Brian Shaw Fired by Denver Nuggets

After just over a year and a half in the Mike High City, the Brian Shaw era is over in Denver. On Tuesday, the former UCSB star was fired as head coach of the Denver Nuggets. The move is a disappointing end to Shaw’s first stint as an NBA head coach.

Hired in June 2013, Shaw complied a record of 56-85 in less than 2 seasons. With the team mired in a 6-game losing streak, Denver is just 20-39 for the season. In campaign, the Nuggets finished out of the playoffs with a record of 36-46.

“I want to sincerely thank Brian for his time with our organization,” Nuggets general manager Brian Connelly said in a team 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.”

Prior to joining Denver, Shaw spend two years as an assistant with the Indiana Pacers. Before that, he served as an assistant to Phil Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers. Many around the game felt Shaw would succeed Jackson when the championship winning coach stepped down. However, in a controversial move, the team selected Mike Brown instead, who ultimately ended up serving as head coach for just over a season.

During his long playing career, Shaw suited up for the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trailblazers and Lakers. While with the Lakers, Shaw was a valuable member of three NBA championship winning teams.

Prior to his professional basketball career, Shaw starred at UCSB from 1986 through 1988. During his senior season, Shaw was named the Pacific Coast Athletic Association player of the year and led the Gauchos to the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. He was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics and was later named to the UCSB Athletic Hall of Fame.