The expectation became a reality on Friday: After the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham after two seasons at the club’s helm.
Lakers Part Ways With Head Coach Darvin Ham pic.twitter.com/or3Bx2mZ5w
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 3, 2024
In his two years in Los Angeles Ham put together a resume that most clubs would celebrate: A 90-74 record, a trip to the Western Conference Finals, two playoff trips and an In-Season Tournament title.
However, for a Lakers team feeling the pressure to maximize LeBron James’s final years, that was not enough.
Ham had not connected with the players. It’s not so much that he lost the locker room this season as he never had it, the players had largely tuned out his relentlessly optimistic message, had grown frustrated with his lack of adjustments, and didn’t understand his rotation choices.
“We have stretches where we don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor,” Anthony Davis said after the Lakers’ blew a 20-point lead to lose Game 2 to the Denver Nuggets.
While injuries impacted Ham’s rotations (especially to Jared Vanderbilt), he made odd choices such as benching Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell early in the season, trusting Taurean Prince to a fault, and going with guard-heavy lineups that were often getting destroyed.
Firing a coach not beloved by stars LeBron James and Davis — Ham would not be gone if they wanted him to stay — or the locker room is understandable. However, it’s a band-aid on the situation without changes and upgrades to the Lakers roster. Los Angeles didn’t lose to Denver the last two seasons because of the coach.
Four potential replacements were named by Shams Charania of The Athletic. Mike Budenholzer is one of the biggest-name coaches available and is on the list. However, his style of play isn’t a natural fit with the Lakers’ roster, plus he would come with a list of demands and want some say of players and personnel that the Lakers would likely not want to give.
Tyronn Lue — the guy Lakers GM Rob Pelinka could have had five years ago had he not lowballed Lue with his offer — would be a perfect fit. However, he is under contract with the Clippers for one more season after this one and they are looking to extend Lue and keep him in charge as the franchise moves to a new arena next fall. Even if Lue — who has been frustrated at points with this Clippers roster — chose to step away, the Clippers would have him under contract and would not let him walk to the other team in town. The Lakers could try to trade for him, but it would take a couple of first-round picks to get the Clippers to even listen to the idea.
J.J. Redick is mentioned as a candidate but has no experience as a head coach — outside of his son’s AAU team — however, he has a high basketball IQ and a strong relationship with LeBron. Kenny Atkinson is also named, although his strength is considered player development (if the Lakers want to rebuild, he’s a great choice).
