Like Kidd in Brooklyn, things did not start so well for Shaw in Denver. Players were acclimating themselves to a new system, Shaw was acclimating to life as a head coach and the Nuggets were bit by the injury bug.
“We struggled early in the season and throughout the preseason because we didn’t have Wilson Chandler, [Danilo] Gallinari, Kenneth [Faried] was out for a few games, now JaVale McGee’s out,” Shaw said. “It’s tough to get a rhythm with your team.”
But unlike the Nets, the Nuggets had the coach and personnel to overcome an 0-3 start with wins in seven straight games and 11 of their last 14. Despite bringing in seven new players in the offseason – similar to the Nets – the Nuggets have made a fairly smooth transition from George Karl to Shaw and developed some cohesion.
“We’re beginning to hit our stride now,” Lawson said.
Unlike Brooklyn, Denver doesn’t really have any stars. It just has a deep group of versatile players with each guy in the rotation filling a different role.
In consecutive wins over Toronto on Sunday and Brooklyn on Tuesday, the Nuggets’ reserves outscored their counterparts 125-43.
“Our bench, as of late, has been very impressive,” Shaw said of his reserves, who are second in the league in bench scoring behind the Lakers.
Denver’s bench got extended minutes in Tuesday’s blowout win, and Timofey Mozgov broke out with 17 points and 20 rebounds. Andre Miller and Nate Robinson provide experience as a backup backcourt that would qualify as a luxury on most teams. Jordan Hamilton had 15 points off the bench and Darrell Arthur – a nice backup big to complement Mozgov – added 10.
“We can get it done with any group of guys on any given night,” said starter J.J. Hickson. “That’s dangerous, and I think we have depth at every position. We’re young and we’re active and we go have fun when we play.”
If you have watched the Nets at all this season, one thing they are not having is fun. Kidd certainly is not the sole reason, but with Brooklyn starting 5-13, it doesn’t seem like King played his cards right.
King – and perhaps Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who is always looking to make a splash – chose Kidd over Shaw, Frank and accomplished available coaches such as Karl, Lionel Hollins, Stan Van Gundy and Nate McMillan. Then King traded a boatload of draft picks for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who thus far have looked slow when they are not out of the lineup with injuries.
One emerging theme with the Nets has been their plodding pace of play. They had no chance to keep up with the young, energetic Nuggets on Tuesday night. As Mike Mazzeo pointed out, Brooklyn is now 0-6 against top-10 pace teams.
So does Shaw think he dodged a bullet by getting passed over for this Nets job?
“No. To be honest with you, I’ve been paying attention to what’s been going on with our team,” he said. “I grew up with Jason and I think he’s bright. I think he’ll do fine. It’s just his first experience as a coach. I think he has competent people on his staff that will help him.”
Among those competent people was Frank, who is now on expensive exile because former teacher and pupil could not see eye to eye.
“There’s a lot of moving parts around here and we are trying to adjust to it. That’s how I’m going to answer that,” Garnett said. “I’m sure management will do what they feel is best for the team and this organization.”
The problem is that Nets management has done what they felt was best for the team and the organization to this point. That has led to the choice of Kidd over Shaw, who already is excelling in Denver and is considered a really bright young coach; the mortgaging of numerous future assets for two former stars who’ve shown their age; and a whole host of other issues.
“Like I said, everything happens for a reason,” Shaw said. “I’m happy with the situation that I’m in.”
Wherever King was Tuesday night, he probably saw Shaw leading the Nuggets and imagined what could have been.
Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for Sheridan Hoops who loves advanced statistics and the way they explain what happens on the court. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. His website is SprungOnSports.com. You should follow him on Twitter.
You’re going to see some trauma and that was really cool for
me. Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares Midtown Madness.
Each has a style of presentation, each casts its own mood, each wears its own colors, has its own foods and its own special
holidays.
Shaw never worked under Mike Brown.