In the weeks since Darvin Ham’s firing, not only was JJ Redick pushed into the ball pit to replace him, but there was also a belief LeBron James was the one pulling the strings. The King has earned his status to be the decisive voice for the front office. Yet, his agent Rich Paul publicly said James has no involvement in choosing the next Lakers coach. Fans and experts didn’t bat an eye toward those comments. But now it’s hard to deny the stance after Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Lakers’ sudden shift in interest in regards to the head coaching vacancy. Talks are said to begin with UConn’s Dan Hurley, the defending NCAA champion to take the helm after Ham. And no, it’s not James who was consulted for the same.

When reporting on the latest development, Wojnarowski revealed the Lakers ensured star big man Anthony Davis was involved in the decision-making. “It’s important to the Lakers. I have talked to Anthony Davis about this in recent weeks. Not about Dan Hurley ut about the idea that he want to have a voice in this. He wants to be on the same page with the new head coach, whoever that is, and see how that coach may use him. Actions that he could put him in. And that’s important to the Lakers”, he said on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike show.

Clarifications were also made as far as James’ voice in the discussions goes. Brian Windhorst, an NBA insider suggested the four-time MVP told the Lakers to “do what’s best for their team long term“. James’ performance standards haven’t wavered. However, he is at the twilight of his career. On the other hand, the Brow has committed to growing his LA legacy beyond LeBron James. He signed a historic three-year $186 million extension that keeps him with the Purple and Gold until 2028.

Wojnarowski relayed the same in his ESPN reports, saying the franchise has taken conscious steps to involve Davis in the process and “make sure that he’s aligned with how a new coach plans to feature him on both offense and defense“. It came as a total curveball for not just the NBA fraternity but even some officers within the Lakers franchise itself. One of them even spoke to Dan Wolke and claimed, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been more shocked“

Even before Hurley’s intervention, Davis didn’t have a special place for JJ Redick though. He much preferred New Orleans coach James Borrego. He and Anthony Davis overlapped during his stint with the Pelicans where the perennial All-Star first rose to prominence. Borrego identified the infinite ceiling of Davis and unleashed him as the center of the Pelicans offense. However, with talks set to engage with Hurley, it seems Davis might have had a change of heart for the Huskies coach.

Dan Hurley is capable of changing the Lakers

Laker Nation might think a college coach isn’t capable of coaching one of the winningest teams in the league. But what Hurley was able to achieve with UConn goes beyond the professional boundaries. In two seasons of winning the NCAA championship, UConn looked near untouchable. Hurley’s offensive brains were praised even by LeBron James at one point.

Under his reign this season, the Huskies recorded a point differential of 140. It is the most ever in the history of college basketball. Additionally, they lost just three games throughout their season and beat Purdue, a championship favorite in the Finals by a comfortable margin of 15 points.

Three of the players from this season’s roster are also part of the upcoming NBA draft with two (Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle) being lottery picks. That’s one of the reasons the Lakers aren’t showing any hesitation in awarding him a “massive, long-term“ contract as Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

Dan Hurley has yet to have any NBA coaching experience. Even then one could confidently confide in his abilities to decode the opposition and prepare a counter strategy on the go. He could unlock the potential of this Lakers squad who are looking to win a championship before LeBron James decides to hang up the sneakers.