"Somebody that’s going to be honest but know how to be honest without actually just tearing you down" - Former NBA champion places confidence in Darvin Ham hire as LA Lakers prepare for pivotal offseason

The LA Lakers have finally come to the decision to hire Darvin Ham as their next head coach. Ham has been praised by just about everybody in the league after landing the job.

Waxing lyrical about Ham was his former teammate Chauney Billups, the current head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. In a conversation with Dan Woike of the LA Times, Billups spoke about how Ham is fair-minded as a coach and can be tough and honest with his decisions. Billups said:

"He’s going to be honest as a coach of the Lakers, which is what I think you need in the NBA today — somebody that’s going to be honest but know how to be honest without actually just tearing you down."

Billups also reiterated how Darvin Ham is more than qualified to be the head coach of the Lakers. Billups continued:

"What can you say? He’s won as a player. He’s won as a coach. I mean, this dude is more than qualified for the task at hand. I’m so happy and proud of him. I spoke to him last night and he was so excited."

Chauncey Billups and Darvin Ham won the NBA championship in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons with the franchise from Motor City coincidentally beating his current employers, the LA Lakers, in the NBA Finals with Billups picking up the Finals MVP award.

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Is Darvin Ham the right man for the LA Lakers?

Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton in conversation with Ham

For starters, the most important player for the LA Lakers, LeBron James is a massive fan of Darvin Ham and reportedly pushed for him to be the head coach of the team. This alone will hold Ham in good stead when he comes into the locker room with the best player in the team in his corner.

Ham has worked his fingers to the bone with assistant coaching gigs at franchises like the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks and was previously with the Lakers, too, from 2011 to 2013. He has risen through the ranks from being a G-League coach to an NBA coach.

Over the last couple of years, Ham has been the lead assistant coach for Mike Budenholzer with the Milwaukee Bucks and has earned a reputation for being a player's coach. As a former player, he can relate to modern NBA players in a much better way.

Having a strong personality is key when you're the head coach of the LA Lakers and being able to develop players is also reportedly one of the key things the franchise was looking at when hiring a head coach as they look to the future.