staff. Also I blame McDonough and Sarver here. He had only been an asst for PHX for one season before he was so quickly elevated. If Sarver wasn't so damn cheap and incompetent things might not have gone so bad so fast.

[@amc6939]

"Aight, let's hoop." Outro got me thinking they won the championship that year. 😂

[@JoeMightyWarren]

Had the same thought then was like wait a minute...🤔 😂

[@ohyeahitsthatoneguy]

He sounded way too confident right there lmaooo they didn't "hoop" at all

[@oryan404]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@andrewhittick2]

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@showinglov7353]

😂😂😂

[@TheJokeJoker]

All these "yes men" coaches getting rehired 4-8 times after getting fired. Why isn't earl in the conversations for a head coaching job in the NBA?

[@TravisTrilla]

Smh

[@TheChosenOne971]

Exactly for the situation with Booker he does what he feel is best for his team not what the front office thinks. No organization wants a coach that won’t bend to their will unless you’re Pop.

[@jamesonedwardsii4943]

@@TheChosenOne971 Yeah that’s what’s so underrated about Pop but after hearing this interview I wonder how all the other coaches are behind the scenes, Mr. Watson seems like a really great Coach and being honest he wasn’t given the best hand in Phoenix

[@wym348]

@@jamesonedwardsii4943 pop is the spurs organization though. Even coach that joins the nba is basically playing the role of a pet to the front office

[@ASUMMERXO-r4q]

Cause he ain’t black enough lol😭🤣

[@rashardstallworth9240]

It's crazy how teams fire good coaches like this and years later the team is still losing. The man developed some good players and would have continued to do so, like what Mike Malone is doing in Denver, if still had the chance

[@fal8872]

A black coach has a year or two at most to produce.

[@robertcarter1358]

@@fal8872 and unless you're a Doc Rivers or Mark Jackson or Byron. Produce means, you better win a championship or at least finals appearance.

[@chadingram6390]

He wasn't a good coach, not a good X and Os guy. Booker has been developing every year since he left, Markeif has improved since then. He was just a player's coach. He talks a good game years later though, making himself look as good as possible

[@newrecruit100]

He looks better to you because you don’t often hear coaches talk in this lingo. That’s why. If you understand basketball and are in the game he’s not saying anything foreign lol. The worst coach in the league can break down like he just did

[@DerrickTheTrainer]

Teams blame coaches for bad timing and lack of development. Sometimes a team and coach just gotta stay together even if it takes 5 years just see where it goes lol.

[@seize3]

Damn, he's right. What kind of coach says that to his players? Lol but I definitely respect him for that

[@seize3]

@_H_ in today's climate, it sounded a little harsh so I decided to put an "lol" on it so no one gets butthurt

[@chrisrobinson8339]

@@seize3 a coach doing that seems real and fucked up at the same time

[@xexythanh]

When you a coach on a losing team with with no expectations other than to build... You doing whatever the fuck you want. Just too bad it didn't work out for him.

[@Takauji11]

Different form coaching grown men

[@alanhudson9388]

Good coach.. the game is changing and most coaches do not want to change.

[@James-ym7lx]

Game ain't changing the Lakers just won by playing 2010 basketball

[@doncolethepoet]

@@James-ym7lx only when rondo was on the floor

[@alanhudson9388]

@Jolly I was referring to the game of Basketball overall. I do agree with you that the Lakers coaching staff made adjustments during the series. Teams referred back to the way the Spurs and Pop.. planned the defense scheme to stop a young LBJ. LBJ is a smarter player now and he has better talent surrounding him. NBA should be on fire next season with the Nets and Warriors back healthy.

[@khog4787]

Jolly Roger nah there’s a reason javale didn’t touch the floor

[@718ant5]

Yessir.

[@wizmanballin8498]

This proves the NBA is a really messed up system that needs to be gutted.I watched this entire podcast and thoroughly enjoyed hearing Earl's perspective on the game. What he did for Devon can not be talked about enough. Just looked at what Del Harris did to Kobe Bryant before he had a chance to get on the court. Kobe lost 2 years because of an old-school coach more worried about what his peers thought of him than playing a kid with crazy potential. Mad respect to Earl! Hopes he lands another coaching job at some point.

[@artisticskillz01]

Kobe everytime he went against a del harris team. Dude was smoking him. 40+ points. 50+ points. 60+ points.

[@acnicodemus4734]

Well, Del Harris was an ass coach

[@Jab-Cajun91]

Kobe only had a bad rookie year, but his second season he was the 6th man and became an All Star in the 97-98 season.

[@wizmanballin8498]

@@Jab-Cajun91 Kobe himself said he lost 2 years...just going by what he said in the interview with Darius Miles and Q.

