There were signs throughout the season that head coach Darvin Ham was going to take the fall if the Lakers couldn’t make another long playoff run, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Ham was officially fired on Friday after L.A. was dispatched by Denver in five games, but it had been clear that move was coming for a long time, Shelburne adds.
Sources tell Shelburne that LeBron James was resistant to Ham’s idea to limit his minutes early in the season. James’ wishes prevailed and that plan was discarded after a few games. Players also openly questioned Ham’s strategies throughout the season, culminating with Anthony Davis saying after the Game 2 loss to Denver, “We have stretches where we don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor.”
Shelburne notes that the Lakers have cycled through head coaches ever since Phil Jackson‘s retirement in 2011, with none lasting more than three seasons. That list includes Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni, who both went on to win Coach of the Year honors with other teams after leaving L.A. To avoid another short-term hire, Shelburne advises Lakers management to approach this coaching search with a clear idea of its vision for the team.
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- Ham was undermined internally, which made it impossible for him to succeed, contends Jim Alexander of The Orange County Register. Alexander speculates that anonymous complaints were leaked by general manager Rob Pelinka to deflect blame from his questionable personnel moves, along with James and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. The danger, according to Alexander, is that the front office may have fired Ham without having an obvious candidate in mind to replace him.
- James Harden declined to speculate on his future after the Clippers were eliminated Friday night in Dallas, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Harden demanded a trade out of Philadelphia after president of basketball operations Daryl Morey refused to give him the long-term contract he was expecting, but it’s uncertain if the Clippers will be willing to meet his demands this summer. “I don’t even know,” Harden responded when reporters asked about his upcoming free agency. “You’re asking me a question that I don’t have the answer to. I haven’t even thought about it.”
- Coach Tyronn Lue is working out his own future with the Clippers, but he was gratified that owner Steve Ballmer addressed the team after Friday’s loss, Turner adds. “You have the seventh-, eighth-richest man in the world and he’s a real fan. Like, he’s a real fan. Like, he treats us like family,” Lue said. “He actually genuinely cares about each individual and we’ve seen that time and time again. So, when you have an owner that really respects who you are, not as a basketball player, but a person and who you are, that means a lot. Not just putting you on a basketball court and saying, ‘OK, you work for me.’ Like, he really genuinely cares about each individual. He cares about the wins. He’s fired up. He’s passionate about it. And, so, that’s what I love the most about Mr. Ballmer. He treats everyone as equals.”
- The Clippers‘ reluctance to guarantee a fourth year has held up extension talks with Paul George, sources tell Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. George is eligible for up to $221MM over four seasons, but Azarly’s sources say the team’s latest offer falls short of that figure.
“Shelburne advises Lakers management to approach this coaching search with a clear idea of its vision for the team.”
I mean the problem there is LeBron probably only playing two more years and what then?
Lebron is such a cry baby! They were a lot better with him playing less minutes and Ham knew that too but lebrons ego will be the reason he never wins another ring ever again! Quit undermining your coach and let them do there job! Who the hell would want to go to LA now ?!!!
The Lakers weren’t ever better with LeBron playing less minutes. That’s ridiculous. He’s still at least the second best player on the team and a top 20 player overall.
It’s comical when clowns say foolish stuff that isn’t if close to being backed up by facts. They were not better with him playing less minutes the numbers show that and if you actually watch and understand the game you would see that wasn’t true. But obviously you are clueless about basketball. Also it’s their not there so obviously you are clueless about being able to spell as well as a first grader too.
I can understand the arguments against LeBron as the G.O.A.T. Regardless of what anyone feels on that particular subject, I cannot understand how a rational basketball fan cannot acknowledge he’s, at minimum, top five ever. So the idea that the Lakers were somehow better without LeBron on the court is ludicrous.
Why because they randomly beat the Celtics in a game without LeBron? Lmao if you think the team looks better without him you are trolling
Not true. The ball moves when he’s not out there. Also, him not being out there keeps the rest of the team stands around watching him try to do some stupid hero 3-pointer or fall-away jumper that always hits the front rim.
Everybody!
No one can suck as much as Ham, dude is a horrible coach!
D-lo walking and Harden in a Laker uniform would be fitting and oh so enjoyable.
Been a Laker fan for over 40 years but it gets harder every year. How can you possibly have a plan with a declining superstar with an uncertain number of years ahead, a lack of long term pieces to build around and draft picks to help augment the process, and a front office and player group that can’t be trusted because they will scapegoat others to deflect blame off themselves? How does the next coach come in and have any level of authority and confidence? Buss needs to get out in front of all of this and blow this crap up and eat s**t for a few years and build something for down the road properly.
Lue: if Ballmer was really treating you like family, you wouldn’t be referring to him as Mr Ballmer. He isn’t your family and he isn’t the players family and he’d sell your ass for a nickel if he was done with you.
Lakers will keep getting bailed out by superstars demanding to go there
The crazy thing is, if LeBron didn’t trade for Russ, it is likely they would have won a real championship in 2022 and they wouldn’t have needed to fire all these coaches. A rotation of LeBron, Davis, KCP, Kuz, Reaves, Caruso, Drummond, and Schroder would have been deadly. Instead, they decided to bring in a bunch of old, washed up guys. Russ cost so much they let everyone walk too.
Rich Paul is a scumbag.
Impossible job.