Brian Shaw Headed to the Mile High City

On June 24th, 2013, former Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw was hired by the Denver Nuggets to be their new head coach. Many people were not suprised by the hiring of Shaw, but they were suprised by the firing of former coach, George Karl. The Nuggets had just come off of a fantastic season. They finished 3rd in the Western Confrence, but they did lose to Golden State in the opening round of the playoffs. Many people would consider this a successful season for Karl and the Nuggets, but the Nuggets want to win championships. This lead to the firing of Karl and the hiring of Shaw. But, why do you ask? Because of the ongoing trend that has formed in Denver: George Karl's teams do not play defense.

George Karl has always had some exciting basketball teams, and this year was no exception. This year the Denver Nuggets lead the league in scoring with 106.1 points per game. That is a very high flying basketball team that can run the floor and score. Now let's take a quick look at their defense. This year the Nuggets were tied for 23rd with 101.1 allowed points per game. That is extremely poor, considering all of the length and athleticism Denver has. This is no sudden decline either, it is an ongoing trend. Here are Denver's stats from the past few years.

• 2012-2013- 101.1 ppg allowed tied 23rd
• 2011-2012- 101.2 ppg allowed tied 28th
• 2010-2011- 102.7 ppg allowed 21st

Denver has always some good teams, but they've never had any great teams because of their poor defense. That is why they've brought in Brian Shaw to turn things around defensively in Denver. Brian Shaw has been part of great defensive teams in Indiana. That is what has helped them to become a powerhouse in the East. It is no coincedence that you finish second in allowed points per game with 90.7 ppg and almost eliminate the NBA champions. In fact, lets have a quick rundown of the Pacers' defensive stats from the past few years.

• 2012-2013- 90.7 ppg allowed 2nd
• 2011-2012- 94.4 ppg allowed tied 9th
• 2010-2011- 100.9 ppg allowed 17th

See the trend here. Indiana's defense has improved, and they have improved as a basketball team. Denver's defense has stayed dismal, and they have stayed as a team that can't quite get over the hump. Denver has come to realize that defense wins championships and offense just sells tickets. The hiring of Brian Shaw has turned Denver from a pretender, into a true contender.