"I don't like it"- Former Lakers guard surprisingly disapproves of Lakers interest in coveted coach Dan Hurley
Former LA Lakers guard Lou Williams shared his take on the recent report suggesting the 17-time NBA champions are negotiating to land UConn HC Dan Hurley.
After a couple of weeks with JJ Redick seemingly being the front-runner of this race, the Lakers have apparently changed their minds and are now focused on landing the back-to-back NCAA national champion. Lou Williams discussed this situation on Thursday's edition of Run It Back, explaining why he doesn't like the possibility of Hurley leaving UConn:
"I don't like it, he's king of the hill in Connecticut. You are the absolute king. You have no competition there. You are the man, you're getting paid as if you're an NBA head coach, you have an opportunity to mold players, you have the ability to have a three-peat; everything that's trending in your favor to stay at UConn."
Moreover, Williams added that this job will be complex for whoever takes it, and Hurley wouldn't have the same impact he may have as a college coach:
"Everybody knows this Los Angeles Lakers job is gonna be an uphill battle, you're dealing with a different circumstance, you're dealing with grown men, opposed to young men that you can have a direct relationship and correlation of their lives go.
"In the NBA, these men are grown with kids and children and lives already. Your job is strictly to come in and try to help them win basketball games. Completely different lifestyles and positions as a college basketball coach opposed to being a professional basketball coach."
The SoCal franchise parted ways with Darvin Ham in May, and after a month of searching for a new head coach, it seems like they've found the ideal candidate.
Dan Hurley will owe $1.8 million to UConn if he leaves for Lakers
After signing a big $32.1 million, six-year contract with the Huskies that runs through the 2028-29 season, Hurley's potential departure won't come at a cheap price. His current deal stipulates that if he leaves for an NBA team, he'll have to pay $1.8 million to UConn. In the case he leaves for another NCAA team, he would have to pay $7.5 million to the university.
If the Lakers are serious about this, they know the price they must pay to land one of the best college coaches in recent memory. LeBron James has praised him before, which is a good sign for the team if they ended up crossing paths with Hurley.