Indiana Pacers Assistant Brian Shaw in Running for Charlotte Bobcats Job ... - Yahoo! Sports

Over the last two seasons, the Indiana Pacers and team president Larry Bird have fully repaid the debt of patience that owner Herb Simon afforded them during a rebuilding process that sometimes seemed to drag on for eons. While fans didn't fill the home court seats as completely in 2011-12 as the Pacers' eventual lofty standing might seem to warrant, I think that we will be back in full force, too, by the time the team tips off again next November. Indianapolis is still a bit sleepy when it comes to our sports fervor, but we definitely are excited to see this young team rise even further. Of course, as the Pacers have returned to prominence, more national attention has been focused on its players and, as it turns out, on their coaching staff. While head coach Frank Vogel receives regular kudos for his work from the bench, he could soon be down a supporting member of his cast, because assistant Brian Shaw has landed among the finalists for the Charlotte Bobcats' open head coaching position.

Shaw joined the Pacers on the rebound last summer after losing out on the head coaching gig with his beloved Los Angeles Lakers. After transitioning from player to assistant under Phil Jackson, Shaw was considered by many to be a favorite to land the Lakers job, but was bettered by Mike Brown in ownership's somewhat opaque candidate search. The Pacers and Bird were quick to swoop in an scoop up Shaw at a time when it was still uncertain whether or not Vogel was a viable long-term solution as head man for the Blue and Gold. I thought at the time that Shaw was brought in is a high-profile fallback who would supplant Vogel the moment the season started to turn south, and I'm still not convinced that wasn't the plan. The problem for Shaw in that scenario, of course, is that Vogel kept his ship on course virtually all year long.

Although no one with the Pacers would admit as much, part of the appeal to having Shaw on hand last season was that he had experienced a long and fairly productive career as an NBA player, whereas Vogel had not even played college basketball, spending his hoops time with video equipment rather than shooting free throws. Although times are changing in sports, the fact remains that most coaches still need to prove themselves to their players. A coach with a playing history has some instant credibility, while a fresh face will always need to convince the masses, and his players, with results on the floor. Vogel has done that, with Shaw's help.

I always viewed Shaw's role with the Pacers as a very temporary situation, assuming that he was just biding his time until he could nab that head coaching job, somewhere. I still feel that way, but he'll have to look elsewhere because the Pacers are set for now. Maybe Shaw is just the guy to turn around the moribund Charlotte team.

Adam Hughes was raised, and still lives, in rural Indiana. He has been a Pacers fan since the early 1980s and has witnessed the rise and fall of a great NBA franchise. He follows the current club closely and is happy to see the Pacers begin their next ascent.