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OT: Hurley targeted by Lakers

If I am not mistaken, they will still be the Lakers in 2026 and beyond.

Jokes aside, I dont think they really need to build through the draft because they are the Lakers. If they've got money to spend, they will get great players.

It doesn't really work that way anymore under the new NBA CBA. If teams are over the cap (first and second apron) - they won't be able to sign free agents and have also put in new rules to limit roster and trade options.
 
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1. A college coach wouldn't want to deal with the crap coaches now have to deal with.
2. I don't know if Pike would make the move to UCONN. He still has family in CT and his youngest child I believe has only 1 year left in HS
1) What about the crap that NBA coaches have to deal with? Ownership? GM's? Prima donna players impacting/telling you how you run your program? A short leash vis a vis winning? etc.
2) Doubt the factors you mention move the needle much, if at all, in Pike's thinking.
 
What does the Lakers situation look like in 2026, 2028, 2030 and beyond.

A $150 million contract over 10 years would be over when leBron is 50

Salary cap is $141 M next season and increases up to 10% per year.

Lebron is extension eligible - if he stays with the Lakers his salary will be $51.5M. If he signs an extension, it will balloon to over $60M per season - probably through 2027-28 season.

Davis will make ~$63M in 2027-28 season on current trend with a Veteran Max contract.

The cap in 2027-28 is projected to be ~$187.6M. So the Lakers will have a 43 year old Lebron and a 34 year old Davis taking up over 2/3 of their available cap space in a league where a player is in their physical prime at ~28 years old. Not quite the recipe for longer term success that I would think Hurley would want to step into.
 
1) What about the crap that NBA coaches have to deal with? Ownership? GM's? Prima donna players impacting/telling you how you run your program? A short leash vis a vis winning? etc.
2) Doubt the factors you mention move the needle much, if at all, in Pike's thinking.
In order to pry him away from UConn, he is going to get a long term contract for huge bucks, and probably say in the personnel decisions.
 
Some might dismiss his chances, but he probably will be a top contender

Possible replacements for Dan Hurley at UConn​

1. Steve Pikiell, Rutgers​

Simply put, Pikiell is the kind of person any program would want in its athletic department – and he is an alum who played four seasons and was part of the 1989-90 team that launched this dominant era of Huskies basketball. However, this is a tricky time to consider luring him a few miles up the coast.
Pikiell has revolutionized Rutgers basketball, earning two NCAA tournament bids in the past four years that would be three in five had the 2020 tournament been held. He’s coming off his most difficult season in nearly a decade in charge of the Scarlet Knights, but the arrow is pointing up. He signed two five-star prospects in the 2024 recruiting class: wing Ace Bailey, the No. 2 recruit in the nation according to 247 Sports, and combo guard Dylan Harper, the No. 3 player.
If UConn were to hire Pikiell, it’s not inconceivable for those players to follow him to Storrs, but neither is it guaranteed. Would he want to walk away from what having that tandem portends?<
 
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Laker coaches are scapegoats when they don't win championships. Darvin Ham, Frank Vogel, and Luke Walton have all been tossed out like refuse. And Vogel won a title.
 
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Salary cap is $141 M next season and increases up to 10% per year.

Lebron is extension eligible - if he stays with the Lakers his salary will be $51.5M. If he signs an extension, it will balloon to over $60M per season - probably through 2027-28 season.

Davis will make ~$63M in 2027-28 season on current trend with a Veteran Max contract.

The cap in 2027-28 is projected to be ~$187.6M. So the Lakers will have a 43 year old Lebron and a 34 year old Davis taking up over 2/3 of their available cap space in a league where a player is in their physical prime at ~28 years old. Not quite the recipe for longer term success that I would think Hurley would want to step into.
The Western Conference is tough. The Lakers would have to go through Denver, Minnesota, Dallas, and Oklahoma City, all teams with young superstars in or approaching their primes. Their 2 best players are a 40 year old ageless wonder LeBron James and a brittle injury prone 28 year old Anthony Davis. The fact that they were both relatively durable and the Lakers were nowhere near contending for a title is a worrying sign.
 
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No. He would be near or at the top.

What he has done with our crap program is incredible. What coach would be more attractive?
Nah. What he’s done is not where the game is going. He’s not slimy enough (or at all) for the way the college game is going. This season will tell a lot. He’s a defensive-minded coach who is a team-builder and a player developer. Those skills will be less necessary with one year rental pro athletes. It’s becoming a sales job. Perfect for the Hurleys, Cals, and Pearls of the world and the schools with the most $$$.
 
