Sports analyst Nick Wright has harshly criticized the Los Angeles Lakers organization and general manager Rob Pelinka for their inability to secure UConn head coach Dan Hurley as the team’s next head coach.
According to Wright, the Lakers’ failure to hire Hurley is indicative of larger issues within the franchise, suggesting that without the arrival of superstar LeBron James in 2018, the team would have been “in the wilderness for a decade.”
“Someone tell me what Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office have done in a decade to show you they know what they’re doing,” Wright said during his show “What’s Wright?” “If not for the fact that LeBron James graced your organization with a free agency decision six years ago, you’d be in the wilderness for a decade as the Lakers. Either way, They’re a poorly run mom-and-pop operation. That’s what they are.”
The Lakers were reportedly targeting Hurley as their top candidate to replace the recently fired Darvin Ham, who has since taken an assistant coaching job with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, Hurley ultimately decided to remain at UConn, signing a lucrative six-year, $70 million contract.
Wright suggested two possible explanations for the Lakers’ failed pursuit of Hurley - either they were unable to land their top target due to “cheapness or incompetence”, or the public courting of Hurley was merely a “PR” move to create an impression of ambition, even if they knew they were unlikely to actually hire him.
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“Both of those options suck. Both of those options scream incompetence,” Wright said.
The Lakers now find themselves without a head coach more than a month after their season ended following a second-round playoff exit. They also face key offseason decisions, including the potential free agency of LeBron James and the possible drafting of his son, Bronny James.
