Brian Shaw Cancels Shootarounds To Allow Players To Recover From Hangovers

Denver Nuggets Coach Brian Shaw is trying an unconventional method to preserve the energy of his players and help them execute the run and gun style the team is known for. The former Los Angeles Lakers player turned head coach has cancelled morning shootarounds and is allowing his players to sleep in, which is the perfect solution for players who have been out partying the night before.

In place of the morning drills, players will be required to arrive and hour earlier before the scheduled game. The unorthodox method is being employed by Shaw while the team sports a 14-20 record. The second consecutive disappointing start to the season had led some observers to believe that the second year coach is employing new tactics just to get through to his wards.

"I'm going to experiment with it, I think, for the rest of the season and see how it works," Shaw relayed to Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post. "Even if it doesn't translate into wins and losses, just if our energy and our focus and everything is better."

To some extent, Shaw's experiment is being backed by science, which suggests that a healthy dose of sleep grants longer energy for the day but fans are worried that the players may not be held accountable and exploit the looseness with late night partying. However, the initial result say otherwise as the Nuggets were able to trump the Chicago Bulls on the first day the scheme was implemented. From here on out, the team and the coaching staff will employ a wait and see approach if the abolishing of the morning shootaround is a permanent fixture in the program.

The disappointing start to the season has led some pundits to believe that everyone's job in the team is in peril from the coaching staff to the players. The Nuggets have been the subject of early trade talks as the team is abundant in mid to good level players. The Cleveland Cavaliers have been among the teams who have inquired for the services of centre Timofey Mozgov while the Toronto Raptors have been rumoured to be interested in acquiring swingman Wilson Chandler.

Shaw did not escape the firing chatter as several websites have reported that the team will pull the trigger on terminating the services of the former Lakers and Indiana Pacers assistant coach to bring in Mike D'Antoni and his famed run and gun scheme. The team is still weighing the value of its current roster as it is one of the clubs expected to make big moves before the trade deadline in February.