Amidst a losing season, the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday fired coach Brian Shaw. Potential coaching candidates already being linked to the vacancy include Mike D'Antoni, Avery Johnson and Alvin Gentry.
Shaw didn't even make it through two full seasons before getting the axe. Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly announced the firing of Shaw on Tuesday, two days after the team's sixth straight loss, and named assistant Melvin Hunt the interim coach for the remainder of the season.
With a 20-39 record on the season, Denver is in the Western Conference cellar. Shaw, whom the Nuggets hired after his success as an assistant in Indiana, reportedly never meshed with the players he inherited.
Per ESPN:
"Shaw complained on numerous occasions to Nuggets management about the maturity and professionalism of some of the players but was told to try to work through the issues, sources told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. He experimented with canceling shootarounds, in an effort to work with the players. But it had become clear to all involved that the situation wasn't salvageable."
His firing also came shortly after Denver made headlines on Friday when a group of their players broke a huddle by saying, "1, 2, 3, six weeks!" Although Shaw said the chant referred to ending the team's six-week losing streak at home, some in the media speculated the "six weeks" referred to the amount of time left until the season ended.
Shortly after Shaw's firings, names began to emerge as potential candidates to take over in the summer.
"Former Nuggets coach Mike D'Antoni and former Nuggets guard Avery Johnson likely to be contenders for post," ESPN's Marc Stein tweeted Tuesday. "Alvin Gentry another strong name."
Other available coaches include Mark Jackson, Vinny Del Negro, Michael Malone and Scott Skiles. Indiana Pacers assistant Nate McMillan and Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Tyronn Lue could also expected to garner some attention after the season.
