Before they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 106-103 on Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers had lost 10 of their previous 13 games. As a result, fans have been practically begging for head coach Darvin Ham to be fired.
Ham has been criticized for certain lineup and rotation decisions, as well as some of his strategic decisions. He received praise last spring when he guided the Lakers to the Western Conference finals after they started 2-10, but now, it seems as if his seat is getting warm.
A recent report indicated there is a disconnect between Ham and his players. According to another report, the coach recently held a film session in which he welcomed feedback — even negative feedback — from his players.
Via The Athletic:
“One day after another of (LeBron) James’ former coaches, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, had shepherded a 110-96 Heat win in which the Lakers had 21 turnovers, Ham decided that an unfiltered film session with his team was in order,” wrote Sam Amick. “The whole basketball world had been told that there was a disconnect in their locker room, and so it was that he decided to open the floor to any and all players who wanted to share their frustrations. The result, he said, was the kind of communication that should help them going forward.
“‘Hell yeah I open the floor,’ Ham said while explaining the session. ‘Give me some feedback. I don’t have pride. My pride is not crazy. My ego — all that. We had a couple (players) speak up. I’ll just leave it there, but we had a few guys speak up. And right or wrong, I love it. I agreed with most of it, and I disagreed with some.'”
Ham was hired by the Lakers during the 2022 offseason partly because of his reputation as a strong communicator during his time as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. But it will take more than strong communication skills to guide the 18-19 Lakers to a place where they will be viewed as a dangerous team, let alone a championship contender.
Other than a report that Sunday’s game was crucial for Ham, there hasn’t been any real indication that the Lakers’ front office is thinking of giving him a pink slip.
