Even though Denver have righted the ship and Brian Shaw’s seat has got a tad cooler. There is still a feeling that Shaw could be let go.
Denver are 13-20, 12th in the Western Conference and 5 games off the 8th seed. That’s a considerable deficit but it’s not impossible. But with constant injuries I’m surprised Denver could gain any form of chemistry.
Brian Shaw, in my opinion has done a solid job considering the circumstances and shouldn’t be fired. But according to Raj Sharan of ESPN Denver, if Denver fire Shaw. Mike D’Antoni could be the number one replacement.
his conflict with Andre Miller led to the veteran’s suspension and subsequent exit from Denver. There’ve also been philosophical disagreements with Faried that led to speculation of a rift between the two, although neither have claimed the issues ever became personal. Shaw’s honest, but very public, disappointment of his player’s effort bring to question if he can properly motivate the team.
Whether you think Shaw deserves to stay or needs to go, there is indisputable disinterest from a fanbase that was largely skeptical from the moment Karl was fired. That may be one reason that, according to two NBA sources, the name to keep an eye on in the unlikely event the Nuggets move away from Shaw would be Mike D’Antoni.
D’Antoni does have familiarity with a few players on the Nuggets roster from his days in New York. At times, he’s spoken very highly of Gallinari, Chandler and Mozgov although D’Antoni did go away from Mozgov in favor of a smaller lineup like the ones he had success with in Phoenix. Robinson, on the other hand, had a well publicized clash with the coach. In a unique twist, it was D’Antoni’s Phoenix squads that Shaw used as an example of running teams not translating well to the playoffs.
There is a good case for D’Antoni to be the Denver head coach. knowing some of the players will definitely be an advantage. But I’m weary that the offense that D’Antoni would implement (if he gets the job) would overshadow and the team would be terrible on defense. It’s why his tenure in New York was considered terrible.
But. Until that happens. Shaw is the coach and he will do his damn best to win.