[@louisj6399]

Eddie Jones was nice back then

[@samgunz1]

Yo... he too thorough for the league lol.. his mindset is dope.. a players coach that garners respect.. hopefully he'll get a real chance to do great things

[@samgunz1]

@@djking1702 being as tho you had more access to suns games than I did I have to respect your opinion.. hopefully he can improve on his flaws and get another shot.. damn IQ low tho? I wouldnt have thought that.. I would think being a former PG in the league that would've been a strength..

[@markpagtama7954]

@GT Talks watsons sucked.

[@itisnottaken4444]

Imagine if he had this same type of honest dialogue with Ben and Joel. They’d be the best duo in the league right now

[@Rcrdslns]

I wonder how different this playoffs would be, if they had read your comment

[@amancalledhawk5575]

college didn't show booker's game

[@fredleeland2464]

Crazy because these scouts are able to spot abilities when they come out of college's that don't allow as much freedom

[@FirstnameLastname-qb2bg]

I seen it clear as day in college. He just didn’t play big minutes that’s it.

[@i_sharky]

You know what’s crazy too. I remember Calipari telling KAT something like “listen the scouts know you can shoot, they seen your tapes, what I need from you to is to prove you can play big man, defend the paint, score on the low block” and sure enough he became #1 pick

[@t4d0W]

@@fredleeland2464 yes and no. Sometimes players really do mad work from college/amateurs to pros to take a significant leap. Case in point for Donovan Mitchell who is nowhere the same player from Louisville to the 2nd half of his rookie year with the Jazz where he started balling and proving he has a pro worthy game.

[@DallasMavs81]

He also improved a lot after a couple years in league

[@cpgwalla6726]

Lol yoo this coach is the definition of real....I sat on the bench my WHOLE freshman year & my coach never said a to me

[@encoredp14]

😅🤣🤣🤣🤣🤷🏿‍♂️

[@Christhedon96]

That’s the problem.

[@tntsection1201]

@ That’s because High School coaches aren’t looking to develop talent. They just play who’s talented. In High School you have to work on your game yourself and just be around the sport a lot because Coaches don’t do that. A GOOD ONE will though.

[@blogginsriverbymnl48isabop86]

It's like being with in a relationship with a woman. Half the time you're guessing what the fck she wants done. Dudes don't want to be guessing shit. Tell me what you need, what I have to do, and what I should expect (and don't fkn nag, if possible XD ).

[@DJSevenEights]

Got me ready to lace up my kicks

[@Zo_1987]

💯

[@michaelvigil9319]

Respect, get him while he's still cheap

[@kingtshilobo1849]

He should coach the Pelicans. He would do good with them. But Monty Williams is a damn good coach too

[@mustangs263]

Good point.

[@boomboominroom]

Too late lol

[@devinmccampbell8110]

I would have loved to play for coach like that lol "you, you not playing." 😂😂😂 I'd be up all night playing 2k taking all the shots

[@oryan404]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@MPtheGreat305]

Dead asf 💀 🤣

[@canismajorbeats]

Welcome to Toronto

[@bobbyjonesfoo]

Gilberts jersey tho , Seattle needa team ASAP

[@Maxtrash69]

Loved him as a player and just this few minutes if listening to him, Yea... big fan as a coach too.

[@ceerez1002]

what does Earl mean when he says “pattern player” first time ive heard that n hoops

[@fabioalves9818]

a player that has a specific role / system player .. thats what he does if he’s asked anything else he’s not good enough or ur not using him at his best abilitys..example pattern player like a JJ Redick , he’ll just catch and shoot the whole game ur not gonna ask him to iso or dribble the ball etc cuz thats not what he does and then he won’t be doing what he does best

[@ceerez1002]

@@fabioalves9818 yeah after watching the full episode i see what Earl is saying now 💯

[@masoudabdun-noor8675]

Players that can’t create their own shot, straight up muscle memory dudes

[@coldworld1477]

Should be a talent scout rather than a head coach

[@copsshouldntmurderpeople]

He's got to have a word in development too or the coach is gonna fuck off everything he sees.

[@devaraft]

Honestly yea

[@thecatlingfamily367]

He should get an interview just off this analysis alone!

[@realstayinhumbled9410]

Earl Watson ucla pg with Barnes and kapono i remember them March madness days.

[@PedroGarcia-zh2ki]

If the suns weren’t doing so bad at the time, Earl would still be coaching the team

[@youngdee6421]

And if you score more points than the other team you will win the game

[@PedroGarcia-zh2ki]

@@youngdee6421 really? I didn’t know bruh

[@jasontimas5119]

Please go watch the whole interview, Earl out here spitting that real through and through.

[@slimmsg7]

this still goes hard !!! Hubie and Earl fellas ...

[@izzykidd1]

I love that talk n description on how to talk to players. That's what a real leader looks like. Earl deserves another shot off his knowledge of the game.

