Skip Bayless - Tool

[Sailor111]

Skip is on TV now telling everyone that this whole Lakers Offer Fiasco is actually a plot by Dan Hurley to
leverage his contract negotiations with the University. Who knew? Does Skippy understand that Dan
would not even get on a plane to Kentucky earlier during their ask? The conspiracy thing is a figment
of his pea brain. Dan has more integrity in his pinky than Skippy ever had. He did his due diligence
and made the trip out west and was low-balled pure and simple. He is now being classy in his
response to the Lakers and Skippy is trying his best to cast him as a greedy villain. What a Tool!

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Skip is on TV now telling everyone that this whole Lakers Offer Fiasco is actually a plot by Dan Hurley to
leverage his contract negotiations with the University. Who knew? Does Skippy understand that Dan
would not even get on a plane to Kentucky earlier during their ask? The conspiracy thing is a figment
of his pea brain. Dan has more integrity in his pinky than Skippy ever had. He did his due diligence
and made the trip out west and was low-balled pure and simple. He is now being classy in his
response to the Lakers and Skippy is trying his best to cast him as a greedy villain. What a Tool!

I don’t think “ploy” is the right word, and I genuinely think Dan Hurley held interest, but he certainly used this to help negotiations. It’s what anyone would do, really.

 

[Hurleyman216]

Skip is on TV now telling everyone that this whole Lakers Offer Fiasco is actually a plot by Dan Hurley to
leverage his contract negotiations with the University. Who knew? Does Skippy understand that Dan
would not even get on a plane to Kentucky earlier during their ask? The conspiracy thing is a figment
of his pea brain. Dan has more integrity in his pinky than Skippy ever had. He did his due diligence
and made the trip out west and was low-balled pure and simple. He is now being classy in his
response to the Lakers and Skippy is trying his best to cast him as a greedy villain. What a Tool!

I mean....if you think Danny didn't use the Lakers as a bargaining chip to get a better contract at UConn then I have a bridge to sell you. Dan Hurley had a contract from UConn offered to him in April and chose not to sign as he knew holding off would give him leverage. I personally think there was less than a 10% chance that he was going to move all the way across the country to coach in the NBA for a team that goes through coaches faster than most people go through underwear. Doesn't mean that Hurley is the villain, but he did what any other smart person who got offered a huge raise to go work somewhere else would do.

In terms of the Kentucky job, I actually love the fact that he never bothered to even go there. It sent a clear message that UConn is a better job than Kentucky and he had no interest in going there.

 

[IchabodCran]

I would not think less of Hurley for using this as leverage

 

[HuskyFich]

Skip is on TV now telling everyone that this whole Lakers Offer Fiasco is actually a plot by Dan Hurley to
leverage his contract negotiations with the University. Who knew? Does Skippy understand that Dan
would not even get on a plane to Kentucky earlier during their ask? The conspiracy thing is a figment
of his pea brain. Dan has more integrity in his pinky than Skippy ever had. He did his due diligence
and made the trip out west and was low-balled pure and simple. He is now being classy in his
response to the Lakers and Skippy is trying his best to cast him as a greedy villain. What a Tool!

I mean I agree with Skip's point wholeheartedly here.

Dan Hurley leaving NEVER made sense on a character level. He wouldn't leave in the middle of June, after recruiting a full roster when everything he stands for is loyalty.

Add in that Woj is an extremely close family friend, I believe Dan Hurley and his representatives milked this for every dollar they could from UConn with upgrading the venues being a massive piece of the negotiation.

Not saying he didn't have interest, but clearly he used this situation to its maximum benefit.
Something I hope my coach will always, consistently do, as long as it's not detrimental to the team.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I think I actually preferred freaking out about Hurley leaving to going back to these complaints about media members that no one - outside of this board, apparently - takes seriously. Skip Bayless?

 

[nomar]

Skip is on TV now telling everyone that this whole Lakers Offer Fiasco is actually a plot by Dan Hurley to
leverage his contract negotiations with the University. Who knew? Does Skippy understand that Dan
would not even get on a plane to Kentucky earlier during their ask? The conspiracy thing is a figment
of his pea brain. Dan has more integrity in his pinky than Skippy ever had. He did his due diligence
and made the trip out west and was low-balled pure and simple. He is now being classy in his
response to the Lakers and Skippy is trying his best to cast him as a greedy villain. What a Tool!

Oh bless your heart

 

[TheHorde]

That would require the Lakers to be in on it as a willing participant knowing that they’d be subject to negative press about the process once they missed out on it. Danny didn’t force the Lakers to interview him and didn’t initiate it. It’s not like he cold called them and set up a meeting. Sure, he will end up benefitting from the process but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a level of interest, or that there wasn’t interest on the part of the Lakers.

