The Los Angeles Lakers came with a pile of gold and plenty of control, offering Dan Hurley, just 14 years ago a New Jersey high school coach, the keys to one of the most decorated franchises in all of sports, let alone the NBA.
Seventeen championships. Legends stretching from Mikan and West, through Kareem and Magic, to Shaq, Kobe and LeBron. All the glitz. All the glamor. All the potential at a place where free agents flock and banners get hung.
And yet in the end, after days of interviews and contemplation, Hurley said no to it all.