It’s the Lakers. It would be silly money. There is no better job in all of sports.
Just not for Dan Hurley. Not at this time.
Early Thursday morning, ESPN broke the news that the Lakers have Identified Hurley as the top choice for their head-coaching vacancy, that they are pursuing the Connecticut coach to take over their storied franchise.
Sources told The Post the sides have been talking for a few weeks now and Hurley is interested. Fox Sports reported that Hurley told his players on Thursday he is talking to the franchise.
He would be making a mistake by moving out west.
Not because he could not make the transition from college to the professional ranks. Others, like Quin Snyder, Billy Donovan, Brad Stevens and Larry Brown have had success making that move.
He has proven to be adaptable. You don’t have the success he’s had, from St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark to Wagner College, Rhode Island and UConn, without being able to change. The Huskies have dominated college basketball the past two years with back-to-back national championships without playing a single game decided by single digits in the last two NCAA Tournaments, because he adapted to the modern game. Because he began to recruit more versatile players with higher upside and proved to be less rigid when it came to the way UConn ran its offense.
But this isn’t right for Hurley. The roster, built around aging stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, doesn’t suit him. We’re not talking about a young team he can mold like the Spurs or Thunder. Imagine Hurley barking at James or Davis? Imagine his over-the-top antics in Los Angeles? Going at it with officials or fans, as he is known to do?
I think deep down Hurley knows this isn’t the right time. He’s said as much in several interviews when the NBA has come, that he would like to coach in the league one day, but he still had maturing to do. He went on Mike Francesa’s podcast this week. This is what he said:
“I do aspire one day if the right NBA situation were to come along, I do aspire to really test myself,” Hurley said. “If the right situation [came along] where an organization wants a tone-setter to come in and instill a culture, young players and an organization that wants to pursue championships [I would be interested].”
The Lakers aren’t young with the 39-year-old James and injury-prone Davis as their best players. There is talk they are shopping their first-round pick (17th overall). It is not the right NBA situation. Hurley has been smart throughout his career when it comes to picking the next spot. He passed on Rutgers when he was at Rhode Island, and when Connecticut opened, he jumped at the opportunity. Look at how well that has worked out for him, two national titles and a roster that can compete for a three-peat next winter.
The belief is the Lakers would pay him roughly $15 million a year, money UConn cannot come close to. ESPN reported that Los Angeles wants Hurley to build a program similar to the manner in which he has built Connecticut, one based on player development, accountability and daily improvement. It sounds good on paper, but the personnel doesn’t match the plan.
I truly believe Hurley is undecided, that he is weighing his options. The lure of the Lakers is obviously enticing. It’s hard to say no to this kind of job. This isn’t like turning down Rutgers, or even Kentucky, which was interested in Hurley before it settled on Mark Pope as John Calipari’s replacement.
It would be foolish of him not to listen. It’s also not the right NBA job for him to take. Others will come along. He’s only 51 years old.
A lot of parallels can be drawn between where Hurley is now and where Rick Pitino was in 1997, after leading Kentucky to the national championship game in consecutive seasons. The Celtics came calling with big money. Pitino couldn’t say no. He regretted it.
“If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably never leave Kentucky,” Pitino said in March. “Dick Vitale, every time I speak to him, says, ‘If you would have stayed at Kentucky, you’d have more wins than any coach.’ And you think back on that. … It was worth the experience. But if I had to do it all over again, [if] I had a choice, I probably would have stayed in Kentucky.”
Hurley already has two titles, and there’s no reason to think he is going to slow down. He is wired to want more. Just look at this offseason, when he landed difference-making transfers Tarris Reed Jr. (Michigan) and Aidan Mahaney (Saint Mary’s), along with five-star recruit Liam McNeeley. UConn is the envy of college basketball, its rabid fan base a perfect match for the uber-intense Hurley.
Why mess with that?
During the season, Hurley admitted the NBA didn’t make sense for him at this time.
“There’s no one coaching like me in the NBA,” Hurley said. “They’re not ready, and certainly, I’m not ready. But that is something I aspire to do down the road.”
He should listen to his own advice. This isn’t down the road yet. He would be making a mistake.