Brian Shaw focused on Pacers playoff ball, head coaching job will come

Pacers Asst. Brian Shaw looking ahead to playoffs ahead of coaching gig

Brian Shaw is always on some team’s radar for a head coaching job.

This off-season will be no different.

The Pacers brought Shaw on as Assistant Head Coach in 2011. This after the Lakers passed on naming him head coach following Phil Jackson’s retirement.

Many people felt he was slighted, and that might be the case, but everything happens for a reason and going to Indiana may very well be the best thing that happened to him at the time.

Fast forward and the Pacers are entering the NBA playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the East. They face the 6th seed Atlanta Hawks at home, beginning Sunday.

The Indiana Pacers are dangerous. One need only look to last year’s playoffs to know that. They excel on the defensive end of the ball, having given up the second fewest points in the league this season behind the Memphis Grizzlies. If they pick up their offensive intensity in the playoffs, and have strong showings from players like Paul George and David West, lookout.

Shaw knows what this team is capable of, and being an NBA champion five times over, he also understands the importance of focus during this time of year, which is why he responded the following way when asked about his prospects on becoming a head coach…

If it comes and when it comes I’ll welcome it,” said Shaw, who has been an NBA assistant since 2004. “I’ve been through this the last six years or so, so I don’t really expect anything. I think things will work out in their own time when they’re supposed to. And the better we do as a team, the better my chances are of landing a head coaching position.
“But right now that’s the furthest thing from my mind. If we have an early exit, that doesn’t say much about what we’re trying to do or what I’m trying to do. First things first.

B Shaw’s head coaching job is not far off. With this week’s vacancies, he could land in Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland or in the city of a team bounced in the first round.

Its just time.

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