Could former Laker Brian Shaw be on his way back to Los Angeles?
Or not. But the former Laker player and assistant coach under Phil Jackson — and more recently deposed Nuggets head coach — has been offered an assistant coaching spot under Luke Walton in L.A., reports Bill Oram of the Orange County Register.“I have some decisions to make fairly shortly,” Shaw told the Southern California News Group on Wednesday night after the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
“I have an offer and I have some options,” Shaw said.
Shaw has been working as an analyst for ESPN on the Western Conference Finals.
Walton reportedly wanted Shaw as a top assistant, but there is an “inside Lakers’ politics” angle to this as well. There is still a sense that after next season (or maybe a year later, depending on the internal struggles) Jim Buss would step aside as the head of Lakers’ basketball operations if this team isn’t “a contender.” (How clean this transfer of power would be is certainly up for debate.) Lead owner Jeanie Buss could then bring in a new head of the basketball side, and who may well be her fiance Phil Jackson. If true, Luke Walton has strong Jackson ties and likely survives any shakeup (he wisely got five guaranteed years on his contract just in case) and Shaw, another guy from the Jackson coaching tree, likely would as well. But will Jim Buss sign off on two Jackson guys on the staff?
Expect Shaw to make a decision in the next couple of weeks.