[@burymeinakobebryantnumber8598]

Been a big fan of Earl Watson a long time watchin this made me like him even more I would love him as a coach don’t know how he still hasn’t been given a offer to coach again he is a players coach and I’m predicting he will be back to coaching soon and turn that team to a contender

[@TheChosenOne971]

He was definitely a players coach, he could really develop raw talent smh he should definitely be on a coaching staff

[@thadeuskushington7103]

Ima tell my kids this was "Julian Newman"

[@brandonhunt6870]

😂

[@s6xtrillion1]

Ain't no one gonna be talking bout julian by then 😂😂😂

[@813torry]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@russelljohnson437]

@@s6xtrillion1 dang bro u should go take care of what’s bothering you soo you don’t take it out on niggas you don’t know 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Quezwon]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Omarxh3]

I LOVE transparency!!

[@brotherbmp]

As intelligent as Brother Watson may sound, if the players don’t buy into his system it will not work.

[@jamesyoung8081]

No shit sherlock

[@chrisbrandstedter4598]

I mean u really could say that about every coach tho

[@cryptoscircus6880]

@@chrisbrandstedter4598 & every system. Next he’s going to tell us the sky’s blue and the grass is green.

[@lakerboy16]

I never thought this guy was as basketball savvy as he is. Damn. He's one hell of a coach.

[@lekminer9083]

love a coach like this💯

[@BigBen1994]

Earl Watson is the type of Coach a player would love to play for. Straight forward and no sugar coating. Plus he knows how it is to be a player...

[@LifeCoachJesse]

He sounds perfect fit under Coach Spo with the Heat

[@somebody4066]

I remember when earl watson played for my grizzlies I saw him at the wolfchase mall in Memphis TN

[@BigBen1994]

Remember when DBook was complaining about double team in pick up lol

[@CarlosPerez-ut5ze]

The power of understanding your role brings confidence

[@d.c.7301]

Now this man was a coach.

[@Zo_1987]

YES

[@brendanlittle2498]

I love Monty Williams but I really respect Earl Watson and he definitely got screwed by terrible management and ownership during his time in PHX

[@alejandrogonzales743]

33-85 🤷‍♂️

[@alansnow1129]

Watson wasn’t good head coach and should just be assistant coach or development coach

[@hotpocket323]

Love it, book is so much fun to watch and it’s because of his surroundings that he’s had the opportunity to turn into the player he is today.

[@ggarcon89]

How Gilbert sitting at 0:23 has me cackling lololol

[@chuckt9630]

Hilarious

[@qwammienewsome1357]

Not trippin' bout it, but has always displayed feminine traits.

[@forfucksakecomrade]

It's comfortable for your quads lmao

[@balaine]

That's awesome..... I love this "insider information" nothing like it

[@Jburneyjr]

Damn I would love a coach like this

[@fireestyle]

Earl knows his shit, hopefully he gets another chance as he seems to be not only a players coach but a coach who can see the talent even before they blossom

[@isaiahwatson9824]

If you ever get a chance to meet this man you will be IMPRESSED. One of the best minds in basketball.

[@reyandy4851]

Wow! "If you don't shoot that corner three, I'm subbing you out!"

[@BobJones-bh9qz]

Everyone talking about his analysis and breakdown, but I’m over here just admiring my mans fade, too crispy

[@weewoojacks2793]

I like that he was straight to the point and the fact that he seen something special with Devin Booker before most people

[@camaross6896]

Coach to real

[@JeanNadaOfficial]

This aged pretty well!

[@JayJay-vd2eb]

I’d say 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@jaygiant10]

Love that he identified roles

[@finessegrannies]

Always fw’d Earl 💯

[@Zo_1987]

💯💯

[@SwypeTee]

I like coach that direct talk is what i want to Herr honesty gotta respect it

[@bronisthegoat8915]

Sounds like he should still be a coach in this league

[@VinoLaflame]

Wish every coach kept it real like this

[@gp300098]

Damn after watching this I wanna see him coach again see what he can do

[@the13rook]

This is one of the best interviews they did to be honest

[@magicmedia626]

I fw wit earl. Thank god I got to see him play as a Sonic

[@brandonjackson5946]

Damn he said some powerful gems

[@Zo_1987]

Coaches like him always get Fired!

[@qingd.mainey3205]

When keeping it real goes right

[@nichalas]

book was 19 and had already started like 10 games in a row before hornacek was fired. bledsoe went out for the season in december of that year and then brandon knight went out halfway through january and didnt come back til march. watson was named interim in february. who tf else was this guy supposed to start at that point????? yeah he gets some credit for starting book over brandon knight the NEXT season but he already saw 50 games of book starting by then & brandon knight couldnt even stay on the court if he wanted to with all those injuries.....

