Is Brian Shaw Daring the Denver Nuggets to Fire Him

Is Denver Nuggets Head Coach, Brian Shaw trying to get fired? The Nuggets are in a tailspin that is sure to end in a disaster and on Tuesday, Shaw appeared to reach for the eject lever.

Who would have guessed that the Colorado Rockies would look like a model franchise compared to the Nuggets.

In a Denver Post article written by Nick Groke, Nuggets moved to mutiny against Dan Issel in 2000. It looks very similar to now with Brian Shaw: http://dpo.st/1HUwjca,

Now a coach calling out his players in the media is nothing new, but questioning their effort and will to win certainly is.

"“It just looks like you almost have to try to lose as bad, and in the way we’ve been losing,” he said. “At that point, something gives. The decision-makers at some point are going to make a decision. And everybody is going to have to live with it. Then it’s out of our control.”"

Shaw is basically saying that the players are tanking in an effort to get Shaw fired, at least that’s the way I read it. Maybe they are and that’s wrong but it certainly shows that Shaw has lost control of this team. He’s lost the locker room and if the players are not going to play for him, then a change has to be made. Shaw went onto say:

"“The only thing I can control is doing my job to the best of my ability. And that’s what I expect them to do. Do I feel like that’s always been the case? No. Do I share responsibility in that? Yeah.”"

It’s big of Shaw to actually take a little blame for this mess but to throw his whole team under the bus through the media is unprofessional, and he should be relieved of his duties right now.

From day one, the job appeared to be too big for Shaw and now it appears that the pressure is getting to him. There’s no question that the Nuggets have hit hard times and there does not appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel, but the job of a head coach is to lead during those times.

It’s easy to lead when everything is going well and the team is a playoff contender, but great coaches are at their best when times are tough. The Nuggets have enough problems and now Shaw is becoming a problem.

No one is saying that he should not criticize the players or demand they play with more effort, but there’s a way to do it and going public is not that way. Professional athletes, right or wrong, are not going to respond well to being called out in the media. The mutiny as Groke put it has already started with a 30 point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies and an embarrassing home loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

The Nuggets play the Philadelphia 76ers tonight and if they lose to the worst team in the NBA, then management may not have a choice.

Shaw has all but dared the Nuggets to fire him and it’s time for General Manager, Tim Connelly to pull the trigger. This has been doomed from the start, and continuing down this road is only going to make the hole deeper for the entire organization.

The Nuggets must quit on Shaw before the players completely quit on him.