It was going to happen. Then, it became a reality. Head coach Darvin Ham was relieved of his duties by the Los Angeles Lakers. The search for a new man begins.
*update: the entire coaching staff was also fired, including assistant coach Phil Handy
Lakers Part Ways With Head Coach Darvin Ham pic.twitter.com/or3Bx2mZ5w
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 3, 2024
After a season filled with moments where there was discourse between player and coach, it was time to move on. The former Milwaukee assistant got the job two years ago after Frank Vogel failed to get the Lakers back to the place they belonged. It wasn’t as if Ham got them to a great start. The team started 2-10 in 2022. But, after some time and midseason trades (bringing in guys like D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt), the Lakers made a run and got into the play-in tournament.
From there, the Purple & Gold fought their way to the Western Conference Finals, where they would face off against the Denver Nuggets. The eventual champions swept LeBron James and Co, sending them home with heartbreak.
With a year under his belt, Ham looked to replicate the previous year’s success and bring the Lakers back to the NBA Finals.
This past season wasn’t bad from a record standpoint. Los Angeles finished 47-35, including winning 11 of the last 14 games to get into the play-in tournament. After beating the Pelicans to clinch the seventh seed, they would run into the Nuggets again.
Unfortunately, second-half breakdowns were the culprit for Los Angeles, who would fall in five games to Denver.
So, Why Is Ham The Scapegoat?
Well, let’s face it. Many of us thought he wasn’t the best choice to be the head coach in the first place. After all, there were other teams he interviewed for that didn’t hire him, including the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards.
Frank Vogel, in all honesty, should not have been fired. It’s not his fault the Lakers decided to pair Russell Westbrook with LeBron and Anthony Davis. How was that supposed to work in the first place?
But, in the end, there’s blame to go around the entire organization. The front office, led by GM Rob Pelinka, shouldn’t have pulled the trigger to trade for Westbrook a few years ago. You let go of guys like Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (guess where he is at now?) for a guy who would clog the paint up and can’t shoot.
Darvin Ham decided to trust Taurean Prince instead of Rui Hachimura to start the season. After his play in the playoff run the year before, you would think about going with what worked. The lineup of Russell, Austin Reaves, Hachimura, James, and Davis was quite successful during that run. But, Ham’s poor decision-making was a surprise, and the Lakers did struggle early at times this season because of it.
That’s not all.
Inconsistent lineup decisions like that played a role in Ham’s dismissal. So did strategic concerns from the players. LeBron James spoke openly about defying Ham’s strategy during a critical game against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in the season. A recent report from Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic shared the depth of the frustration members of the team felt, with one player reportedly saying “we need to be coached, too.”
ESPN on Darvin Ham’s firing
Players Deserve Blame Too
Also, let’s not act like the players are innocent. When your starting point guard lights it up during the regular season but disappears in the postseason for two years straight, you wonder if he really is built to be a Laker.
Taurean Prince isn’t a good bench piece, whether you like it or not. Gabe Vincent was a terrible signing, and they’re stuck with him unless they trade or release him. Both Reaves and Hachimura disappeared at times against Denver, the latter more than the former.
In all, the organization is a mess. But, Ham was the victim here and now is without a job.
What Now?
The Lakers will now be searching for a new head coach once again. Candidates that come to mind including Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, and most recently, JJ Redick (whom LeBron hosts a podcast with).
In the end, the Lakers failed to reach the ultimate goal of winning a championship. Even with Lakers fans excited about the firing of Darvin Ham, it needs to be known that he does not deserve full blame for the team’s failure this year.
Whoever the next coach is will have to get the best of this team. Whether that will include James is yet to be determined, as he will reportedly test free agency.
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Featured Image: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
