NBA Twitter throws shade at Dan Hurley for not taking Lakers job

Last offseason, after getting knocked out of the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers were clearly moving toward hiring JJ Redick, who was then a podcaster and ESPN commentator, to be their next head coach.

But they made a brief and puzzling detour when they courted University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley. They made him a generous offer, but Hurley ultimately said no in order to chase a third straight national championship with the Huskies.

The Huskies got eliminated early in this year's men's NCAA Tournament by the University of Florida, 77-75, on Sunday, and some fans couldn't resist trolling Hurley on X (formerly Twitter) for turning down the opportunity to take the helm of the franchise that is the gold standard of basketball.

"brotha dodged the Lakers just to get sent home as an 8 seed," one fan said.

"Could be managing an nba playoff team with Luka [Doncic], LeBron [James] and [Austin] reaves but he’s doing this instead," another fan said.

"JJ Redick the better coach," an additional fan said.

"lakers dodged a bullet there," a fourth user said. "Such a classless jerk."

"Coach could have been an all time great," a fifth fan said.

"This guy is really insufferable. Might as well taken the Lakers gig if you’re going to behave like you’re a Hollywood actor…" said a sixth fan.

"LA the luckiest franchise in the world," a seventh fan said. "They got a real coach because this man turned down the job. Reaves on the team at a bargain because San Antonio were too slow. Luka on the team because Dallas were too inept. Instead of a bleak future , LA’s now set for the next 15 years."

Hurley could've brought the Lakers some instant credibility and direction had he taken the job. When Redick was hired, many derided the move since he had co-hosted the "Mind the Game" podcast with James and lacked any coaching experience in the NBA or even at the college level.

But now, Redick is presiding over a team that could have untapped championship potential, if not this season then next season, and he has made L.A. into one of the best defensive teams in basketball despite lacking a starting-caliber center.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: NBA Twitter throws shade at Dan Hurley for not taking Lakers job

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