Dan Hurley Deserves Shot In NBA If He Wants, Despite Unfortunate Timing For UConn | Trey Wallace

If Dan Hurley decides he wants a chance at winning a championship in the NBA, then I can't imagine a better time to leave than right now. 

Just two months ago, Hurley guided the UConn Huskies to their second national title in as many years, putting his footprint on the college basketball world. There's no denying that Hurley has climbed the NCAA mountain and found all the success he needs for him to be OK with leaving UConn right now. 

When news broke Thursday morning that Dan Hurley was in talks with the Los Angeles Lakers, it caught folks off-guard more for the timing than the actual opportunity. Luckily for the UConn basketball program, he's not hiding in the bushes and acting as if this conversation is not happening, as FOX Sports reported. 

On April 17th, Hurley appeared on the Dan Patrick Show to discuss what it could possibly take for him to take the NBA leap. 

Just like any other coach, he's working with the Huskies basketball team during the summer period, while also letting them know that he was considering the opportunity. And he deserves the right to decide if this is the right time to chase his dream of coaching in the NBA. 

Timing Isn't Perfect For UConn, But Hurley Has Done Enough

Sure, the timing is not perfect from the UConn side of things, but we are in unchartered waters when it comes to a college coach making the jump to the NBA. It certainly doesn't happen very often, and with how the off-season works in college basketball, timing is never going to be perfect. 

Just yesterday, Hurley appeared on the Mike Francesa Podcast discussing his aspirations to coach in the NBA, if the circumstances were right. 

"I do aspire one day, if the right NBA situation were to come along, to really testing myself…where an organization wants a tone setter to come in and instill a culture with young players and an organization that wants to pursue championships," Hurley told Franseca. 

But it's not just the allure of coaching in the NBA that has Dan Hurley looking to potentially move on from the college ranks at the moment. As we've all seen over the past few years, the off-court game has changed. Whether that be with the transfer portal or NIL, the shift in how a college head coach handles everyday life has taken a toll. 

Don't Forget Dan Hurley Turned Down Kentucky Overtures 

If you were wondering if this was a way to put pressure on UConn to do more for the basketball program, that's certainly not the case. Don't forget that Dan Hurley turned down overtures from Kentucky to become their new head coach after the debacle with John Calipari. So this isn't some jab at the Huskies. 

While some folks might look at his conversations with the Lakers as a way to increase his salary at UConn, I don't think money is the main driving force behind his flirtation. There wasn't a day that went by during this offseason that Dan Hurley wasn't cracking a joke on social media about his disliking of the transfer portal, even setting up a countdown clock in the UConn offices for then the portal closed. 

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - APRIL 08: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies celebrates after beating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 08, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Factor in the Wild West nature of the transfer portal, and Hurley finds himself entrenched in a game that looks nothing like the previous ten years. In a way, what we've seen him do with the Huskies over the past few years has been done under a ‘professional’ model if you listen to enough coaches. 

Every season, coaches are having to rebuild their roster through the portal, or trying to find the right player that fits their system, while also deciding if they should pay the going rate for a star player that could help the team in some form or fashion. 

But man, that has got to get old, especially when you've climbed the mountain-top in consecutive years. Also, the opportunity to try his hand at the NBA is more of a challenge than Hurley running away from a sport that he's dominated over the last two seasons. 

NBA Opportunities Aren’t Easy To Get, Especially Lakers

The honest truth is that you don't get many opportunities like this in the NBA, especially with the Los Angeles Lakers, a crown jewel of the league. I won't sit here and act as if I'm some NBA expert, but the Lakers are not ran by disorganized folks. They would put together a plan so that Hurley would have every opportunity to succeed, especially if he got LeBron James for at least his first few seasons in the league. 

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 27:  LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during game four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 27, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.  NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.  (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Will Hurley have to tone down his enthusiasm at the next level? Sure, there's no way he can sustain the way he coaches for the grueling NBA schedule, compared to college hoops. But that's just an aspect of his coaching style that will be tinkered with, just a bit. 

You can put some blame on how the college game has changed, but don’t underestimate his eagerness to try his hand at being the head coach for one of the most decorated teams in the NBA. 

Sometimes it comes down to more than just money and prestige, which could keep Hurley at UConn at the end of the day. 

But if Hurley feels as though it's time to move on, nobody is faulting a guy for chasing a dream.