 

[nomar]

I mean....if you think Danny didn't use the Lakers as a bargaining chip to get a better contract at UConn then I have a bridge to sell you. Dan Hurley had a contract from UConn offered to him in April and chose not to sign as he knew holding off would give him leverage. I personally think there was less than a 10% chance that he was going to move all the way across the country to coach in the NBA for a team that goes through coaches faster than most people go through underwear. Doesn't mean that Hurley is the villain, but he did what any other smart person who got offered a huge raise to go work somewhere else would do.

In terms of the Kentucky job, I actually love the fact that he never bothered to even go there. It sent a clear message that UConn is a better job than Kentucky and he had no interest in going there.

And his agent was ticked at him for not teasing that out. This time, there was at least some genuine interest on Danny's part -- and tons of curiosity, I'm sure -- plus the benefit of increasing his leverage. It was a no-brainer to fly out there.

Doing what you can to maximize your leverage in contract negotiations doesn't make you the villain as long as you're not lying about anything.

 

[DFW HOYA]

Skip Bayless burns bridges everywhere he has gone.

His big break was in Dallas in mid-1980s and early 1990s. He was sufficiently toxic that the football beat writer for his own newspaper (Dallas Morning News) would not speak to him, even as they sat next to each other on press row at Texas Stadium. Or, when he left the Morning News to be the drive-time host at a new all-sports radio station (KTCK-AM), he left when he was told he needed to promote shows other than his own, including the show after him, hosted an newcomer named Curt Menefee, now the host of Fox's NFL Sunday show.

Bayless has not returned to Dallas since. During the station's 30th anniversary activities this year, he was not even mentioned.

 

[Bonamassa]

Bayless is a weenie. However, Fox pays him big bucks so he's not an idiot. He looks like how they would portray a movie star character on the Flintstones.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Skip is the proverbial blind squirrel finding an acorn in this case, although I'd credit Dan's agent as the main author, with Woj as a co-conspirator, and the Lakers as willing dupes. Don't hate the players, hate the game.

 

[husky429]

Isn't that exactly what happened? Hurley levered the championship and the Lakers offer to get more money for himself and better resources for the program. That's not being a slimeball... it's how business works.

 

[HooperScooper]

People still listen to what Skip Bayless says? I haven't seen him or listened to him since he left ESPN.

 

[Verne]

This is almost assuredly exactly what happened. The Lakers interest was real and using Woj as the go between makes a ton of sense. Woj was absolutely used as a Hurley pawn in this regardless of how real Dan Hurley's interest was in there offer. He's insanely loyal to the Hurleys and it's absolutely not a coincidence that he reported what he did when he did.

Hurley isn't stupid and if he knew that was ultimately going to return to Uconn he played this out to perfection and now likely stands to get a significant raise and hopefully become the highest paid coach in CBB with deeper NIL pockets and better packages for his assistants.

 

[Mr. French]

I think I actually preferred freaking out about Hurley leaving to going back to these complaints about media members that no one - outside of this board, apparently - takes seriously. Skip Bayless?

Is Skip Bayless not a respected figure in sports media?

 

[JohnFSilver]

what doesn’t make sense is Hurley didn’t increase his leverage at all. He already had max leverage. He can name his price, UConn can do what it can do to get close to it.

I sincerely believe that UConn has no leverage anyway. Hurley gonna get what he wants.

 

[BlueMAB]

I would think less of Hurley for not using this as leverage

FIFY

 

[DRBackup]

Skip is on TV now telling everyone that this whole Lakers Offer Fiasco is actually a plot by Dan Hurley to
leverage his contract negotiations with the University. Who knew? Does Skippy understand that Dan
would not even get on a plane to Kentucky earlier during their ask? The conspiracy thing is a figment
of his pea brain. Dan has more integrity in his pinky than Skippy ever had. He did his due diligence
and made the trip out west and was low-balled pure and simple. He is now being classy in his
response to the Lakers and Skippy is trying his best to cast him as a greedy villain. What a Tool!

Tell me you didn't already know this !?!!!? Skip Bayless got run out of Chicago and Dallas for cozying up to MJ and Troy Aikman and then writing ridiculous "tell all" books about them full of BS. He is the biggest scumbag of all scumbag sports journalists in all of recorded history.

 

[DRBackup]

Skip is on TV now telling everyone that this whole Lakers Offer Fiasco is actually a plot by Dan Hurley to
leverage his contract negotiations with the University. Who knew? Does Skippy understand that Dan
would not even get on a plane to Kentucky earlier during their ask? The conspiracy thing is a figment
of his pea brain. Dan has more integrity in his pinky than Skippy ever had. He did his due diligence
and made the trip out west and was low-balled pure and simple. He is now being classy in his
response to the Lakers and Skippy is trying his best to cast him as a greedy villain. What a Tool!