Nah. What he’s done is not where the game is going. He’s not slimy enough (or at all) for the way the college game is going. This season will tell a lot. He’s a defensive-minded coach who is a team-builder and a player developer. Those skills will be less necessary with one year rental pro athletes. It’s becoming a sales job. Perfect for the Hurleys, Cals, and Pearls of the world and the schools with the most $$$.

Hurley is bombastic and aggressive (not an issue for me), but he doesn't strike me as unethical. In fact, he's stated how much he hates dealing with NIL agents and just wants talented players who want to play basketball and get coached up.
 
Wouldn't there be more time to golf as a NBA coach...You aren't spending time recruiting
Maybe briefly in a short off-season, but you still need to get ready for the draft, free agency and then summer league, and then once the preseason starts it is 24/7, with games every other day, watching lots of game film, making adjustments every game, which is necessary in the NBA and rare in college. The coach has to manage the players and constantly get them to buy in, because the stars always think they know better. You have to stay on top of what is happening with your g-league team and watch all the game film from that. And then there is all the work on the roster that the coach is in the middle of with the front office.
 
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What Hurley has done at Uconn is remarkable! If he leaves, Uconn will drop as fast as Villanova did when Jay Wright left. Hurley will do fine with the Lakers, as Jay Wright would have if he took the job with the Knicks. (well, half his team is there anyway)..
Except for TT, & some others, most of the NBA coaches are loud and bombastic, especially the 2 that the Knicks faced in the playoffs. Maybe Hurleys energy will turn more towards the officials, than the players..
 
No. He would be near or at the top.

What he has done with our crap program is incredible. What coach would be more attractive?
But, he doesn’t even run an offense. How could the national champs want him?!?

Let’s just hope Pike is invested enough in what he’s built here, and doesn’t read these boards to know how little some appreciate him, and stays.
 
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If pike left this late in the game, we would elevate knight and hopefully keep the recruits ! Kinda like what we did with flood.

Deja vu all over again !!
Damn you! I had put that man’s name out of my mind!
 
I think Pike's allegiance to RU far outweighs his to UCONN.. while I am sure he has fond memories of his time there, and appreciates the opportunity at a scholarship, that is ancient history.
& though Cam wasn't officially Poached, I am sure he wasn't too happy about a key player going to his Alma Mater..
 
If UConn is a dream job for Pike (we don’t know if it is) and they make him an offer he can’t refuse with a pile of cash, then he will go to UConn. He left Stony Brook to come to Rutgers and he didn’t come to Rutgers for less money than he was making. Some of these notions posted here that Pike is holier than thou and would not succumb to the money or that his loyalty and allegiance only lies with Rutgers are just hard to comprehend. It’s human nature to want to move up in the world when an opportunity comes along that one wants. The key is would Pike WANT to go to UConn, I don’t know for sure and none of us does, but I don’t see how some holier than thou traits of Pike will make him say “I can’t double my salary, I can’t do that to Rutgers” or “I can’t leave Rutgers, I can only be loyal to Rutgers”……..he’ll stay because he wants to or if Rutgers provides the required money to make him stay……not out of some silly loyalty or holy trait where he doesn’t care about money. I am sure Pike was loyal to Stony Brook and has great affinity for them to this day, but let’s not forget he still left Stony Brook, just like anyone else would have based upon human nature had they been in his shoes.
 
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Listen to the Aaron breitman Pike interview. It certainly seems like he's here to stay. By the way the state of Connecticut is not fush with money.They have big issues with funding . Uconn. Also without being in a power 4 football league they have major $ issues in funding their athletics.
 
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1. A college coach wouldn't want to deal with the crap coaches now have to deal with.
2. I don't know if Pike would make the move to UCONN. He still has family in CT and his youngest child I believe has only 1 year left in HS

Yeah, I dont think money is the most important thing to Pike. Baring an unexpected collapse, he’s basically in a situation where he can stay on as long as he wants and become the Calhoun, Dean Smith, Tom Izzo, Coach K of Rutgers.

I do hope Geo stopped by the RAC and swiped his phone. Alternatively, we could just kidnap him until this blows over.
 
