Statements
LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers lost Dan Hurley on Monday.
The Lakers seem to have lost the thread.
Hurley turned down the Lakers' six-year, $70 million offer, and this is not a shock. Hurley has the chance to chase a third straight NCAA championship, an opportunity too enticing to pass up. The Lakers' job may have been a poisoned chalice with no guarantee a hard-charging, no-NBA-experience hire like Hurley would fit well with LeBron James.
LeBron's Standard
LeBron has exacting standards and a particular view of how teams should operate. He prefers to be a partner with a head coach rather than a subordinate. The Lakers appear disoriented, uncertain of their direction or identity, and embarrassed themselves chasing a gamble like Hurley.
Hurley was a gamble. The Lakers were publicly and slowly spurned. It makes the team look small and provides a sheen of amateurism. It begs the question of why they placed much effort into a college coach who didn't want the job. While Hurley might have succeeded in Los Angeles, the situations of Brad Stevens and Billy Donovan, who have leapt from college basketball to NBA coaching successfully, suggest past success does not always predict future performance. Many remain skeptical of college head coaches at the NBA level.
A Public Rejection
Being turned down publicly is one thing, but being turned down by a college coach as the Lakers is another. JJ Redick must feel stung, having given off "I'll-confirm-my-new-head-coaching-gig vibes" on his podcast. Going on national TV and pretending he hadn’t been dumped for Hurley must have been hard. Similarly, James Borrego was left in a strange limbo-meets-rejection period over the past few days. Candidates with NBA experience watched the Lakers' failed pursuit of Hurley with skepticism.
Contrasting Visions
The Lakers' two strongest candidates could not have been more different. Hurley would have been a long-term investment, envisioning a post-LeBron reality. Hurley might have turned three first-round picks into groundwork for a youthful team. On the other hand, Redick would focus on LeBron’s remaining years, emphasizing short-term competition. Redick might have traded three first-round picks for a star player. These are very different visions for the team’s future.
A Slipshod Approach
The Lakers seem to be operating as if hiring an NBA head coach is like scrolling through Netflix—a nonchalant, haphazard approach. It's not a sound way to run an NBA organization. There are serious consequences to such an approach. Hurley turning down the Lakers makes it harder to find a winning candidate.
LeBron's Leverage
The Lakers cannot afford for LeBron to decide to go elsewhere. LeBron has plenty of leverage and might have a firmer say in who gets the coaching job. He and the new coach might push to trade for another star, which is acceptable as a well-thought-out plan but not as an unintended consequence of being embarrassed by Hurley. The Lakers chased a shocker in going after Hurley. The biggest surprise might be that the team Hurley passed on has no real plan. The team does not seem to know its vision for future success.
Quotes
"I can do better."