Brian Shaw is first one up to talk to Clippers about head coach job

Brian Shaw was the first of four candidates Monday to present his case to the Clippers as to why he should be the team’s next head coach.

Shaw, the associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers, met with the Clippers’ front office at the team’s facility and left an impression on team President Andy Roeser, vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks and director of basketball administration Eric Miller during his interview with them, said two NBA executives who were not authorized to speak publicly on the situation.

“I think it went great,” one of the executives said about the meeting.

Shaw then was scheduled to have dinner with Clippers owner Donald Sterling on Monday night.

No contract offer was made to Shaw, the executives said.

The Clippers will continue looking for a coach to succeed Vinny Del Negro by interviewing three other candidates this week, the executives said.

The Clippers have scheduled an interview with former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Scott, who still has one year left on his contract that pays him $4 million after he was fired by the Cavaliers, coached Chris Paul when both were with the New Orleans Hornets.

One executive said Sterling “likes” Scott as well.

Lionel Hollins, who was just fired Monday as coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, will come to L.A. for an interview with the Clippers on Wednesday. The Denver Nuggets also are interested in Hollins, according to reports.

Former Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan remains in the mix with the Clippers. McMillan is scheduled to interview with the Clippers on Thursday.

The executives said the plan is for all the candidates to visit the Clippers’ offices and then meet with Sterling.

According to reports, Shaw has an interview set up Wednesday to meet with the Brooklyn Nets about their head coach opening. The Denver Nuggets also are trying to set up an interview with Shaw, according to reports.

Shaw won three NBA championship rings with the Lakers as a player and two as an assistant coach with the team.

Shaw has played with two of the best players in NBA history in Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, who are known to have two of the biggest egos in the game and were constantly at odds with each other.

O’Neal, now a TNT analyst, told the Indianapolis Star recently that Shaw was the reason the big center and Bryant kept their feud from destroying the Lakers.

“I don’t get a lot of chances to tell my favorite players ‘thank you’ publicly,” O’Neal told the paper. “He deserves a thank you because he kept us out of trouble and he was the buffer between me and Kobe. I’d be [playing] around and he’d get me in line. He’s the type of guy you want leading your team.”

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