Denver Nuggets tap Brian Shaw as head coach

DENVER -- The Denver Nuggets have hired former Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw as the team's new head coach. Many teams had shown interest in Shaw as a candidate for their head coaching job, including the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets.

After an agreement between the Boston Celtics and Clippers to bring Doc Rivers to Los Angeles, Shaw was expected to draw interest from the Celtics to replace Rivers.

Shaw was drafted by the Celtics in the first round with the 24th overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft.

Shaw retired as a member of the Lakers in 2003 and joined the Lakers coaching staff as an assistant from 2005-2011.

After head coach Phil Jackson left the Lakers in 2011, Shaw was a strong candidate for the job. When the Lakers picked Mike Brown instead, Shaw joined the Indiana Pacers' coaching staff. He will now leave the Pacers for the Nuggets coaching job.

Shaw will be replacing George Karl, who coached the Nuggets from 2005-2013. Karl finished this past season as the NBA's Coach of the Year.

Karl was set to enter the final year of his contract and had asked the Nuggets for a contract extension, showing his long-term interest to stay with the franchise.

The Nuggets had different plans and fired Karl in June.

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