Brian Shaw prefers Warriors assistant coaching job to Lakers one

Luke Walton has already been hired as the Los Angeles Lakers' next head coach, but he still has to finish out his current job as a Golden State Warriors assistant before starting his new one.

Not a lot of people could begrudge him for fulfilling those obligations, because not only did he make a commitment to Steve Kerr and the organization, but being on Golden State's bench as they make an attempt to repeat as NBA champions looks like it would be pretty fun. That is probably why Walton wouldn't hold it against Shaw if he wanted to fill the vacancy he created there, and it sounds like that is exactly what Shaw hopes to do.

David Aldridge of NBA.com reported on Wednesday that both Walton and Nate McMillan of the Indiana Pacers were recruiting Shaw for the lead assistant coaching jobs on their respective staffs, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical, Shaw is waiting to see if he can land on Steve Kerr's staff following the season before making a decision:

Another potential candidate [for a Warriors assistant coaching job] - Brian Shaw - had been hopeful of getting the Warriors' top assistant job, which he found preferable to accepting the offer to join Walton with the Lakers, league sources said. Shaw is a Bay Area native and still lives there.

Bill Oram of the O.C. Register reported on Wednesday that Shaw's Bay Area residency was a large factor in his interest in filling Walton's void on the Warriors' bench.

Shaw said the biggest dilemma he faces in taking a new job is personal rather than professional.

An Oakland native, Shaw moved his family back to the Bay Area last summer after being fired in Denver. In the fall, his son will be a senior at Bishop O'Dowd High School - Shaw's alma mater.

"All the years that I've played and just moving as much as I have over the last five years since I left L.A. I want to provide some stability for my kids," Shaw said. "Those are more what's making me take my time in that decision more than anything else."

Shaw wanting to remain close to his children is a factor anyone can empathize with, so it's not surprising that he would want to wait around until he can figure out if the Warriors' staff is a fit for him before deciding to take Walton's or McMillan's offers to join their staff. Walton and the Lakers don't appear to be in a rush to assemble that staff until he wraps up his Warriors duties anyway, so it seems like both parties are on the same page on this issue.

Shaw would make a strong, experienced addition to balance out Walton's staff, but it doesn't sound like we'll know whether or not he'll be making a return to Los Angeles for a few weeks at least.

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