If UConn is a dream job for Pike (we don’t know if it is) and they make him an offer he can’t refuse with a pile of cash, then he will go to UConn. He left Stony Brook to come to Rutgers and he didn’t come to Rutgers for less money than he was making. Some of these notions posted here that Pike is holier than thou and would not succumb to the money or that his loyalty and allegiance only lies with Rutgers are just hard to comprehend. It’s human nature to want to move up in the world when an opportunity comes along that one wants. The key is would Pike WANT to go to UConn, I don’t know for sure and none of us does, but I don’t see how some holier than thou traits of Pike will make him say “I can’t double my salary, I can’t do that to Rutgers” or “I can’t leave Rutgers, I can only be loyal to Rutgers”……..he’ll stay because he wants to or if Rutgers provides the required money to make him stay……not out of some silly loyalty or holy trait where he doesn’t care about money. I am sure Pike was loyal to Stony Brook and has great affinity for them to this day, but let’s not forget he still left Stony Brook, just like anyone else would have based upon human nature had they been in his shoes.

That’s all fair. He did stay at Stony Brook for a decade though. And everyone at Stony Brook knew he had outgrown it and wished him well.

This might be like Greg to Miami/Michigan back in 06/07. We’re going to be sweating for a few days.
 
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Yeah, I dont think money is the most important thing to Pike. Baring an unexpected collapse, he’s basically in a situation where he can stay on as long as he wants and become the Calhoun, Dean Smith, Tom Izzo, Coach K of Rutgers.

I do hope Geo stopped by the RAC and swiped his phone. Alternatively, we could just kidnap him until this blows over.
I don't think the salary is the biggest issue for Pike. It would be the promise of having the resources and the backing to make a run at a championship. What kind of team could Pike build if he has the NIL cash to be the one doing the shopping in the portal, and retain all the kids he wants?
 
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I don't think the salary is the biggest issue for Pike. It would be the promise of having the resources and the backing to make a run at a championship. What kind of team could Pike build if he has the NIL cash to be the one doing the shopping in the portal, and retain all the kids he wants?

True. But we’re getting there. Now that we’re going to be paying players, this is all about to change again and by virtue of conference, we’re in a position of strength. The best years for all of our programs are still coming. We’re not even close to peak.
 
True. But we’re getting there. Now that we’re going to be paying players, this is all about to change again and by virtue of conference, we’re in a position of strength. The best years for all of our programs are still coming. We’re not even close to peak.
I think we are plateaued, for now. Every step going forward now requires winning and building the fan and donor base. I hope it happens, but the outcome requires things going right. Paying players directly sets the floor. But has nothing to do how much the NIL collectives pile on top of the base salary.
 
no because he's smarter than Schiano. He stays. As far as I'm concerned, the Lakers can suck for a decade. I'm tired of them. They are not entitled to being good and relevant every damn year. No team in sports is
Smarter than Schiano on what basis? You obviously don't know the story about why Greg left. Greg's situation in 2011 is vastly different than Hurley's at UConn. Will never understand people's hot takes and swipes at our own players and coaches.

That aside, Greg is light years ahead of Hurley in terms of class and being a good person. Have a listen, and maybe you will think differently. Maybe not.

 
Smarter than Schiano on what basis? You obviously don't know the story about why Greg left. Greg's situation in 2011 is vastly different than Hurley's at UConn. Will never understand people's hot takes and swipes at our own players and coaches.

That aside, Greg is light years ahead of Hurley in terms of class and being a good person. Have a listen, and maybe you will think differently. Maybe not.

Hurley won championships, right? I'm just going to stay forever bitter that Schiano left, for a number or reasons. And I bet you are right that Schiano surpasses Hurley in class and decency. I love that Schiano is the head coach again and hope he stays until he retires...I think he will have the team be a consistent bowl team moving forward. Hurley is getting a job offer by the most elite NBA franchise. Schiano was a dark horse offer to the Bucs, not the Giants, 49ers, Steelers or Packers.
 
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Hurley won championships, right? I'm just going to stay forever bitter that Schiano left, for a number or reasons. And I bet you are right that Schiano surpasses Hurley in class and decency. I love that Schiano is the head coach again and hope he stays until he retires...I think he will have the team be a consistent bowl team moving forward. Hurley is getting a job offer by the most elite NBA franchise. Schiano was a dark horse offer to the Bucs, not the Giants, 49ers, Steelers or Packers.
That's fine, but I still think Hurley is a classless, loudmouth jackass. I could be off in my view of him, and maybe I could be convinced otherwise.

