NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
Dan Hurley will make his final decision about whether or not to take the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job on Monday, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander confirmed. Norlander reports a Hurley decision should be known by early afternoon on the East Coast and adds that UConn’s championship-winning coach has already made his decision privately. Hurley may have only recently entered the public’s consciousness as a Lakers candidate, but he has reportedly been the team’s top target from the start. After a lengthy courtship, the Lakers are now potentially hours away from securing a coach that they believe can build a long-term winner in Hollywood.
If Hurley does indeed take the job with the Lakers, it would complete one of the more rapid ascents in recent coaching history. From 2001-2010, Hurley coached at the high school level, like his legendary father Bob Hurley Sr. From there, he landed his first head coaching role for a college team, Wagner, which he eventually parlayed into jobs at Rhode Island, UConn, and now, he chooses to accept it, with the NBA’s marquee franchise.
Several coaches have made the leap from college to the pros, and some, like Brad Stevens and Billy Donovan, have experienced measures of success in the NBA. However, the only coach ever to win championships at both the college and professional level is Larry Brown, who won it all with Kansas in 1988 and the Detroit Pistons in 2004. Generally speaking, college coaches have struggled to make the adjustment. In the past 30 years, college coaches who have made the jump to be first-time NBA coaches have gone 1,483-1,797 at the professional level, according to CBS Sports research.
Hurley will be trying to buck that trend if lands in Los Angeles, and he would seemingly do so with the support of the Lakers’ best player. In April, LeBron James responded to a tweet about Hurley by saying “He’s so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their O! Love it.”
James, who will turn 40 next season, has reportedly pushed the Lakers to think about the long term with this hire. His…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/dan-hurley-to-make-lakers-decision-monday-latest-news-as-la-tries-to-land-top-coaching-target/
Author : Sam Quinn
Publish date : 2024-06-10 14:42:26
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
