UConn head coach Dan Hurley has become a hot topic in NBA news cycles, as word of his potential move up to the professional level is gaining steam. Hurley recently rejected an offer from the Los Angeles Lakers, who recently fired head coach Darvin Ham following the 2023-24 regular season. However, one NBA analyst wants the passionate coach to wait for an opportunity with the New York Knicks.
Knicks: Colin Cowherd touted Dan Hurley as the ideal successor to Tom Thibodeau
Colin Cowherd recently campaigned on X for the 51-year-old Hurley to test the temperature of the waters with the Knicks and wait until current head coach Tom Thibodeau moves on from New York, which he believes will happen without a doubt (h/t Jeremy Brener of Fan Nation’s All Knicks):
Thibodeau is approaching the final year of his deal with the Knicks. He just took the team to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with an injury-riddled roster and coached four players to career seasons, including Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Miles McBride.
While the former two-time NBA Coach of the Year has done a great job with the Knicks and is slated for a contract extension, an unfavorable vicissitude in the win column or a series of other potential factors that tend to arise within a season could open up the Knicks’ head coaching role somewhere down the line.
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Hurley’s style & championship pedigree makes him a coach for the Knicks to watch
How far down the line is the biggest thing regarding Hurley. His stock is as high as any college coach, having led the Huskies to back-to-back National Championships in 2023 and 2024. That typically serves as a launchpad for most college coaches looking to make the jump to the pros, and the opportunity to coach LeBron James and Anthony Davis in L.A. is an enticing one. However, Hurley rejected the Lakers’ proposal, and will stay with UConn for now.
All things considered, at this juncture, it looks like Thibodeau will remain coaching in the Big Apple for the foreseeable future. Albeit, if the Knicks job opens up, Hurley’s lively style and emphasis on intensity on both ends of the floor would fit the mold of the team and the city.