Nuggets president Josh Kroenke tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports that Brian Shaw will remain with the Nuggets and that he doesn’t foresee the 48-year-old head coach leaving anytime soon. This morning, we relayed that Knicks president Phil Jackson was still hopeful about finding a way to lure Shaw away from Denver; however, New York was reportedly in doubt about how they’d be able to compensate the Nuggets in return. Wojnarowski reports that the Knicks haven’t reached out for permission to speak with Shaw. Earlier tonight, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post that Shaw would have been willing to listen to Jackson’s pitch only if the Nuggets gave their blessing.
Nonetheless, Kroenke made it clear that the Nuggets and Shaw are mutually committed to each other. “Brian has said publicly – and privately to us – that his desire is to be here, and we feel strongly about him as our coach…I don’t foresee a scenario or circumstance where he’s going to be anywhere but with the Nuggets next season.”
With Shaw now out of the fold, Derek Fisher stands as the frontrunner to land the Knicks’ head coaching vacancy. The 39-year-old guard is also considered a candidate for the Lakers’ opening, although sources tell Wojnarowski that L.A. is leaning toward hiring a candidate with head coaching experience. Fisher has a strong interest in becoming a head coach next season, Wojnarowski hears, adding that Jackson wants to hire a coach whom he can mold and who’s willing to run the triangle. So, it appears that New York will be Fisher’s likeliest landing spot next season if he wants the job.