The Los Angeles Lakers are always expected and obliged to compete at the highest level. That hasn’t been the case for most of the NBA season, and coach Darvin Ham has been a big reason why.
Ham’s rotations, lineups, and decision to sit LeBron James during key stretches have led to multiple blown leads and losses. It took him more than half a season to find a steady starting lineup that worked.
He was rumored to be on the hot seat midway through the season, but he wound up holding onto his job. Nonetheless, a report by Ashish Mathur of Hoops Wire reveals that even his own players wanted him to get fired and replaced by assistant coach Phil Handy.
Lakers Players Are ‘Irked’ By Darvin Ham
“A source told Hoops Wire that Lakers players wanted assistant coach Phil Handy to replace Ham earlier in the season. However, Los Angeles owner Jeanie Buss is a fan of Ham and she has never thought about firing him as coach,” read the report.
Darvin Ham, coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Handy and LeBron go back to their days with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he’s always had a strong voice in the Lakers’ locker room. So, even if he doesn’t have any previous head coaching experience, James would’ve listened to him, unlike what has happened with Ham:
“Handy won the 2016 championship with LeBron on the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron, arguably the greatest player in NBA history, has ignored Ham in many huddles this season and communicated with Handy instead on what the Lakers should run,” added Mathur.
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Ham has misused the Lakers’ talented roster, and they’re not a championship-caliber team at this moment. Barring a major turn of events or a deep postseason run, it’s hard to envision him staying there for much longer, especially if he doesn’t have LeBron’s trust.
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