Speaking to the media ahead of the Lakers game on Friday, head coach Darvin Ham didn’t hold back on addressing the rumors. Despite outrage over his decisions and the reports about players losing trust in his rotations, Ham denied any concern about his future and doubled down on his approach to the season.
“Nah, man. It comes with the territory,” Ham told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I’m solid. My governor, Jeanie Buss, the boss lady; our president Rob Pelinka — we’re all aligned. As long as they’re not saying it, I guess I’m good. Which I know how they feel about me and the situation we’re currently in. So, we’re all on the same page. My two captains, I communicate with them.”
Ham was critical to the Lakers turnaround last season and he was there to help oversee their run to the Conference Finals. Coming into this season, there was hope that Ham could be a long-time member of the franchise. But with the Lakers’ season getting out of hand, Ham is on the hot seat and he’ll be the first in line to go if things don’t get better.
Lakers Nation Split On Darvin Ham
There are many reasons for the Lakers; struggles this season and it’s impossible to pin it all on just one person. But if there’s anyone who deserves blame, it’s the head coach. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been mostly healthy this season, and yet the Lakers are below .500 and sinking fast. Despite bringing back the same lineup that won two playoff rounds last season, Ham has refused to give the lineup any time to shine and has relegated Austin Reaves to the bench.
Now, there are reports that Ham has lost the locker room entirely, meaning it’s only a matter of time before something gets shaken up. Across Lakers Nation, many fans are calling for Ham to step away from this team and let assistant coach Phil Handy take over for the rest of the season. For now, nobody knows what the Lakers will do but patience has to be running thin at this point with LeBron James past the age of 39 years old.
Lakers Are Sliding
Rob Pelinka went out of his way to bring back the same roster as last season, fully believing in their potential to win the NBA Finals. So far, however, it just hasn’t panned out. D’Angelo Russell has been a total bust, Rui Hachimura is too inconsistent, and Jarred Vanderbilt is a complete liability on offense. The only bright spot has been Austin Reaves, but his minutes and role have been severely limited this season.
Nobody has been able to step up with answers for the Lakers, and it could ultimately force Rob Pelinka’s hand. Whether it’s one of the players or the coach, something will have to change to unlock this Lakers team. At this stage, there is no time to waste on chasing a title and the pressure to win is higher than ever. If the Lakers don’t stop this slide soon, things could get really ugly for them when trade season enters peak season later this month.
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