CLEVELAND — About a week ago, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw gathered his team and warned the players of the coming media storm if the losing continued.
The losing continued. The storm has arrived.
But then Monday night happened. Right out of the blue.
The Nuggets pulled off the stunner of their season so far, a 106-97 victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
Denver’s big victory came amid questions wondering whether anyone, from Nuggets president Josh Kroenke to general manager Tim Connelly to Shaw, truly knows what they’re doing in attempting to build a winner.
“It’s a process,” Shaw said. “The reality of the situation is last year our front office was new. Our coaching staff was new. It was the first time, obviously, all working together. The first time with our players being around each other, we dealt with a lot of injuries. We still have guys that aren’t 100 percent coming back from the injuries. Now, granted, we aren’t playing as well as we think we should be or that we’re capable of playing.
“And with that being said, if we’re (7-3) instead of (3-7) or whatever the case may be, it’s still the same front office, it’s still the same coaching staff, it’s still the same players and this wouldn’t be talked about. It’s only under these circumstances that this kind of stuff starts to arise, and we have to keep sight of that and not let that detract us from what we’re trying to do.”
Asked about the state of the Nuggets after Sunday’s 109-93 loss to the Knicks in New York, Connelly said: “Certainly we’ve struggled. But it’s early.”
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Monday against the Cavs, the Nuggets received double-doubles from Ty Lawson (24 points, 12 assists), Timofey Mozgov (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Darrell Arthur (13 points, 11 rebounds).
“I think everybody is tough-skinned; we can deal with it,” Lawson said. “The coaches have probably heard worse, and GMs and everybody. We’re a close-knit group. We’re just here to win and figure it out.”
Shaw held up the Cavaliers as an example of a team that struggled early on and was questioned to one that had won four straight until Monday’s shocker, which allowed the Nuggets to finish their road trip 2-1.
“They had to go through the same thing,” Shaw said of the Cavs. “People said: ‘Oh, did we crown them too early? Does this coach have enough experience to lead this team? Are Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving winners, because they’ve never been to the playoffs before?’ These things always come up. It’s a part of the game, unfortunately.
“A lot of times, people feed information or give statements, and they remain anonymous. I don’t like to give any credibility to anything like that. If you’re not man enough; if you’re going to say something, then say it and put you name behind it. But we are, for the most part, a young organization that is trying to lay a foundation and put some things together. And it doesn’t happen overnight.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
