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Report: Phoenix Suns fire coach Earl Watson after three games

The first coaching change of the NBA season took only three games and one seemingly irritated star player.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Phoenix Suns fired head coach Earl Watson on Sunday after the team started 0-3 and point guard Eric Bledsoe sent a not-so-cryptic tweet detailing his thoughts on the current situation.

Barely an hour later the Suns changed coaches.

Watson ends his first career head coaching stint with a 33-82 record. The Suns weren’t expected to contend this season, but the lifelessness they’ve shown to open the season has been stunning. Phoenix lost its first three games to the Lakers, Trail Blazers and Clippers by a combined 386-294. One of those losses, a 124-76 blowout at the hands of Portland, set a record for the biggest loss to open a season in NBA history.

Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson was reportedly fired only three games into the season. (AP Photo)
Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson was reportedly fired only three games into the season. (AP Photo)

Whoever takes over for Watson won’t be joining a talentless team. With Bledsoe, shooting guard Devin Booker and rookie small forward Josh Jackson, there’s certainly enough to build around. But with the Western Conference being the monster that it is, that progress might not happen quickly.

According to Wojnarowski, the Suns are still weighing their options for an interim coach.

The season isn’t over for the Suns by any stretch, but that might be the biggest problem here.

Disgruntled players, a fired coach and 79 games left to play doesn’t look like a recipe for success.

It looks like rock bottom.

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Blake Schuster is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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