But having interacted with Greg a number of times and having watched many of his interviews, he is very grounded and all class. His statement about leaving Rutgers and his regret hit home for me. He regretted "running from" Rutgers versus "running to" Tampa Bay. He was concerned that he would be left at a University without a conference, and he promised his players he would not leave for another college team.

Can't tell you how to feel about his leaving, and that's personal to each of us. Until I listened to that explanation, I had issues with his timing and leaving for reasons that I misunderstood.

And BTW, Rutgers football winning "championships" is a much taller order than a school doing that in men's basketball IMO. Too many positions, moving parts, etc in football compared to putting 5 men together. It took Jim Harbaugh 9 years to put that together at blue blood Michigan. In 10 years, James Franklin has not done it at Penn State. So, it is not a valid comparison, IMO.


All good.
 
Schiano is the arrogant, dominant, financial sponge milking every last penny from the university. Football rules here. I would suspect for that reason alone Pike would seriously consider going to a school with the opposite dynamic. He'd be the big dog driving the luxury bus.
 
I'd be shocked if he left after watching the interview he just did with Aaron Brightman.
As we’ve learned numerous times, words mean nothing. However, I’d still be shocked if he’s who they want.
 
I can only explain this so many times....it is not about UConn or Hurley....UConn will hire another good coach and support that coach as much as possible financially/NIL etc....but at the end of the day, UConn was DOA in the AAC and has a lifeline on a raft of the Big East.

No SEC or B1G coach is going to UConn, unless they overpay....there's no financially viable future in the Big East. It's simply not sustainable and that's why Hurley is considering it.

Hurley is not a West Coast guy....that's how drastic the situation is in the Big East that he is in discussions to take this job, off back to back National Titles.

The titles ring hollow when there's no future for the entire athletic department at UConn. Even making into the ACC 2 years ago would have appeared to solve problems, but football, not hoops is a UConn albatross.

They'll hire another coach and I wouldn't bet against UConn winning another title in the next 5 years. But without a.real conference, does it ultimately matter??
Minimizing two national championships and a potential upcoming third is quite the take.
 
I can only explain this so many times....it is not about UConn or Hurley....UConn will hire another good coach and support that coach as much as possible financially/NIL etc....but at the end of the day, UConn was DOA in the AAC and has a lifeline on a raft of the Big East.

No SEC or B1G coach is going to UConn, unless they overpay....there's no financially viable future in the Big East. It's simply not sustainable and that's why Hurley is considering it.

Hurley is not a West Coast guy....that's how drastic the situation is in the Big East that he is in discussions to take this job, off back to back National Titles.

The titles ring hollow when there's no future for the entire athletic department at UConn. Even making into the ACC 2 years ago would have appeared to solve problems, but football, not hoops is a UConn albatross.

They'll hire another coach and I wouldn't bet against UConn winning another title in the next 5 years. But without a.real conference, does it ultimately matter??
Minimizing two national championships and a potential upcoming third is quite the take.

 
College basketball is changing once again in the next couple of years. The coming revenue sharing model gives the B1G and SEC schools a significant advantage. The implementation of revenue sharing will virtually eliminate the NIL model advantage that some schools like UCONN now have.
 
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I'd take the job if I were Hurley. I don't know why the Lakers think he would be great at managing stars, but he seems bright enough to figure out the NBA game. I actually think Bobby would be a better choice.

6 REASONS WHY DANNY HURLEY RENTS A UHAUL​

  • If power 5 break away from the NCAA for football, MBB, WBB, UConn could be lost in the wilderness
  • Uconn fired Kevin Ollie who won a Natty
  • 3 months off. College coaches don't get 3 minutes off.
  • The NIL chores that fall on coaches is not something many would sign up for. Big donors are demanding and unreasonable. It was easier when they were in the shadows
  • The money
  • Storrs is not a great place to live no matter how much money you have
 
In order to pry him away from UConn, he is going to get a long term contract for huge bucks, and probably say in the personnel decisions.
And he and his family are set for life with this contract - not that they aren't doing well now. If it doesn't work out, he'll always be wanted in college.
 
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If he goes it's probably about ego first and money second. Coaches in the NBA seem to have short careers and Hurley' s demeanor isn't the best with the press and fans especially when he loses a couple. Many are not rooting for him and there's a reason.
 
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