NBA Rumors: Brian Shaw trying to get out of Nuggets contract to take Knicks job

There are a lot of names out there being rumored as top candidates for the New York Knicks job, and one of them is current Denver Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw, who played under Phil Jackson with those championship Lakers teams in the early 2000s.

According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith via SNY.tv, Shaw is so interested in going to work for his former coach in the Big Apple that he’s currently trying to find a way out of his current deal with the Nuggets so he can make the move.

"On ESPN Radio on Friday, Stephen A. Smith reported that Brian Shaw, currently serving as head coach of the Nuggets, is attempting to get out of his contract in order to become head coach of the Knicks (Stephen A. Smith, ESPN Radio)."

Shaw has spent just one season with the Nuggets, this past one, where he led the team to a 36-46 overall record, but he currently fits the bill of what Jackson seems to be looking for in a head coach that’s familiar with his philosophies.

Once the front runner for the job, Steve Kerr, took the gig as coach of the Golden State Warriors, the Knicks went into a bit of panic mode in trying to find a new coach, and Shaw was one of the names that originally came up. At the time it was said that he was happy staying in Denver, however it doesn’t appear that that’s the case anymore.

Last June, Shaw agreed with the Nuggets on a three-year deal that pays him $2 million per year, a deal that might not exist for much longer.