Brian Shaw came off as a bull in the Nuggets’ china shop on 104.3 the Fan
“On Monday Scott Hastings, who’s relationship with Brian Shaw seems to be a close one, and Drew Goodman, the hosts of the noon-3 show on 104.3 the Fan, interviewed Shaw. The radio segment proved to be the most revealing audio yet to surface in terms of who the new coach is, what he believes in and how he perceives the team he inherited from Karl.”
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Denver is still getting to know coach Brian Shaw of the Nuggets.
As a rocky season has unfolded with Shaw at the helm some fans have grown wistful about last year and the 57 wins the team amassed under George Karl who was ultimately named the NBA coach of the year just before being removed – presumably because he became assertive about wanting a contract extension. Team President Josh Kroenke opted to move in a completely new direction with the Nuggets rather than reward what he saw as mediocrity in the form of yet another first round exit from the playoffs. Not only was Karl fired, GM Masai Ujiri was allowed to move along as well.
So far the transition from the old regime to the new one has not been successful. One can argue that the Nuggets are working toward the long-term goal of deeper playoff runs, but in the meanwhile the team seems to be crumbling. The Nuggets aren’t just losing, they’re getting blown out, often by bad teams like the Sacramento Kings who destroyed the Nuggets at home on Sunday.
On Monday Scott Hastings, who’s relationship with Brian Shaw seems to be a close one, and Drew Goodman, the hosts of the noon-3 show on 104.3 the Fan, interviewed Shaw. The radio segment proved to be the most revealing audio yet to surface in terms of who the new coach is, what he believes in and how he perceives the team he inherited from Karl.
Within the first several minutes of the conversation Shaw was critical of his players, expressing his disappointment that none of them had bothered to watch the Portland Trailblazers play in a nationally televised game knowing that they were Denver’s next opponent. He told Hastings and Goodman that his players don’t seem to love the game in the same way he does.
Shaw complained that, although he encourages the Nuggets to “make new mistakes”, he wastes a great deal of time repeating himself as a coach – that he’s not able to move from one lesson to the next because his players don’t learn. Shaw went on to discuss the atmosphere around the Nuggets, claiming that his goal is to build a “championship culture”. That, according to Shaw, begins with things as simple as players cleaning their lockers and the locker room and not leaving trash behind on the team plane.
The interview provided amazing insight as to who Brian Shaw is and what his aims are. It also gave listeners a chance to understand why players like Andre Miller might loudly object to the way Shaw is doing things. He came off as the coaching equivalent to a bull in a china shop. The coach is not content to “tweak” the approach of the Denver Nuggets or try riding with the success Karl had in Denver. He wants to reshape the team entirely and change the mindset in the locker room.
In the interview Shaw referred to the 2013 / 2014 season as “a year of discovery”. He told Goodman and Hastings, “we’re finding out who has the ability to become a championship caliber player and who doesn’t.”
Shaw clearly loves the game of basketball and he has a lofty ideal of how he wants to see the game played in Denver. As a listener I found his interview somewhat shocking in that he was so loudly disrespectful of the players and the current attitude that they seem to have. I also found it very encouraging in that I felt for the first time like I understood the new coach and the obstacles he faces. After hearing the interview I do believe that, while it will take time, Shaw will design and develop a Nuggets team with greater championship potential than the one he took over.
