How the Lakers’ coaching search turned embarrassing; Panthers take 2-0 series lead with a dominant Game 2 win

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter, the definitive guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to receive it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

Good morning everyone, but especially…

THE UCONN HUSKIES

The best coach in men’s college basketball isn’t going anywhere, and neither is his two-time championship program. Dan Hurley rejected a reported offer of $70 million over six years in Lakers To stay in UConn.

Hurley emerged as the leading candidate for the Los Angeles job last week, and we spilled a lot of (virtual) ink about Why would he be a great option? with the Lakers thanks to their creative and modern attack. He demands excellence and achieves it.

He will continue to achieve this at UConn, making UConn a obvious “winner” in our winners and losers column. The Huskies – seeking first triple-peat since 1967-73 UCLA – have a strong group for Hurley to lead.

• Alex Karaban returned after testing the waters of the NBA Draft.
• Hassan Diarra It is Samson Johnson were key players on last year’s team, and Solomon Ball It is Jaylyn Stewart should intensify.
• UConn added key transfers Aidan Mahaney (Santa Maria) It is Tarris Reed (Michigan), ranked 40th and 80th, respectively, in Kyle Boone Transfer Portal Rankings.
• Liam McNeeley, Ahmad Nowell It is Isaiah Abraham They are incoming freshmen. All three were top 100 recruits per 247 Sportswith McNeeley, a late addition, ranked 10th.

Gary Parrish says Hurley made the right decision. It’s a huge win for college basketball — stars staying where they are is always good for a league, and Hurley is a superstar coach — and I can’t wait to see what Hurley and his staff have in store.

Honorable mentions

And it’s not such a good day for…

THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS

By losing to Hurley, the Lakers were doubly embarrassed.

The first flaw is the numbers attached to the title. Six years and $70 million? It’s a great offer until you realize Erik Spoelstra received eight years and US$120 million from Warm. Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich It is Ty Lue they all make more per year than the Lakers offered Hurley. Hell, even the Pistons — the pistons! — it gave Monty Williams a fatter deal.

The Lakers are worth more than twice as much as the Pistons, according to Forbes. And they’ve already shelled out before. Phil Jackson He was a well-paid coach. Los Angeles was willing to pay Mike Krzyzewski and before that, Jerry Tarkanian High Price.

Now? This Low Offer Proves What’s Wrong With The League’s Top FranchiseSam Quinn writes.

• Quinn: “There is no world in which their version of an all-in offer for a head coach should be lower than Detroit’s. This shows why Hurley was probably right to leave this position. The Lakers either don’t understand or are deliberately ignoring the market of coaches in the league. If they weren’t willing to pay Hurley the market rate, would they have paid for the best assistants?

The second flaw is in the Lakers’ pursuit as a whole. Before the Hurley bomb, the reported leader was JJ Redick, a former player who never trained. So what is the way? What is the plan? Of course they have neitheropines Bill Reiter.

• Reiter: “Instead, the Lakers appear to be operating as if hiring an NBA coach is like looking for a movie on Netflix on a Friday night. A ‘let’s see what appeals to us’ isn’t exactly a solid way to run an NBA organization. There are consequences to this kind of sloppy, public, throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-works approach.

Does Los Angeles shyly return to Redick? To chase James Borrego, who could have many suitors? Jasmyn Wimbish has the latest in a quick coaching survey.

Not-so-honorable mentions

Panthers lead 2-0 in Stanley Cup Final behind an unlikely hero

O Lubricators I couldn’t win Sergei Bobrovsky on any of the 32 shots on goal in Game 1, so when Mattias Ekholm scored on Edmonton’s first attempt at goal in Game 2, things were looking up.

Instead, this was Edmonton’s highlight. For the second match in a row, the Panthers stifled the Oilers offense and had plenty of offense, winning 4-1 and taking a 2-0 series lead.

• Niko Mikkola tied in the second period. Moments after almost putting the puck in his own net, Mikkola shot wide Stuart Skinner in the rush for just his second goal of the playoffs.
• Then came the Evan Rodrigues show in the third period. First, he regained possession in Florida’s offensive zone, and his deflected shot bounced off Skinner’s side to give the hosts the lead.
• He doubled the lead nine minutes later on the power play with an excellent redirection. This broke Edmonton’s streak of 34 consecutive power plays dead.
• Rodrigues now has three goals in the Stanley Cup Final. He had three in the Panthers’ previous 17 postseason games.
• Aaron Ekblad provided an empty net to give Florida its second consecutive three-goal victory.

The Panthers are the 55th team to lead 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final. Of the previous 54, 49 have lifted the Cup. Things are looking good for the Panthers ahead of their long flight to Edmonton.

US Open stories, sleepers and more

Scottie Scheffler It is O history heading into the US Open. He has won five of his last eight matches. He’s doing things that haven’t been done in decades. He is the overwhelming favorite.

But as Kyle Porter writes in his top stories, don’t sleep with some of the best in the world no called Scheffler.

• Concierge: “That’s it Collin Morikawa – neither Scheffler nor Xander Schauffele nor Rory McIlroy nor does anyone else – who has been in Sunday’s double final at the Masters and PGA Championship so far this year. In theory, the US Open should also be the tournament he plays best. … If Morikawa was forgotten, Brooks Koepka is barely remembered. Koepka’s finishes in the last six US Opens he has competed in look like this: Win, Win, 2nd, T4, 55th, T17.

Patrick McDonald, in turn, has some deeper sleepers like this nine golfers you should root for. One player makes both lists.

• McDonalds: “Sahith Theegala – Playing in the penultimate doubles on Sunday, the free-swinging right-hander got his first taste of a big contest before falling off the pace to finish T12. A good result at the Memorial set the stage for Theegala’s arrival at Pinehurst, where his creativity and shooting should allow him to enter the mix.”

Finally, Kyle breaks down five things to know about Pinehurst No.what does he say “It has stood the test of time and continues to be one of the jewels in this country’s crown.”

Golazo 100: Aging stars highlight #40-21

We’re nearing the end of the Golazo 100 countdown. players ranked 40th to 21st Monday, with some aging stars showing they can still do it.

• 40. Luka Modricmidfield, Real Madrid — “Modric is used sparingly by Carlos Ancelotti in La Liga, but in the UCL his ability to change games can still be useful.”
• 36. Cristiano Ronaldoadvance, Al-Nassr — “A 35-goal league season in Saudi Arabia helps and could prepare him to play a more significant role with the Portuguese in Germany than at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.”
• 22. Toni Kroosmidfield, Real Madrid — “Kroos has delivered one masterclass after another throughout the 2023-24 season… He will easily be considered one of the best players of his generation and will be missed.”

There is also a lot of young talent (in this somewhat biased writer’s opinion, Cole Palmer is underrated, even at age 30), and James Benge wrote in players who could enter the top 100 next yearIncluding …

• Benge: “Warren Zaire-Emery, Paris Saint-Germain – It may seem too early for the French team to make room for an 18-year-old, but the same was said when Zaire-Emery was breaking into the Paris Saint-Germain team, the youngster firmly establishing himself as a solution to what had been the great problematic position of the champions for so long.“

What will we watch on Tuesday

Phillies at Red Sox7:10 p.m. on TBS
Lynx in Aces10pm on NBA TV