Skip Bayless has built his career on hot takes.
But when it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers’ failed pursuit of Dan Hurley, the Fox Sports host seems to be in the majority.
By this point, it’s hardly a unique thought that Hurley’s interest in Los Angeles was more about leveraging UConn into a new contract than it was an authentic desire to become the Lakers head coach. On Tuesday’s episode of Undisputed, Bayless furthered that very narrative, noting the personal connection between Hurley and the reporter who broke the story, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“They tried to tell us once this story broke from Adrian Wojnarowski, who is very close to the Hurley family because he wrote that book The Miracle of St. Anthony, which featured Bob Hurley, the father of obviously Dan and Bobby, who coached a great high school team in Jersey City,” Bayless said. “So Woj is plugged in there. So all of a sudden he drops a Woj Bomb that — ‘oh, Dan Hurley to the Lakers!’
“I believe that Dan Hurley approached the Lakers, not vice versa. Even though they tried to sell from the start that, ‘our focal point of the start of our search for a coach was Dan Hurley.’ Well then why would you wait a whole month before you would talk to even meet him? That was the first time Jeanie [Buss] and Rob Pelinka had ever sat face to face with Dan Hurley was a month into your coaching search after you had interviewed James Borrego at least twice.”
Skip Bayless again says the Dan Hurley Lakers reporting from Adrian Wojnarowski didn’t pass the smell test from the beginning.
“Woj is plugged in there, so all of a sudden he drops a Woj Bomb… I believe that Dan Hurley approached the Lakers not vice versa.” pic.twitter.com/kRHWyjAgA4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 11, 2024
Dare I say, Bayless raises some compelling points. He’s also not the only person who has made them, as Woj’s rival, Shams Charania, noted that the way the Lakers pursuit played has led many around the league to wonder the same thing.
In fact, Bayless had even suggested that there was something amiss with Wojnarowski’s reporting before Hurley turned down the Lakers to remain in Storrs.
At that point, it sounded like he was floating a conspiracy theory. But by now, most seem to believe that he may just been ahead of the curve.
