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Fans have been blasting LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham since they beat the Indiana Pacers in the NBA In-Season Tournament Finals. After bagging the inaugural championship of the said tournament, LA has been on a spiral. They are now 3-9 over their last 12 games following Wednesday night’s 110-96 at home to the Miami Heat.
Ham’s tenure as the Lakers’ bench tactician has been called out by most of the team’s fans. They are 1-4 in their last five games. Their only win during that span was against the injury-riddled 8-24 Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 28. Many in Laker Nation are wondering how soon Ham will be replaced.
Ballsack Sports, a Twitter/X site that regularly trolls basketball players, joined the bandwagon with a post:
“The Lakers have fired Darvin Ham.”
Unfortunately for disgruntled LA Lakers fans, the team has not made such an announcement. Despite the team falling to 17-18, Ham remains in his place. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka will likely give him the benefit of the doubt. The former NBA journeyman earned it last season when he led the team to the Western Conference finals.
The Lakers’ below .500 record isn’t something new to them. They had a 2-10 start last season and were 10th in the standings a few weeks heading into the playoffs. LA managed to enter the postseason as the seventh seed via the play-in tournament. They then beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round before booting out the Golden State Warriors in the semi-finals.
Darvin Ham’s accomplishments last season, however, can only carry him for so long. With LeBron James not getting any younger, the LA Lakers can’t afford to be very patient. If the Lakers keep losing, Ballsack Sports' trolling might eventually become true.
Darvin Ham’s decision to insert Austin Reaves into starting lineup didn’t work against Miami Heat
The LA Lakers opened the season with a 3-5 record. Despite making significant changes that had supposedly made the team better and deeper, LA stumbled. On Nov. 10, heading into the game against the Phoenix Suns, Darvin Ham decided to start Austin Reaves off the bench.
Many were shocked as Reaves had been the team’s third-best player behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis since February last year. Ham’s decision, however, promptly paid off as the Lakers started playing well. They posted a 12-4 record and ended up winning the NBA In-Season Tournament.
LA Lakers fans grudgingly gave Darvin Ham a pass for benching Austin Reaves. With the Lakers struggling, they wondered when “AR” would resume his spot in the starting five. On Wednesday night, the coach obliged.
The Lakers didn’t have Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent. Making Austin Reaves part of the first five made sense. The move, however, didn’t give the team the result they wanted. “AR” had a good game, finishing with 24 points, eight assists and five rebounds. And yet, LA couldn’t snap the losing streak.
