After weeks of seemingly being headed toward hiring JJ Redick to be their next head coach, the Los Angeles Lakers are now making a serious push to bring in University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley to fill that position.
On the surface, it would seem to be the type of hire that everyone in the Lakers organization would be on board with. However, the most important man in the organization who has to approve of Hurley is, of course, LeBron James.
Redick has a relationship with the superstar stemming from their partnership on the “Mind the Game” podcast, and some feel Redick is therefore James’ preferred candidate.
It is unclear exactly how much pull James and Klutch Sports have with the Lakers right now. Plenty feel the team’s interest in Redick has James’ fingerprints all over it, but Rich Paul and a couple of reporters have denied that James has had anything to do with its coaching search.
Recently Hurley went on Redick’s podcast “The Old Man and the Three” and gave an in-depth look at the offense he runs with the Huskies. The coach said some of his sets have been inspired by what he has seen in football, especially from Kyle Shanahan, the offensive wizard who is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
James responded to that video with a glowing comment about Hurley in a post on X.
“He’s so DAMN GOOD!!! Along with his staff. Super creative with their O! Love it”
After Darvin Ham, the Lakers’ previous head coach, showed glaring deficiencies when it came to being a tactician and making strategic adjustments, Hurley would be a refreshing hire.
