Knicks Rival Preparing For Massive Move
One of the New York Knicks' comtemporaries is reportedly interested in hiring a modern day Madison Square Garden legend.
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Los Angeles Lakers are "preparing a massive, long-term contract" for University of Connecticut men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley. The proud Lakers franchise is in the market for a new sideline overseer after two seasons of Darvin Ham holding the role.
Hurley, 51, has brought the Connecticut program back to prominence upon its return to the Big East Conference, having won each of the last two national championship to become the first repeat winners since Duke in 1991-92. Before this year's win over Purdue, Hurley guided UConn to its record-tying eighth Big East Men's Basketball Tournament title at Madison Square Garden, which saw the Huskies down Marquette.
UConn's rampage through the national men's bracket proved historic this time around, as their point differential at plus-140 was the greatest in the event's storied tenure.
Los Angeles, fresh off a speedy loss to Denver in this year's opening round, is at an interesting point on its franchise timeline: the Lakers are looking at the possibility of LeBron James spending his potential NBA twilight elsewhere while management has also kept fellow franchise face Anthony Davis as "a significant part of the conversation on the next head coach."
The emergence of Hurley is perhaps surprising in the wake of another recent report from Shams Charania of The Athletic, who said that Los Angeles was "zeroing in on" current ESPN/ABC analyst JJ Redick to take over the role. Wojnarowski's report also listed assistant coaches David Adelman (Denver), Sam Cassell (Boston), and James Borrego (Charlotte) as potential candidates in his own report.
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks