Brian Shaw To Join Indiana Pacers Coaching Bench?
According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, via Indy Cornrows, former-Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw will interview with Frank Vogel and Larry Bird this week for the Pacers lead assistant coach position.
Now, this is interesting for a couple of reasons.
One, how can Shaw be interviewing with Frank Vogel if Vogel is not signed as the team's head coach for next season? Vogel is not under contract, and the head coaching job is currently vacant in Indiana. The worst kept secret in Indianapolis is that Vogel will eventually be signed to a new deal to coach the team, but the question everyone keeps asking is, Why hasn't it been done yet?
Seriously, I know of no other organization that conducts business this way. A head coach who isn't the head coach is interviewing potential assistants who have considerably more experience than he does. Only in Indiana.
Second, Brian Shaw was considered by many to be the leading candidate to replace Phil Jackson in Los Angeles after Jackson retired. Shaw had been a player and assistant under Jackson for years, and was close to Lakers star Kobe Bryant. However, the Lakers ended up hiring Mike Brown, who was, at one time, a leading candidate to be the next coach of the Pacers. Now, Shaw is looking to be Frank Vogel's lead assistant.
From Phil Jackson to Frank Vogel. Talk about downgrade.
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Now, obviously Frank Vogel did a fine job last year taking over for the fired Jim O'Brien. He deserves credit for helping Indiana make the playoffs. But, is he a better head coaching candidate than Brian Shaw? No, absolutely not. Shaw has been an assistant for years, and he comes with the ringing endorsement of Phil Jackson.
On a similar note, was Vogel a better choice than Mike Brown, a man who had coached in the NBA Finals with Cleveland? Clearly not. Brown is a proven coach. Vogel isn't.
Add to all this the fact that Vogel still isn't officially the head coach and we are less than a week from the NBA Draft, and this whole process looks sloppy, messy, and lacking in direction.
