Denver Nuggets Q&A With S.E. Shepherd

Jan 31, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw addresses the media after the game against the against the Charlotte Hornets at Pepsi Center. The Hornets won 104-86. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Adam: There’s been a lot of press coverage of Brian Shaw of late, and he hasn’t necessarily handled it well. Are you, or were you ever convinced that he’s the man to lead the Nuggets to future glories.

S.E: In all honesty, I wasn’t sold on Shaw earlier this year, especially when the team was struggling. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Nuggets plummeting in the standings: Shaw emerged as the coach Nuggets fans SHOULD love.

There are a lot of writers and basketbloggers who diss Shaw for speaking so freely with the media, but if you look back at everything he’s said to reporters, you can’t argue that he’s been anything but honest. He’s called out players for not giving maximum effort. That should be something we celebrate, not admonish.

And he’s been more than willing to throw himself in the line of fire when it comes to not having his team prepared to meet certain challenges. You couldn’t ask for a better coach in terms of speaking from the heart and holding players accountable in a league where players aren’t used to being called out for dogging it.

I’m not 100% sure Shaw is the guy who can turn this team around from a system perspective, but I am all in with him in terms of him holding players’ feet to the fire and demanding they give it their all on the court night in and night out.

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