Nuggets Fire Brian Shaw, David West Calls the Move “Bulls***”

The Denver Nuggets have been one of the worst-performing and least-watchable teams in the NBA this year. So it didn’t come as much of a surprise when the franchise fired him today. At least it didn’t surprise me.

Others were more opposed to the move.

David West called it bullshit.

Shaw was an assistant coach to Frank Vogel for two years before he got his first head coaching gig in Denver. It was considered a coup that Indiana got him at all, and even more so that they kept him so long.

Brian Shaw was a very popular figure on the team. He was largely credited with mentoring Lance Stephenson from a second-round pick who barely played in his first two years to an imposing two-way guard who was close to making an All-Star team in 2014. Paul George also praised Shaw for helping him develop into a superstar.

The Pacers were having practice news of his firing broke, and according to Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports, it wasn’t just West who was upset. All the players who played under Shaw didn’t like the news.

The ever-upbeat Vogel noted that Shaw is very skilled and is confident that Shaw will “land on his feet” somewhere soon.

Which of course will lead to speculation about a return to the Indiana Pacers.

Shaw was widely considered a front runner for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job when Phil Jackson retired after the 2010-11 season. Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher both gave public support for Shaw to be given the clipboard.

"Shaw was considered a head coaching candidate during his time with the Lakers, and Bryant,Andrew Bynum and Derek Fisher publicly supported his bid to become Jackson’s successor. Shaw said he tempered his expectations.“I understood all along that nothing was a slam dunk,” he said. “I didn’t expect for anything to be handed to me or given to me. I was very appreciative of the comments and the support that I got from our players during and after the season.”"

But Shaw was passed over in favor of Mike Brown and joined the Indiana Pacers staff.

His loss may have been Vogel’s gain. At the time, Vogel had just taken over midseason when Jim O’Brien was fired. The young coach turned the season around and pushed his below-.500, 8th-seeded Pacers squad to give an unexpectedly competitive playoff performance against the Chicago Bulls and reigning MVP Derrick Rose.

But even with the good short-term resume, the Pacers were a bit leery about making Vogel the full-time head coach. He had never played in the league, he was young, and his Dudley Do Right demeanor led some to believe he was not qualified to helm a team in the NBA.

Here is how I termed it at the time, based on an NBA.com report.

"Management, namely Bird, has continually stated that they wanted to make sure that Vogel could be surrounded by an experienced staff that could serve as a support system. Last year, there were locker room issues even after Frank took the reins, according to Bird. Such behavior must be constrained going forward for the team to make another jump so, before committing to a rookie head coach, Bird apparently felt he had to secure the services of a lead assistant like Brian Shaw, who has spent the last decade in a locker room alongside Kobe Bryant and shared one with Larry Bird as players in the late 80s/early 90s."

With the Lakers job going to Mike Brown, Bird was able to get Shaw beside Vogel on the bench, and the front office then took Vogel’s interim tag away and named him head coach.

In hindsight, things could have been much much much different.

If Shaw gets the Lakers job, maybe Vogel never gets the full-time job in Indiana. Then the Pacers don’t have the best defense in the league for the next four years.

Even if Bird finds another strong assistant for Vogel, the lack of Shaw still could mean that Paul George doesn’t develop as quickly or as well. Lance Stephenson’s career, almost certainly, doesn’t blossom to the same degree.

Butterfly effect and all.

Since that Vogel/Shaw marriage in 2011 led to such good results, it would make a lot of sense to bring back Shaw to Indiana this summer. Dan Burke (who was on staff before Shaw), Nate McMillan, and Popeye Jones currently sit on the bench with Vogel. All are considered to be strong assets to the club, and Burke’s no-nonsense attitude, Popovich-ian wit, and sense of accountability certainly permeate the team’s culture.

So there isn’t an obvious hold on the Indiana Pacers bench for Shaw to fill.

But his success with the team, familiarity with the players, and history with Vogel (they have known each since Vogel did scouting work for the Lakers in 2005) mean that it would be hard for the team to pass up the opportunity to reattain his services if he is willing to become an assistant again.

That is far from certain. Some coaches are very reluctant to “take a step backwards” after getting a head coaching job. But Shaw seems less guided by such ego concerns, and given his record in Denver, I doubt there will be a ton of suitors calling his phone for lead gigs.

So perhaps, this summer, Shaw’s loss can once again by Vogel’s gain.