FanHouse Brian Shaw

Had Byron Scott been fired last May instead of today, he'd certainly be in a better financial position, as Scott would have been highly sought-after by at least a few teams, Sacramento and Minnesota among them. As it stands, Scott has no contract for the 2010-11 season ... and few leads for decent gigs.

Not that either Sacramento or Minnesota are glamorous jobs, but they were rebuilding teams with low expectations, much like the Hornets were when Scott first came to New Orleans. This summer? I imagine the Nets job will be available, but that bridge has been ashes for ages. The Pacers and Grizzlies will be the other most likely openings, barring a surprise retirement from Jerry Sloan, Don Nelson or Larry Brown.

But there's one job Scott has always been tied to that could also become available and happens to be pretty plush: the one currently filled by Phil Jackson.

Now with four first-round picks to worry about -- and a unique chance to restart the franchise -- new Minnesota Timberwolves boss David Kahn doesn't have enough hours in the day to focus on his first coaching hire.

We'll do it for him.

Despite an earlier report that television analyst Mark Jackson was his top choice, Kahn should be smart enough to know he can do better than that.

Why settle for someone with no coaching experience when there are seasoned guys -- including three who have coached in the NBA Finals -- who will give Kahn a much better chance of succeeding.

LOS ANGELES -- Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw played alongside Boston's Larry Bird in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Shaw also was a teammate of Kobe Bryant during the Lakers' title days in the early 2000s.

FanHouse had a chance to talk with Shaw about the similarities and differences between two of the greatest players of all time.

The Rotation is a weekly study on the NBA by one of our All-Star voices. In rotation this week is Tom Ziller.

An annual tradition regular as daybreak, as the season ends a pack of coaches are mercilessly hacked to pieces by fans, media and often their own bosses. A parade of potential replacements jumps aboard the carousel. They dance, they preen ... one of them wins. A year or two or (fingers crossed) three later, said doll gets torn apart. The cycle continues.

There was a switch this season, though: the bloodletting happened during the season, as a record eight coaches met the iron maiden between opening night and Valentine's Day. Is there anyone left to execute at season's end?

Well ... yes. Of course there is. After the jump, we tell you whom and guess their replacements.

Clipper Darrell is probably the biggest Clippers fan in the world. He attends every Clippers game at Staples Center, has a BMW painted in Clipper colors, and sports Clipper colors on the daily. He also can be found leading cheers at the Staples Center and talking trash to opposing players when they are at the free throw line.

Darrell's passion is wonderful, but this time, it might have led him to a little bit of trouble.

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. Brian Windhorst, Ohio.com: Discussing Anderson Varejao's great flops of 2006-07.

2. Paul Coro, Arizona Republic: Shaq would endorse Brian Shaw as the Suns' new coach.

3. West Coast Bias: Tim Donaghy in the witness protection program as you'll-never-guess-who.

4. OC Register: News flash: Laker games are expensive.

5. Epic Carnival: Amusing alternative punishments for flopping.

6. Karen Leigh's Blog: First hand account of ballin' with Barack Obama.

The Bulls are taking their time with this whole "finding a coach" thing, interviewing just about anyone with a shred of interest in the job. According to Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times, John Paxson has already talked with ...deep breath ... Lakers assistants Brian Shaw and Kurt Rambis, current Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin and former T'Wolves coach Dwane Casey -- and that's just this week!

Paxson was also scheduled to meet with Jeff Hornacek today and Kings assistant Chuck Person sometime this weekend, as well as John Lucas and Eric Snow sometime in the yet to be determined future. And, of course, don't forget about Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau, who won't get permission from his current employer until Boston completes their playoff run.

Oh, and remember Avery Johnson? Forget what you heard about him giving Chicago the cold shoulder. Now that the Bulls have the No. 1 pick, he's had a change of heart and was expected to talk to Paxson today.

Count 'em up: that's 10 names, and that doesn't include Mark Jackson, who already interviewed, nor Pistons assistants Terry Porter and Michael Curry, who have been suggested as candidates in the past. Do you notice a recurring theme with all these names? With the exception of Thibodeau and Casey, they're all former players, which makes you wonder if a career coach who never had the chance to rub elbows with Paxson as a player stands much of a chance.