The Lakers are targeting the back-to-back NCAA national champion coach Dan Hurley as the franchise’s next coach and are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Hurley is 141-58 (.709) in six seasons as the UConn coach — and holds an NCAA tournament record of 12 consecutive double-digit victories. Dan Hurley spent nine years as a high school coach at St. Benedict’s Prep before rapidly rebuilding college programs at Wagner and Rhode Island.
The Lakers have been, well, average to say the least. LeBron James is going into what many believe could be his last year, and Davis is not getting any younger. The Lakers, due to this, need more than a coach to come in for a year or two, they need stability. The Lakers believe Hurley can be the one to bring this stability for years and bring back the prominence they once had. But can his style work in the NBA?
Many coaches have made the leap from college to the pros and many have failed. There is a big difference between talking to an 18-year-old kid than a 28-year-old man. Anyone who has watched Hurley coach knows he can be a bit on the high-energy side, kind of in-your-face hype type of guy. Can this work well with men? When Calipari took his talent to the NBA it seemed like a perfect fit as well but the style just did not switch. On the same token, many have made the move such as Larry Brown and Billy Donovan and had great success.
LeBron has shown he is a fan of Hurley and his style of coaching in the past and the word is the Lakers are looking at Bronny James in the draft. They believe Hurley can be the one to take Bronny to the NBA level and more. One thing we know, Hurley can coach and he has proven this every step of his coaching career. The NBA has changed and so have th type of players coming in so maybe Hurley is just what the Lakers and the NBA need. Fresh blood, a new strategy, a new game.
As always it will certainly bring fans, SPN, and more back on the Lakers bandwagon. Stay with EDF Lifestyle for more great content.