The Los Angeles Lakers are still trying to fight their way out of the No. 9 seed this season. With 20 games left, analyst Jason Timpf has said that he doesn’t think Darvin Ham is tactically sound enough to lead the Lakers to a successful season, implying that the coach may need to be fired.
“I don’t think Darvin (Ham) is up to the tactical challenge. He’s the one after the in-season tournament to ditch everything that got them that win and promptly went 3-10. He is the one who, in a lot of these cases, is ignoring guys who can make shots on the perimeter and letting them get into a rhythm. I want LeBron and AD to be like, ‘Hey AD, you got to guard Jokic. Put me on AG and put Rui over here’. I want them to take more of that responsibility because sitting around and letting Darvin make those decisions. Him overcoaching this has been why they’ve been mediocre compared to their potential.”
"I don't think Darvin Ham is up to the tactical challenge… He is the one who, in a lot of these cases, is ignoring guys that can make shots on the perimeter and letting them get into a rhythm.”
— Jason Timpf 🗣️
(via @TheVolumeSports)pic.twitter.com/T91HZw29fa
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 6, 2024
Darvin Ham was the coach who led the Lakers to a shocking Conference Finals run last season, so he has earned some stripes in that role. However, his coaching this season has been shockingly different. He didn’t run lineups that brought them success last year till late this season, which led to the Lakers climbing from under .500 to back in the Western playoff mix.
The calls to fire him have been ringing since December, but the Lakers brass stuck with him for now. If the Lakers fail to make the playoffs or have an embarrassing early exit, the Lakers may have no other choice than to make a coaching move.
Darvin Ham Has The Support Of Jeanie Buss
Firing Ham is a delicate question, especially because of how unlikely it is. Sam Amick of The Athletic revealed earlier this season that Ham is unlikely to lose his job because of support from owner Jeanie Buss.
“It’s the informed opinion of this particular NBA scribe that he would not have been fired even if they had lost (vs. Clippers) Sunday. And that was before discussing the situation with Ham long after the game was over. But as he shared in a conversation with The Athletic, there’s a significant factor in play here that should not be forgotten: While Ham has issues to resolve both in his locker room and elsewhere within Laker Land, he has the continued support of owner Jeanie Buss.”
Circumstances change and Ham could quickly fall out of favor as well if this season doesn’t bring success, but this is worrying to the cabal of fans that want Ham gone.
Keeping Ham has been a good decision in the short term, as the Lakers have gone 10-4 since the start of February. A win over the Sacramento Kings will tie their record with the No. 8 seed Mavericks while bringing them within half a game of the Kings itself. There is a lot of room for success in LA, but only if Ham can extract that potential.
They’re 34-29 this season, a less-than-ideal record. But it’s kept them in the mix for a top-six seed, something that they have to capitalize on and make a run.
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