Five Ways the Denver Nuggets Can Salvage Their Season

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

3. Find Out if Brian Shaw is the Right Guy to Lead the Nuggets and, if he’s not, Move on Quickly.

This season has been the equivalent of a flaming bag of dog poop left on Denver fans’ front porch, and no one went unsullied once the stomping out of the flames began. That includes head coach Brian Shaw. There are plenty of reasons to criticize Shaw: he’s aired the team’s dirty laundry in the media, he’s been unable to hide his emotions in post-game press conferences, he’s struggled to manage his rotation and late-game situations, at times he’s looked lost or in over his head on the sidelines, and he’s failed to help this team find an identity.

That said, the front office has repeatedly stood behind Shaw and said he’s their guy. Although I wasn’t on board with him at the start of the season, I’ve warmed to him, due in large part to the cojones he’s shown to call players out for not giving maximum effort or buying into his system. I think that’s something you don’t see from a lot of coaches in today’s NBA, and I think that’s exactly what’s needed for a team like the Nuggets that doesn’t have a clear leader in the locker room.

Regardless of how you feel about Shaw, Connelly and the front office need to use the remainder of this season to decide, once and for all, if Shaw is the guy to lead the rebuild of the Nuggets or not. If he is, come out definitively at the end of the season and erase any doubt about his future. Let him go after the types of players he wants/needs for his inside/outside, half-court system, both in the draft and free agency. Give guys on the current roster the chance to buy-in to his system or be prepared to be shipped out of town. And if he isn’t the guy, cut him loose the second the season ends and bring in a coach that can re-energize fans and return this team to relevance in the NBA.

Whether he stays or goes at the end of the year, there can be no waffling or mishandling of the situation. If the front office can achieve that, than the last third of this season could still be viewed as a success.

Next: Lawson and Faried: Show Fans You Want to be in Denver