Darvin Ham is close to being fired as Lakers coach

The playoff disaster happened less than 24 hours before the Los Angeles Lakers and the news about the coach’s possible dismissal Darvin Ham are already beginning to circulate behind the scenes of the 17-time champion franchise NBA. The team was just eliminated from the 2024 postseason for the Denver Nuggetsin a 4-1 series on the night of this past Monday, 29th. Moments after the decisive confrontation in Colorado, the journalist Shams Charaniafrom “The Athletic”, shared an article where he stated that it is “highly unlikely” that the coach will remain on the court.

“The way the Lakers’ 2023/24 season ended has left Darvin Ham’s future as the franchise’s coach in serious jeopardy. At the moment, according to NBA and team sources, a return is highly unlikely in 2024/25. However, a decision should not be made so quickly. After all, the team must carry out an internal evaluation until Ham’s fate is decided.”Charania wrote.

I cannot believe Darvin Ham actually said this about D’Lo and Austin Reaves. I knew that there was tension between Ham and those two, but to criticize them behind their backs to a reporter like this is incredibly unprofessional; especially when you say it in that fashion. Wow. pic.twitter.com/uPYEwqWuVM

—HiNote. 🛸 (@HiNoteee) April 30, 2024

“The great discontent didn’t just happen in the series, but throughout the entire campaign. The coach had little conviction about the rotation, did not adjust properly and also had very varied game plans that did not become fixed at any point. The locker room is not happy with him. There is discontent. Therefore, it will be difficult for a stay to happen”explained the reporter.

Despite the problems throughout the season, the final series against the Nuggets showed all the differences between the squad and coach. It is worth noting that Darvin Ham still has two years left on his contract with the Lakers. “The loss of the 20-point lead in the duel in Denver was the end for Ham. After a great start by Anthony Davis, an adjustment by Michael Malone took him out of the game, with changes in marking. The turnaround came with a Lakers that no longer found themselves offensively in that game. And Davis went to the press conference to express his frustration with the game plan.”reinforced Shams Charania.

“THE NUGGETS ARE ON A 14-5 RUN”

Darwin Ham: pic.twitter.com/ywpQnxXgin

— Smiley (@30GotNext) April 30, 2024

The role of some secondary names was also a problem. “Ham opened the competition for the fifth spot in the starting lineup, ensuring that Russell, Reaves, LeBron and Davis were in the quintet. The favorite, Jarred Vanderbilt, was injured during the offseason and gave way to Taurean Prince in the starting lineup. For many, the winger was seen as a good reinforcement for the 2023/24 campaign, but as the seventh or eighth member of the squad. Prince’s role was not good. Due to injuries, the coach changed many times, not only the game plan, but also who started the games. This included times when D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves were backups. And that bothered me. Prince and Cam Reddish were given plenty of chances to make mistakes and stay in the starting lineup. What didn’t happen with Russell, Reaves and Rui Hachimura, for example”commented the insider.