Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve had a fantastic week so far.
When Adrian Wojnarowski first broke the news that the Lakers were seriously considering UConn’s Dan Hurley as the team’s new head coach, I couldn’t help but make jokes.
I mean, the Kendrick vs. Drake comparison between Woj and Shams Charania was right there. Shams says Redick is the guy for weeks and then — BOOM — here comes Woj blowing all of that to smithereens in one morning. It was hilarious.
But after taking a bit of time to think about it, I think I would actually like the hire. I’d especially like it over Redick, who I still believe is being considered partially because of his excellent podcast chemistry with LeBron James.
Facts are facts, and Hurley has coached his team to a college championship in back-to-back years. He’s got years of experience on different benches across the sport. I think he’s more of a proven commodity than Redick is, and he’d also be good for the Lakers’ young guys (especially if Bronny James is actually happening).
But, again, facts are facts. And while I do think this might be a good hire, plenty of recent history suggests it’s probably not the right move for the Lakers to make.
Plenty of teams in the NBA have hired head college coaches recently. The results have ranged from pretty, pretty, pretty good (shoutout to Larry David, the only man with two first names you should trust) to “wow, that was a dumpster fire.”
- Brad Stevens: Stevens amassed a 350-281 record with the Celtics and came one game away from an NBA Finals appearance
- Billy Donovan: Billy Donovan’s 399-319 record with the Bulls is solid, but has never really amounted to anything.
- Fred Hoiberg: Speaking of the Bulls, Hoibgerg’s 115-155 record with Chicago was pretty dreadful.
- John Beilein: John Beilein didn’t even last a full season with the Cavaliers before getting the boot.
The results there are mixed, at best. Larry Brown is probably the most prominent example of a coach who jumped from college to the pros and reached the mountaintop of the league. Stevens has come close. But everyone else? It’s been pretty hit or miss.
That doesn’t mean that Hurley would be a bad hire. Maybe he bucks the trend! Who knows? But if recent history tells us anything, the Lakers shouldn’t be so quick to bring him in without exploring other options first.
Tanking helps!
Look, I know the Mavericks are down horrendously right now to the Celtics. It’s not looking great for them.
But, hey! The fact that Dallas is in the Finals right now is a pretty big accomplishment. It wouldn’t be possible without Dereck Lively II, who wouldn’t even be a Maverick if Dallas didn’t tank at the tail end of last season.
Our Bryan Kalbrosky wrote about how tanking helped the Mavs get to where they are right now with Lively. Dallas was so close to not having this dude.
“If they made the playoffs or if they had worse lottery luck, their draft pick would have gone to the Knicks as part of the 2019 deal for Porzingis. But instead, they ended up with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Fortunately for the Mavericks, they were able to retain the pick. Dallas easily could have shopped the pick around to try to get immediate value by trading for a veteran. Instead, they selected Dereck Lively II from Duke and became one of the biggest winners of draft night.”
Now, you can’t even imagine the Mavericks playing without him. The team literally would not be where it is.
I know we all hate tanking—it’s an affront to the game and makes for bad basketball. But the results are the results, folks. It works.
Wish my Wizards luck, please.
Shootaround
— This Taylor Rooks meme is so funny, man. I hope it never goes away. Meg Hall has more.
— JJ Redick gives Doris Burke a big shoutout for her historical moment during this year’s NBA Finals broadcast. Here’s Bryan with more.
— Here’s Blake Schuster on Adam Silver apologizing to Inside the NBA for this prolonged (and public!) media rights negotiation from the NBA.
— Jaylen Brown might be my Finals MVP off this dunk alone.
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. We appreciate you. Have a fantastic weekend. Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
