![Dan Hurley]()
The Los Angeles Lakers'
spirited pursuit of UConn head coach Dan Hurley wound up being a whole lotta noise for a whole lotta nothing. Monday's latest Woj Bomb brought news that Hurley is staying put with the Huskies despite a handsome contract offer from the Purple and Gold.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1800221050795688214
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1800222757499613369
As if watching the bitter rival Boston Celtics go up 2-0
in a totally lopsided NBA Finals wasn't painful enough, Lakers Nation is hurting even more today. The history of college coaches making the transition to the pros isn't full of major success stories, but given that Hurley has won back-to-back national titles at UConn in such dominant fashion with such a great culture established, I'm pretty sure he would've found a way to make it work. In fact, Hurley seemed like the perfect candidate to carry out a rebuild in the post-LeBron James era.
There's always the chance that Hurley, a native of Jersey City, New Jersey, could wind up with the Knicks or Nets job in a homecoming of sorts within the next several years. Brooklyn badly needs a reboot. If the Knickerbockers fall off at all either this coming season or next, Tom Thibodeau could easily wear out his welcome in a hurry. The Garden would be aflame with Hurley pacing the sidelines for New York.
In the end, I think it was the smart move by Hurley to stick with UConn and try to pull off a three-peat. Acknowledging how iconic the Lakers franchise is, they have so many question marks. Tons of pressure, too, to make one final championship push while praying that LeBron stays healthy amid his 22nd year in the NBA.
Unless the Lake Show unearth a diamond in the rough through the draft or swing some sort of mind-boggling trade to rapidly improve their roster, it'll be tough for them to contend in such a loaded Western Conference. Hurley could've really helped the cause, though, which is probably why Lakers fans are catching all sorts of grief on social media for missing out on such a dynamic leader.
https://twitter.com/LakersLead/status/1800224321715241248
https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1800221417168126459
https://twitter.com/ringernba/status/1800229352162132432
https://twitter.com/LakeShowYo/status/1800222153729794227
https://twitter.com/NINEEEv/status/1800227303211028642
https://twitter.com/LakersLead/status/1800221886477123836
https://twitter.com/FanDuel/status/1800229956418752678
https://twitter.com/BronWitness/status/1800224909794345082
https://twitter.com/MarkTitusShow/status/1800222105826640022
https://twitter.com/FDSportsbook/status/1800221385480134865
https://twitter.com/MattDoyle76/status/1800229916425773171
https://twitter.com/MisterHotBalls/status/1800227665062064505
https://twitter.com/KegsnEggs/status/1800225388498751729
Lots of people joke about Redick being the next coach because he's a podcaster. I don't think that'd be the worst outcome. He clearly knows his stuff. He got an announcing gig at ESPN and is calling the NBA Finals because of how brilliant his basketball mind is. Part of his podcasting endeavors is an Xs and Os-centric two-man show with LeBron himself, so there's a relationship already established.
However, while I understand why Hurley stayed put, the Lakers are admittedly less intriguing without him at the helm. No matter who takes over, I struggle to see how that roster — with so much reliance on a soon-to-be-40 LeBron — gets Los Angeles any higher than the play-in out West.
