Assistant Coach Search: McMillan And Brooks

Wife had to sign off the day before he arrives?

Nothing is real until the ink dries.

 

Maybe she wanted to check his new boss out??

 

@JSM

 

aggregated headlines for those who are against reading

 

BTW …. come on So Cal …. cool it with the f****** earthquake swarms!!! Last thing we need is a big shaker while she and/or he are out here.

 

What’s really sad is I actually think you might believe that. We have eyes.

 

I wonder what key decision makers were kept out of the loop? The Rambi?


The stunning news of the Los Angeles Lakers and Connecticut coach Dan Hurley being in contact about the Lakers’ head coaching vacancy shocked many in the NBA — and some inside the franchise’s own walls.

The organization’s courting of Hurley, first reported by ESPN and confirmed Thursday by The Athletic via team and league sources, was kept secret from the public and even several key Lakers decision-makers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Within some internal conversations, Hurley’s name began coming up as recently as last week, team and league sources told The Athletic. At the time, the likelihood of Hurley being the team’s next head coach seemed farfetched. JJ Redick, the ESPN analyst and former player was seen as the frontrunner by many in the NBA and Lakers organization, and also under consideration was James Borrego, the New Orleans Pelicans’ associate coach who hasmaintained a strong relationship with All-NBA big man Anthony Davis,.

Now, Hurley, who led Connecticut to back-to-back national championships, has emerged as a legitimate candidate, if not the favorite.

Team and league sources cautioned that the coaching search remains far from settled. Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and governor Jeanie Buss will interview Hurley in a more formal manner on Friday, leaguesources confirmed. There is still a chance the 51-year-old will work out a new contract with Connecticut and remain college basketball’s top coach. Hurley signed a six-year, $32.1 million deal with Connecticut after the 2023 championship season. His buyout to join the NBA would be roughly $1.9 million.

Redick, considered the front-runner for weeks, remains a viable candidate, according to league sources.

Hurley’s profile appeals to the Lakers. He checks many of the boxes the Lakers have been looking for during this process. He’s regarded as a tireless worker who is both organized and disciplined. He’s a proven tactician, running one of the best offenses in college basketball. He helped return UConn to glory after the program went nearly a decade without advancing past the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He’s also sharp with player development and is known as a strong culture-setter with a fiery personality.

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s unclear how Los Angeles’ stars feel about the potential of Hurley as the team’s coach. Davis’ input has been at the center of the Lakers’ search, and he has a solid rapport with Borrego, who he overlapped with briefly in New Orleans. James tweeted his support of Hurley’s offensive system in April — ironically in response to an interview between Redick and Hurley on Redick’s “Old Man & The Three” podcast. James has a $51.4 million player option for next season.

Legendary former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who, according to multiplesources, has become a respected unofficial advisor to the Lakers during the hiring process, has a strong relationship with Hurley. Krzyzewski coached Hurley’s older brother, Bobby, at Duke from 1989 to 1993, winning back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992. Back in March, Dan Hurley said that Krzyzewski pushed him to take the UConn job in 2018 and that the two speak at least twice yearly.

Though Krzyzewski also has ties to Redick, who played under him at Duke from 2002 to 2006, his relationship with Hurley and the belief he has shown in him has been one of the many factors in the process that has led the Lakers to aggressively pursue him, according to team and league sources.

Krzyzewski’s history with the Lakers goes back to 2004, when then-owner Dr. Jerry Buss made a strong offer to hire him away from Duke, which was ultimately unsuccessful. The Lakers tried to lure Krzyzewski with a five-year, $40 million contract, which was an astronomical figure for a coach at the time. The market has since reset with coaches such as Steve Kerr, Erik Spoelstra, Monty Williams and Mike Budenholzer commanding eight-figure annual contracts.

