After being dismissed as head coach of the Lakers, Darvin Ham accepted a position to return to his old team as an assistant coach. While there are currently no plans for him to usurp the man in charge, the belief is that he accepted the job knowing that Doc’s days are numbered.
“I recently chatted with a few NBA sources since ex-Lakers HC Darvin Ham joined the Bucks staff,” wrote NBA insider Gery Woelfel. “They were adamant in saying Giannis Antetokounmpo had major input in Ham’s hiring (shocking, eh?) Some of those same sources also contend Ham, who had offers from several other teams, took the Bucks job with the assumption he’ll eventually succeed Doc Rivers as the Bucks [head coach].”
Ham was best known for serving as the head assistant under ex-Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. He worked closely alongside 2x MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and established a personal relationship with the superstar amid their championship run in 2021.
He was hired by the Lakers in June of 2022 as the replacement for Frank Vogel. Initially, he had some success bringing the team together and mending the tension with Russell Westbrook. He even managed to bring the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals last season with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves.
This past season, things took a turn for the worse in Lakerland. Amid struggles all season long, the players and fans started to question his every move and even Anthony Davis appeared to call out his game plan which left the team “unprepared.”
Ham was fired after just a few seasons on the job, and it tracks with a longtime trend for the franchise that dates back to the days of Phil Jackson. After cycling between JJ Redick and Dan Hurley, the Lakers are still without a head coach and the pressure is building for them to decide before the start of free agency on July 1st.
For Ham, 50, there is no denying that he accepted a demotion to return to the Bucks but he sees an opportunity for growth there that could make it all worthwhile. Currently, championship coach Doc Rivers is running the show and this summer will be the first time he can lead this Bucks team through training camp.
But in the aftermath of the team’s first-round elimination, doubts are beginning to surface that Doc is the right choice to serve as head coach. Despite his status as one of the most well-respected guys in the business, his track record for losing in the postseason is a dark cloud that continues to loom over his coaching tenure.
If the Bucks continue to struggle or somehow get knocked out again in the first round next year, Rivers’ job will be in jeopardy and the first man up to replace him will be Darvin Ham. His focus on defense, experience with LeBron, and relationship with Giannis could make him an ideal fit for the Bucks but it remains a long shot right now.
As an assistant, Ham will take on a backseat role behind Doc Rivers but you can bet he’ll be waiting for his chance to move up once again and prove that his failure with the Lakers was more of a fluke than anything else. For the Bucks’ sake, they better hope that it doesn’t have to come to this or they may never live it down.
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