Head coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers was reportedly sacked on Friday after two seasons with the organization and two playoff exits at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, the reigning champions.
After the Lakers parted company with former head coach Frank Vogel in the summer of 2022, Ham was brought on a four-year contract. During his three seasons with the Lakers, Ham helped the team win the 2020 NBA Championship inside the Bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
When the Lakers hired Ham, he was their first-ever head coach. Before joining the purple and gold, he worked as an assistant coach there from 2011 to 2013. He then had spells with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.
The fact that the Lakers had cut ties with Ham was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Wojnarowski claims that during a Friday morning phone conversation with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Ham was notified of his release.
In a statement issued by the organization on Friday morning, Pelinka stated, “We greatly appreciate Darvin’s efforts on behalf of the Lakers and recognize the many accomplishments achieved over the past two seasons, including last year’s remarkable run to the Western Conference Finals.” “Darvin’s commitment and optimism are much appreciated by all of us. Despite being a tough choice, after a thorough analysis of the season, this is the best course of action. In order to provide Lakers fans worldwide with basketball of championship caliber, our organization will not waver.”
According to sources who spoke with NBC LA, the Lakers would prefer a seasoned head coach, and while Terry Stotts and Mike Budenholzer, the former head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and winner of the Bucks championship, are the team’s top choices, they are open to other possibilities.
They might attempt to acquire Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson or Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman, or they could promote player favorite and assistant head coach Phil Handy.
Whatever they do, they will still be responsible for the remaining $10 million in Ham’s deal.
Throughout his second season, which saw the Lakers peak with a victory in the NBA’s first-ever In-Season Tournament in December, Ham was under intense pressure. However, the team continued to slide down the standings in the months that followed.
According to reports, Ham had lost the locker room. Team officials and players blamed the team’s struggles from mid-December to early-February on their head coach’s erratic rotations, subpar game planning, lack of in-game adjustments, and defensive fundamentals.
When the Lakers trailed by as much as 21 points in their game against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 28, tensions reportedly reached a breaking point. Players then reportedly got together and made their own tweaks to get back into the game.
The player-led strategies were successful, as the Lakers overcame a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 116–111. One that the players believed they had achieved on their own, independent of Ham’s instruction.
The playoffs just made matters worse. The Lakers were awarded a rematch with the reigning champion Nuggets after winning their play-in playoff match against the New Orleans Pelicans.
But before to their first-round meeting, the Lakers had suffered eight straight losses against Denver, including a four-game rout in the Western Conference Finals the previous season.
Players privately grumbled to the coaching staff during their three regular-season losses to the Nuggets, according to The Athletic, about not being sufficiently prepared to thwart Denver’s late-game offensive.
Throughout the five-game playoff series, which saw the Lakers lead the Nuggets by just 50 points but over 165 total minutes played, nothing changed.
According to Lakers player Anthony Davis, there were times when the team “didn’t know what we were doing on both ends of the floor” after blowing a 20-point lead in Game 2.
During a tense argument between Games 2 and 3, Ham strongly objected to Davis’ evaluation and supported his coaches.
Ham stated prior to Game 3 that “I don’t think it’s [from] us not being organized.” “I believe every coach on my staff is exceptionally talented. We take great satisfaction in being incredibly productive and well-organized, whether it’s during a shootaround, game, practice, or anything else. That’s just frustration, I suppose. The way the game finished and everything about it is heartwarming. But I will concur.
The coach and his players were at odds, and it all started with Ham’s remarks. LeBron James strongly urged his coach to contest an out-of-bounds call made by the referee on several occasions during Game 4. Ham declined to do so in each instance. James was right in both instances.
In the third quarter of Game 5 in Denver, the ultimate straw might have been the thing that broke the proverbial camel’s back. With six minutes left in the quarter, the Lakers led 69-60. The Nuggets embarked on a 14-2 run to take a three-point lead as Davis was tending to his injured shoulder. Before calling a timeout, Ham waited for more than five minutes. Meanwhile, the Nuggets were playing with unwavering confidence, the Lakers appeared disoriented, and the audience returned to the game.
Following the defeat, head coach Ham stated, “After the completion of my second year in this seat, it’s been a lot.” He was thinking back on the previous two seasons. We attempted to keep our core, which we were able to do, but we lost to the champions, this same team, despite our efforts to do so last year. Then, during the first half of the season, we were plagued by injuries, and just when we were getting into a groove, a crucial player would sustain an injury that would force him or her out of the starting lineup. I refuse to offer explanations; it is what it is. Observing a lot in my first two years in this seat.”
The organization thought the Lakers had championship hopes and knew the window closes with every year James gets older, even though the Lakers made the playoffs in both of Ham’s seasons, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in his first season as head coach.
LeBron will turn 40 in December, and it’s possible that he won’t have much longer to play in the Hall of Fame. Many think James still has it in him to win another championship if he has the right coach and teammates around him.
James has a player option at $51.4 million next season but could opt out and become a free agent. The Lakers would like to re-sign James, making sure he ends his career with the Lakers. The team’s decision to fire Ham could impact LeBron’s pending free agency.
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