Suns coach Earl Watson wants his players to connect not just with fans but with the Valley as a community. He’s trying to do the same thing. This summer he moved from Scottsdale to downtown Phoenix.

Question: Why did you move?

Answer: I wanted to feel the heartbeat of the city that I actually represent nationally and globally. So moving downtown for me, honestly and transparently, I didn’t know what to expect. Now that I’ve been living downtown for two months and walk everywhere, it’s great. I see a lot of fans who are very gracious and very kind. It’s a great community. It reminds me of Los Angeles when I first went to UCLA before Staples Center came in. You can see the growth that’s happening downtown. I’m excited to be living here and be a part of it as it’s happening and financially being a part of it by keeping my money in Phoenix.

Q: Are you getting a better understanding of Phoenix as a city by living downtown?

A: Yeah, I’m about to get rid of my car. I don’t drive anymore. But I think the thing for me I want to have a union with that energy. For me, we represent Phoenix, we represent the whole state of Arizona. If you don’t vibe with it, if you don’t feel it, how can you truly represent something that you have a connection to? I’ve experienced a lot of different cities in Arizona but downtown for me is where it’s at and I love being downtown.

Q: You walk to work?

A: I walk to work, man. But now people can drive past and throw eggs at me if we have a bad game. I walk to work and I love it. I walk to work, walk everywhere, walk to Pizza Hut, I just walk everywhere I go. You might see me carrying a pizza late at night.

Q: You were telling me a story of ordering a late-night pizza and picking it up.

A: It’s a funny story. I order a pizza and they said it would take two hours to deliver. And they were like a mile away. I asked, "Can I come get it?" It was about 1 o’clock in the morning. So I’m like in basketball gear and as I’m walking with a pizza, the people that are enjoying the night life are looking at me like, "What the hell?"’ The Suns coach is on the street carrying a pizza and wearing basketball clothes. But I live downtown so you get to experience everything on a walk. I didn’t know ASU had a downtown campus. The things you find out … there’s a great energy going on right now in Phoenix.

Q: Do people leave you alone when you’re out and about?

A: They talk to me. I’m social. We talk, have fun, crack jokes along the way, sit there and talk about Diamondbacks, talk about the Suns. We might talk about whatever else is going on in the city or the world. It’s just quick conversations.

Q: You have a favorite restaurant downtown, a place you frequent?

A: Man, I’m not going to give out my favorite restaurants because I like my favorite restaurants. I like the peace of them. But I’ll tell you this: I never miss a Taco Tuesday. If I miss a Taco Tuesday I’m pissed. I’ve got to have a Taco Thursday or make it up sometime during the week.

-- Scott Bordow

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