The Los Angeles Lakers officially will begin their search for a new head coach after parting ways with Darvin Ham on Friday after two seasons.
Ham, who reportedly had two years remaining on his contract, led the Lakers to a 90–74 record over two seasons and guided the team to the Western Conference finals last year.
However, Ham was often criticized by Lakers fans throughout his tenure for constantly tinkering with starting lineups and rotations amid the team's shortcomings. Los Angeles fell well short of competing for an NBA title this season, finishing with the Western Conference's seventh-bet record and losing to the Denver Nuggets in the first round.
It was no surprise, then, when Ham's dismissal resulted in an avalanche of reactions and memes posted to social media:
The Lakers reportedly will target Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick and—if he becomes available—Ty Lue, among others, to fill their coaching vacancy.
