Ironically, reality television shows are far from real. As actors play roles and producers manipulate stories, most viewers willingly fall in love with the script. What normally exists is a mix of fiction and reality, which was probably the formula that worked in the curious case of the Lakers’ dizzying courtship of Dan Hurley. A chaotic college basketball offseason, highlighted by unprecedented free agency through the transfer portal, was punctuated last week when Hurley announced that he will remain the coach at Connecticut.
Most of the major player and coach transactions have been settled, allowing bettors to set the NCAA championship futures market and relax for a while. There won’t be many changes in college basketball between now and November. But a week ago there was almost a major move at the top, if one believes the media hype.
On June 10, Hurley, manic and wildly successful at UConn, announced that he had turned down a six-year, $70 million offer to lead the Lakers. Instead of jumping to the NBA, Hurley remained committed to the Huskies and their bid to win three consecutive national championships.
It was a big story full of brands, just as planned, but was it fake news? KeynoteUSA’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on June 6, the morning of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and there was no doubt that when “Woj” released the shocking report it would dominate the news cycle all day and all day. weekend. It certainly seemed like the journalist manipulated the timing of the story and the reality of it all needed to be questioned.
For the record, I was co-hosting VSiN’s morning show Follow The Money with Paul Howard when the breaking news hit. I was immediately skeptical and predicted that Hurley wouldn’t take the job. I was far from the only one who felt the story was planted.
The three main parties involved (Hurley, the Lakers and KeynoteUSA’s Wojnarowski) had something important to gain from the story.
Hurley was the one who earned the most. The best coach on the market is courted, played and ego boosted. He considers a big offer from the Lakers, lets it sit all weekend while the media breathlessly reports on his every move and rumor, and finally says he’ll stay at UConn, where he’ll receive a raise that places him among the coaches highest-paid college basketball players. Hurley wins again.
The Lakers were accused of letting LeBron James choose his coach, his friend JJ Redick, and were criticized for hiring someone with no coaching experience. The Lakers gained something by showing that they swung for the fences with Hurley. Now, the franchise can hire Redick or another coach who meets LeBron’s approval.
The perception was that Wojnarowski was being surpassed in the history of the Lakers’ coaching search by his competitor, Shams Charania, the NBA insider for The Athletic. Charania had reported that the Lakers were focused on Redick. Wojnarowski, who is fiercely competitive with Charania, was able to debunk Charania’s report by saying that Hurley had been the focus of the Lakers’ attention the entire time. Wojnarowski, close to the Hurley family for several years, wins along with KeynoteUSA, which received immense publicity throughout the soap opera.
The dots don’t completely connect as to whether Hurley’s story is legitimate. First of all, the timeline is mysterious. Hurley finished UConn’s season on April 8 and the Lakers fired Darvin Ham as coach on May 3. If Hurley was the Lakers’ target all along, why was he never mentioned until early June?
Also, Hurley said he never spoke to James, which is strange. And if the Lakers truly and desperately wanted Hurley, where was the Godfather’s offer he couldn’t refuse? Why not a seven-year, $100 million offer? After all, the Detroit Pistons fired coach Monty Williams on Wednesday and will eat up the final five years and $65 million remaining on his contract. The Lakers could have easily offered Hurley a much bigger deal.
Hurley, whose family has deep roots on the East Coast, will likely eventually make the professional leap, and one day a team like the New York Knicks will provide him with a better option. This wasn’t the right time, with UConn aiming for a third title, but the table is set for his NBA move in the future.
In recent interviews, Hurley said the Lakers’ offer was “real.” What else would he say? The story may or may not have been an orchestrated farce, but it was certainly a hit on reality TV. Hurley was a convincing actor throughout the drama.
There is no doubt that Hurley is a phenomenal coach that the Lakers should have wanted. While his stomp-and-scream style, which works well in the college game, would need to be adjusted for the NBA, Hurley is the definition of a winner. If you don’t have great respect for his coaching skills, you don’t know basketball.
College basketball history now shifts to UConn’s quest for a third straight NCAA title. The Huskies’ 12-0 straight up and ATS in the last two tournaments is an amazing accomplishment that we probably won’t see again.
In next week’s NBA Draft, two UConn players, center Donovan Clingan and guard Stephon Castle, will be chosen by lottery. Another former Huskies guard, Tristen Newton, is expected to move to the second round. Cam Spencer, the team’s best 3-point shooter, is also leaving. Alex Karaban withdrew from the draft and will be UConn’s only returning starter. Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson, role players last season, will start. Hurley attracted highly touted recruit Liam McNeeley and Saint Mary’s transfer guard Aidan Mahaney.
The Huskies will be worthy of a top-five power ranking, but I’m not buying the 10-1 title odds offered by DraftKings. It’s risky to doubt Hurley, but he probably lost too much seasoned talent with “Do It Again,” a reference to the Steely Dan song.
RETURN TO THE FUTURES
Now that the coaching carousel is no longer spinning and the transfer portal is all but resolved, the picture of college basketball contenders has become clearer. These five teams deserve a title shot (with the odds listed on DraftKings):
Alabama (10-1)
About a month before the NBA Draft deadline, I bet Alabama at 20-1 odds, assuming guard Mark Sears would retire and return to the Crimson Tide. Sears was the catalyst for the Tide’s run to the Final Four, but he wasn’t projected to be a first-round pick. Sears, who scored 24 points in the national semifinal loss to UConn, withdrew from the draft. He will now lead a team that will potentially be ranked number one next season. While the odds have changed and value has been lost, this is still a worthwhile bet.
Alabama coach Nate Oats has a loaded roster, thanks to Sears and 6-11 sophomore Jarin Stevenson opting out of the draft. Oats, who also welcomes 6-11 seniors Grant Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell Jr., snagged transfers Cliff Omoruyi (Rutgers), Aden Holloway (Auburn) and Chris Youngblood (South Florida).
KANSAS (10-1)
If Alabama doesn’t open the season as the top-ranked team, Kansas will. Senior center Hunter Dickinson returns along with forward KJ Adams and guard Dajuan Harris. Jayhawks coach Bill Self landed major transfers in AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) and Rylan Griffen (Alabama). While the Jayhawks will miss Kevin McCullar and Johnny Furphy, they will be deeper and much improved thanks to the transfer class led by Storr.
BAYLOR (20-1)
Bears coach Scott Drew signed 6-7 power forward Norchad Omier as a transfer from Miami. Omier was the missing piece on a Baylor team that boasts impressive guard depth with returnees Langston Love and Jayden Nunn, Duke transfer Jeremy Roach and freshman VJ Edgecombe, a top prospect from the NBA.
GONZAGA (20-1)
The Zags got hot late last season before falling to Purdue in the Sweet 16, and coach Mark Few has reloaded with returning guards Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman and talented big man Graham Ike. Few transfers added Michael Ajayi, a dynamic scorer at Pepperdine, and Khalif Battle, who became a star for Arkansas. Steele Venters, a three-point shooter and former Eastern Washington transfer, is ready to start after missing last season with an injury.
STREET. JOHN (50-1)
Rick Pitino was one of the few coaches who figured out how to push UConn to the limit last season when the Red Storm suffered a 95-90 loss to the Huskies in the Big East tournament semifinals. Pitino is coming back strong after landing two top transfer guards on the market, Kadary Richmond (Seton Hall) and Deivon Smith (Utah). Pitino bolstered the front line with Ruben Prey (6-10), a top recruit from Portugal, and USC’s Vincent Iwuchukwu. I’ll continue to look for long-shot college basketball teams, but St. John’s was my first sleeper at 80-1 in early May after Richmond committed to the Red Storm.
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