For years, there has been a narrative that the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office is in disarray and that owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka simply don’t have what it takes to run a successful NBA team.
In her 11 full seasons in charge of the Lakers, Buss has seen the franchise miss the playoffs seven times and lose in the first round of the playoffs twice. They won the NBA championship in 2020, but other than that, they have given off the vibe that it has been amateur hour upstairs.
On Thursday of last week, news unexpectedly broke that they were aggressively courting Dan Hurley from the University of Connecticut for their vacant head coaching job. He took the weekend to mull over their offer, only to ultimately say no on Monday.
The knee-jerk reaction is to feel that Hurley said no because the Lakers don’t know what they’re doing and that he felt he wouldn’t have been able to make them winners again because of their issues.
But there are no indications that Hurley rejected the Lakers for that reason.
Here’s a crazy idea — despite the Lakers’ organizational problems, maybe Hurley said no simply because he’s happy with his current situation and had no need to join the Lakers.
Doing so would’ve meant leaving the Huskies, the team he has been coaching since 2018 and has led to back-to-back NCAA titles the last two seasons. It also would’ve meant uprooting his family to head to the Southland long-term.
Hurley grew up in New Jersey, where he started his coaching career at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in the 2000s. He then moved on to Wagner College in Staten Island and the University of Rhode Island before he was hired by Connecticut.
Moving from New York, New Jersey or Connecticut to Southern California is something many do, but it is a major adjustment in many ways, and once someone is middle-aged, it becomes even more difficult.
His father, Bob Hurley, is also a Jersey guy. He was the longtime head coach at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, and he is apparently still a big factor in the younger Hurley’s life.
Coaching the Lakers, whether it is an attractive job or not, would’ve also meant lots of pressure for the younger Hurley, which likely would’ve complicated the adjustment process for him.
All told, the Lakers should be applauded for not only thinking outside the box when it comes to hiring a head coach, but also for making such a big push at the younger Hurley and prioritizing going after someone such as him who would’ve brought a sense of direction and gravitas.
Some may say the Lakers’ reported offer of six years and $70 million wasn’t big enough and that it was a factor in the younger Hurley rejecting them. But money isn’t everything, and sometimes it isn’t even the deciding factor.
Maybe he feels like he already has everything he needs to be happy and content.