Time will tell if history repeats itself with Hurley also returning to UConn on a higher salary or if he ends up accepting a lucrative offer to leave Storrs, Conn., to coach one of the NBA’s legacy franchises across the country. Despite the shock of Thursday’s developments, the latest curveball has yet to resolve the Lakers’ ongoing coaching search.

 

Meh..you may have eyes, but you seem to lack discernment.

It's rather cut and dried actually. We never offered anything but Westbrook and draft picks. That's a fact.

Stein never actually said, that Tasi give an order, to not trade Kyrie to the Lakers. Also a fact.

The wordplay used by Stein was a vague "It was a presumed objective". I'm guessing , you know the definition of presumed.

We never tested that theory, because we never actually offered Reaves and Christie.

It's all posted. Yeah sure ..I could have gotten straight to the point, and pointed that out from the jump. I chose not to..I rather enjoyed the back and forth on the subject myself. Killed some time..that's what this site is for. Entertainment

 

Even if both sides like what the other is selling tomorrow. You have to think he'll hear out UConn's counter and that's where this could all crumble.

 

I think if you’re Rob/Jeanie, you have to make him an offer he can’t refuse. An offer where it’s clear that UConn can’t feasibly come anywhere close to matching.

Even if it’s an overpay. An overpay is honestly still a good thing for this franchise. Change the narrative that we’re cheap. Change the narrative that we don’t value coaches. Change the narrative that we’re uninterested in long term culture building.

 

It has to be at least $90m over 6 years (and we have to pay his buyout). Self will make over $13m in the first year of his extension, UConn will at minimum be willing to make him the highest paid collegiate coach. To clear the bar, that's the kind of money you have to bring to the meeting. Are the mom and pop Lakers going to sink nearly $90m in on a coach? We're cheap in every facet of the organization. I have a tough time seeing it when your other finalist is likely $48m over 6.

 

Magic seems all in for Hurley:



Rick Fox yesterday when all signs were pointing to JJ:



Rick Fox after todays news:

 

If you previously told me that Jeanie might pony up a $90 million contract for a coach, I would have thought you were crazy.

But if that’s what it would take, at this point you might just have to. With all the talk about us being eager and on a “full court press” preparing a “massive” offer… if that ends up being an offer that gets outbid by a college team, that would be a MASSIVE embarrassment. Even if it was a good offer in a vacuum, we would be clowned all around the league.

 

Interesting looking at this from the lens of knowing that Woj and Hurley are close

Woj is simultaneously advocating for Hurley’s ability to adapt to the NBA, but then surprisingly also emphasizing the Lakers as an alluring position due to our prestige and perpetual ability to attract star players. And specifically mentioning why those are factors that appeal to Hurley.

What a tonal shift from Woj on how he usually covers us! Making me feel pretty optimistic here that Woj sees this as the likely outcome so he’s laying the narrative groundwork to support Hurley

If this hire does go down, and especially if we end up bringing JJ as an assistant, I think we’re in store for some interesting developments in the relationship between our FO and the media/ESPN

 

I will be shocked if it’s a $90 million deal.
That being said, it would be the most massive course correction we have witnessed since Jeanie took over.

 

Good stuff @ElginTheGreat Thanks for keeping us up to date @JSM. Shoutout to @Kobe Bryant 8 who posted the article in the early AM and ruined my sleep for the day. @sirronstuff we're on page 69. @LTLakerFan have you looked and approved of Hurley's calves?

I think Woj knew this story for weeks. There was a "source" he was getting it from and he decided to leak it right now for whatever reason. I am a bit concerned about how he translates to the NBA Level. Stephens (who's had success before he was promoted in Boston had a different demeanor), and so does Donovan who has saw some success. From the little I saw, he seems more fiery and will tear into you. Does that change at the pro level? Does it have to tone it down?

Either way, let's hope this is wrapped up this weekend and we could start building and tailoring this roster for the man.

 

Basketball minds cost money…We could have one in Hurley if we get him

 

$10-15 million annually. Paid Phil $12 million. This will be our largest expense on a head coach ever...