The season had only just ended when the Lakers decided to officially part ways with Darvin Ham. After just two seasons in power, the Lakers felt they needed a change and it was Anthony Davis, specifically, who inspired them to finalize Ham’s departure.
“When they chose to fire Darvin Ham, I was told that one of the many, many considerations was that it was pretty evident that AD was not on board anymore with Darvin and they know, like everybody else, that AD has a history of having asked for trades in the past. That’s how he got to the Lakers from New Orleans,” said NBA insider Sam Amick. “The last thing they wanted was for AD to be frustrated with the situation.”
Davis, 32, does not trace his basketball origin to Los Angeles. After growing up near Chicago, he attended Duke University for his freshman year of college and it helped him get drafted first in the 2012 NBA Draft. He blossomed into a star for the Pelicans, averaging 23.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game on 52% shooting over seven seasons.
By the 2018-19 season, things started to turn with Davis and he issued a trade demand that would lead to his departure. That summer, the Pelicans had no choice but to trade to the Lakers, his preferred team, for a package including Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Julius Randle.
While Davis has shown nothing but loyalty to the Lakers, it isn’t lost on the fans that he’s forced his way out before. If things get bad enough for the Lakers, what’s stopping him from doing it again? So, even with Davis locked in for several more years, the Lakers didn’t want to take any chances by keeping a coach whom Davis clearly had too many problems with.
Los Angeles Lakers Begin Extensive Coaching Search
The coaching staff has been a revolving door of people over the years, from Mike D’Antoni and Byron Scott back in the dark days to Luke Walton and Frank Vogel. With various coaches and various styles having tries their hand, the Lakers were genuinely stumped on how to find a coach who would stand the test of time.
With the hiring of Davin Ham back in 2022, the Lakers thought they had finally found their long-term leader in the locker room. Instead, questionable lineups and debatable strategies led to growing distrust from within his own ranks.
Things got so bad during the playoffs, that Anthony Davis admitted that the Lakers had “no clue” what they were doing at times and were completely lost on solutions. Clearly, Davis meant these words and he made sure that the team knew where he stood when it was time to decide his fate.
With no obvious answers on who will step in to take Ham’s role, the hiring process is expected to take some time and the Lakers are committing to not making the same mistakes as before. So far, a few candidates have emerged in the form of JJ Redick and Sam Cassell but it remains to be seen which of them will rise above the rest.
Whoever takes the job, however, will need the full support of the stars and that means getting a full commitment from Anthony Davis. Without his support, no coaching campaign will last and the Lakers will struggle to meet their expectations.
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