Nuggets fire Brian Shaw, name Melvin Hunt interim head coach
Counting down the season's final six weeks just got a lot easier for head coach Brian Shaw.
The Denver Nuggets fired Shaw on Tuesday, news that was first reported by Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post.
This is hardly surprising news, and not only because the Nuggets have disappointed with a 20-39 record that's led to a fairly large-scale tear-down of the team's roster. Shaw's job status has been questioned for most of the season, including by the coach himself, and the Nuggets players appear to have little use for the formerly well-respected assistant.
What follows is a brief rundown of the situation in Denver this season as it pertains to Shaw:
- 2013-14: Shaw laments having to beg his players to play hard, calls the team out publicly and has a fairly public blow-up with Andre Miller.
- Nov. 14: Shaw worries that if the team doesn't start improving, he'll be fired.
- Nov. 17: An ESPN report suggests that core piece Kenneth Faried is not fond of Shaw and that Shaw's standing in the tumultuous organization may be tenuous.
- Jan. 4: Shaw announced he ditched morning shootarounds on gamedays, in large part due to the nightlife habits of his players.
- Jan. 30: Shaw admits he feels like he's thrown under the bus when his team doesn't compete hard.
- Feb. 3: Shaw openly admits that he suspects his players are trying to lose.
- Feb. 7: Shaw once again takes the blame for his team's lack of consistent effort.
- Feb. 10: Shaw admits to trying to rap to relate to players, and reading books about millennials.
- Feb. 28: Nuggets players vote to re-instate shootarounds by a vote of 7-6.
- Feb. 28: The Nuggets reportedly cheer "1-2-3...six weeks!" in a huddle, clearly counting down to the end of the season.
Shaw was also said to have clashed with point guard Ty Lawson, leading to some tense locker room moments, according to Zach Lowe of Grantland. Between that, the plateauing of Faried's development and the general malaise around the team, only the timing of this move is surprising.
"I want to sincerely thank Brian for his time with our organization," general manager Tim Connelly said in a release. "You won't find a better guy than Brian and he is one of the brightest basketball minds I've ever been around. Unfortunately, things didn't go as we hoped, but we know with his basketball acumen that he has a very bright future ahead of him."
The Nuggets have lost six consecutive games and are in the midst of a 2-19 stretch, so the reasons to remove the coach extend to the court, as well. Shaw was in the second year of a three-year contract with a team option for a fourth season. He'll finish his first head coaching gig with a 56-85 record.
Assistant coach Melvin Hunt will be named the Nuggets' interim head coach, as Denver will probably hold off on finding a full-time solution for the position until it can do a more thorough search in the offseason.
Among those expected to be considered candidates are Mike D'Antoni, Avery Johnson and Alvin Gentry, the first two of whom have tied to the franchise.