[@J-Hue]

In addition to that, Knight is 6'3". He was a good scorer for a pg in Milwaukee, but at sg, he's just too small to consistently get his shot off. And the 2 pg's experiment was failing everywhere. Booker was clearly the right choice, but that doesn't have as much to do with the kind of player Knight is as it did him just being out of position and Booker being a natural 2 and superstar talent. He really needed to stay a pg and figure out how to run an offense.

[@icon9427]

Yeah this is a bunch of Earl BS. He had the worst offense I've ever seen from an NBA team

[@ddat6193]

i will always have respect for e wat, he started my fav pg, tyler ulis.

[@VitaminVision]

I always liked Ulis' game, back in Kentucky

[@ddat6193]

@@VitaminVision he was the best floor general I’ve ever seen in college

[@Banggotem]

This shit really some gold right here if you go and look at that season they had talent and traded all like he said.

[@danielelizondo5749]

Giannis should sign with them. Him and booker and Aton would be insane just think about it

[@copsshouldntmurderpeople]

Bruh you're right... Yo that would be straight CRAZY. Pretty sure they have the cap space to make it happen too.

[@BoubbieVagee]

I’ll never forget when I saw my man earl in Vegas for nba all star weekend. Walking thru the Bellagio with a woman on each arm and they were LOVIN the time they had with him. Mans was super smooth and approachable, super humble. Him and Lamar Odom were the only ones mobbin the blvd with no security. EVERYBODY had at least 2-3 guards with em. Melon had like 8 😂

[@MannysTechWorld]

Would have loved to have a coach like that would cut my training really short 😁😁😁😁

[@javaughnwilliams2668]

I would have loved to play for this dude, I love his mentality

[@ryanmccorvey6899]

Great basketball foresight

[@Ash-me]

He got a big head, thats why he smart. BIG BRAIN 🧠

[@playthatagainbruh394]

Daaammnn thats some transparency. He just needs an offensive/defensive system and a legit team

[@proxH7959]

Now thats a real coach!

[@thasneemrizvi]

This man is gonna develop Suggs into a high all star caliber player for the raps now 🙏🏽

[@highflyerhoops]

Lol

[@CLSicks]

I have new respect for this dude. 🔥🔥🔥👍👍

[@vinht23]

That's leadership right there.

[@Zo_1987]

Earl Watson is a Geniune guy! And EXCELLENT COACH, GREAT PERCEPTIONS 💯

[@PapaTrice360]

This is the exact problem LaMelo is having in Charlotte. They paid Rozier and Hayward before Melo got drafted but he easily became their best player however the organization still pretended like it was Hayward and Roziers team which ruined any chemistry they could’ve formed.

[@jaxon386]

🎯

[@KalelaChannel]

I don't know why Earl Watson was fired to this day. He was a very good coach.They struggled for a period but most teams with the kind of talent he was working with do that often.

[@BieyanMaker]

Thats the type of coach I need

[@southeastd.c5636]

Damn,Watson was str8 up with his players from the rip huh!

[@tai.mcdonald7459]

Give me book all day, coach new what he had on his hands, respect

[@dwaynesmith746]

When real recognize real goes right💯

[@musikkluvelectrobanger]

That's a great coach right there. He didn't care about winning short term. He was looking to the future.

[@Blassie.P]

Yo why didn't this team win Earl was straight up wth them can only respect that I'll play for that dude anyday

[@jaceygaither2581]

Cool dude, absolutely terrible coach. Dude had no idea how to run sets or defensive schemes. He should be a development coach, nothing else

[@Wardenaz]

Unbeaten on the bubble!!

[@mdboy27]

Earl almost fooled me like they were playoff contenders lol. They weren't for anybody wondering.

[@MasterSluggyKornNuts]

That's that gift for gab, selling ice to an Eskimo.

[@nbaagent5]

What about now

[@chrystianforeman7647]

I wonder how he would do with college kids . You can tell whatever recruit he talks to hes gonna keep it 💯

[@EZee213]

They should've asked him "how in the hell you tappin' Joy Taylor???

[@Agenten]

Not anymore

[@tonyhutterso4514]

They had so many coaches I forgot he even coached this team

[@FLValentino]

I’d love to play for a coach who was that honest witch is players.

[@ajsoriano8803]

Get this man a head coach position ASAP !!!! Much respect .

[@justmarcus33]

He in 3 years as a head coach never won more than 24 games... his words sound good, but his results are a train wreck

[@ianakoro2569]

Love it his a real coach

[@MrJonathanhaze]

That was fire... Real ass coach right there

[@d3s1r3dpk]

and look how that transitioned for PJ Tucker. Absolute monster in Houston

[@baustin2402]

Solid info... Thanx Earl! 😁

[@Taino13]

Real like a slap in the face 😂😂

[@Zo_1987]

YESSIR!💯