Brian Shaw was passed over for the Lakers coaching job back in 2011, but he's pretty happy with how things turned out for him, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. "It was hard for me, the way everything happened so suddenly," Shaw said. "It's hard for me, initially to accept the fact that, wow, I was in L.A. and now I'm going to Indiana. And then I got to Indiana and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. It really was, in terms of seeing a different way of doing things." Looking back on things, Shaw is grateful for his NBA coaching journey as it led him to the Nuggets' head job. Here's more from the Northwest Division..
- LaMarcus Aldridge maturely handled questions on Blazers media day about the trade rumors involving him throughout the summer and Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com believes that shows he's becoming a better team leader.
- Blazers forward Thomas Robinson is playing with a chip on his shoulder and isn't making any secret of it based off of his conversation with Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 draft is now on his third team in two years after stops in Sacramento and Houston.
- The preseason will be critical for Daniel Orton, who projects as a fourth-string center and has a non-guaranteed contract with the Thunder. The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry checks in with the two-year veteran.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
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