In the high-pressure environment of the Los Angeles Lakers, head coaches face immense expectations to deliver results, especially when aiming to maintain the franchise’s status as a consistent NBA title contender.
The latest victim of this unforgiving reality is Darvin Ham, who was dismissed after just two seasons despite leading the team to consecutive playoff appearances, securing an NBA Cup title (In-Season Tournament), and reaching the Western Conference Finals.
Concerns about Ham’s coaching approach were voiced by key players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who expressed dissatisfaction with his level of preparation during his brief time at the helm. However, his position became untenable after the Lakers suffered a swift exit in the first round of the playoffs last year, losing to the Denver Nuggets in five games.
After being let go, Ham found no opportunities to coach elsewhere and opted to return to the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant under the seasoned Doc Rivers.
Rivers articulated his confusion regarding the Lakers’ decision to part ways with Ham, offering his perspective before a preseason matchup against Los Angeles. “I’m not going to get into the whole thing that happened there, but he took a team to a Western Finals, and then the following year, he won the in-season tournament, which they say we should have a lot of value on, and then they release him.
It literally makes no sense, but it happens. It happens to all of us. It’s part of what we do. But Darvin Ham’s a coach, he should be on the sidelines, and I wanted him next to me,” Rivers commented.
In an unexpected turn, the Lakers chose to hire JJ Redick, a former player, as their next head coach, despite his lack of coaching experience at any level. The upcoming game in Milwaukee is set to be particularly compelling, considering Redick’s strained rapport with Rivers and the possibility that Lakers players are not keen to encounter Ham again.