Now, Bayless is a scumbag, but here is the guy who broke this story originally:

Know what that highlighted book is ?

Not quite the unhinged conspiracy theory you may believe it to be.

 

[DRBackup]

what doesn’t make sense is Hurley didn’t increase his leverage at all. He already had max leverage.

Not if nobody even knew about it.

 

[freescooter]

Funny thing is Hurley has created a ton of pressure for himself. I think this was one of those situations where both sides might have started out “using” the other to some extent. Hurley for contract leverage and the Lakers to justify hiring Reddick. It almost spun out of control but the Lakers came off looking like the keystone kops.

But now Hurley needs to have a career much closer to Coach K than to Donovan. The former won back to back championships then won 3 more and made multiple Final Fours. Donovan never won another title, made 1 final Four before leaving for a mediocre NBA career. If in 5 years Hurley has not gotten to at least another Final Four, all the folks kissing his feet now will be calling for his head then.

 

[husky8273]

Bayless is a weenie. However, Fox pays him big bucks so he's not an idiot. He looks like how they would portray a movie star character on the Flintstones.

Love the use of weenie!

 

[Kitaman]

We are like the traveler on a Luxury Cruise ship that is sinking. We get rescued, and been pulled back onto another boat. On the boat we then see our luggage in the sea, posters now we want to jump back in to retrieve it.

Just saying, we've been saved from drowning. Why look at that unimportant bullspat in that negative sea?

 

[husky8273]

Now, Bayless is a scumbag, but here is the guy who broke this story originally:

Know what that highlighted book is ?

Not quite the unhinged conspiracy theory you may believe it to be.

View attachment 101582View attachment 101584

a great read!

 

[Palatine]

Skip is on TV now telling everyone that this whole Lakers Offer Fiasco is actually a plot by Dan Hurley to
leverage his contract negotiations with the University. Who knew? Does Skippy understand that Dan
would not even get on a plane to Kentucky earlier during their ask? The conspiracy thing is a figment
of his pea brain. Dan has more integrity in his pinky than Skippy ever had. He did his due diligence
and made the trip out west and was low-balled pure and simple. He is now being classy in his
response to the Lakers and Skippy is trying his best to cast him as a greedy villain. What a Tool!

If Danny did, great.
If he didn't, great.
College basketball is a business no different from other businesses.
People are allowed to act in their self interest.
I don't care one whit what Skip Bayless thinks.
I don't watch his show.
He is a non-consequential, mediocre, sports commentator.
Nothing he says matters.
But thanks for the info.

 

[Horatio]

I always thought leverage was involved and he had to at least go to his first professional interview. He earned the experience of having a professional, NBA interview.

 

[Kembafan]

Skip is on TV now telling everyone that this whole Lakers Offer Fiasco is actually a plot by Dan Hurley to
leverage his contract negotiations with the University. Who knew? Does Skippy understand that Dan
would not even get on a plane to Kentucky earlier during their ask? The conspiracy thing is a figment
of his pea brain. Dan has more integrity in his pinky than Skippy ever had. He did his due diligence
and made the trip out west and was low-balled pure and simple. He is now being classy in his
response to the Lakers and Skippy is trying his best to cast him as a greedy villain. What a Tool!

By all accounts, Hurley did seriously consider the Lakers job and made his decision over the weekend. And he certainly used it as leverage too. Both can be true.

As to why he didn’t take the job? Yeah they low-balled, but it wasn’t a great situation IMO. The lakers are not a franchise on the rise in terms of talent and they don’t have much draft capital to rebuild. That’s not a good place for a new head coach. Hurley will be able to pick his spots better than that, so he can position himself for success. Don’t get all starry eyed just because it’s the lakers. Charlotte (I know, yikes!) might even be a better job right now.

 

[Scoe]

Lakers would’ve had to offer Hurley a Yammamoto contract for him to even consider leaving a great situation for a he’ll hole.

You really wanna coach a 40 year old Leold who may not be there anyways and Anthony street clothes Davis and no draft picks.

Hurley used it to further himself in his career to see what to expect with the NBA hiring process. Almost like Karaban using the NBA draft experience.

 

[Waquoit]

what doesn’t make sense is Hurley didn’t increase his leverage at all. He already had max leverage. He can name his price, UConn can do what it can do to get close to it.

I sincerely believe that UConn has no leverage anyway. Hurley gonna get what he wants.

That's they way I saw it. AD Dave wasn't negotiating as much as telling Team Hurley that he was shaking the tree as hard as he can, here's what we can do.