The Los Angeles Lakers will terminate Darvin Ham within the next several days.
Following another poor season for the Los Angeles Lakers, head coach Darvin Ham is apparently in his final days on the job. According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, Ham is largely likely to be fired as coach before the end of the week.
“The latest I’ve heard is the plan is still to move on from Darvin [Ham] at some point, likely by the end of the week, potentially as early as tomorrow, then the head coaching search will start,” Buha said in an interview with The Athletic NBA Show. “I’ve already started to hear some names from different people.”
Darvin, known as a “player’s coach,” was initially praised for his rapport with the players and his ability to foster a healthy locker room atmosphere. That all came apart this season, when the Lakers battled to maintain consistency and were predictably eliminated in the first round. Now that the dust has settled, Ham is at the center of the blame, and no one expects him to endure the rest of the week.
Of course, until an official statement is made, it is impossible to say for certain that Darvin will not return next year, but many will be astonished if he is still the acting head coach by the start of training camp. In fact, with such an important summer ahead, it appears that the Lakers are considerably closer to removing Darvin immediately rather than delaying the decision for the entire summer.
Ham, who was hired in 2022, had some success with the Lakers last season, leading them to the Western Conference Finals. While they didn’t have a chance against Denver in that series, it’s amazing the Lakers made it that far given everything they had going against them.
Aside from that brief period, the Darvin Ham era has been characterized by chaos and uncertainty at every turn. Between his questionable rotations, cringe-inducing media remarks, and allegations of losing the faith of his key players, it was only a matter of time before Darvin was fired, and their latest first-round loss appears to have sealed the deal.
The LA Lakers have big plans ahead.
While some supporters want the Lakers to rebuild, the team appears unwilling to start over. Instead, they intend to re-sign LeBron James to a multi-year contract this summer, hoping to compete for a championship at least one more before he retires.
Firing Darvin and replacing him with a more proven and experienced candidate may be the simplest way for the Lakers to make changes next season, but they will need to do more if they want to compete with rising Western competition such as the Thunder, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers will need to significantly improve their team, either with greater star power or by adding numerous quality role players. We already know Trae Young is interested in joining the Lakers, and it may only take one or two more signings to transform them into a legitimately elite Western Conference club.
For the time being, all attention is focused on Darvin Ham and what happens to him as the Lakers evaluate their future. As a polarizing coach, the reaction to the choice will be divided, but they should hope that it helps them achieve greater success in the 2024-25 season.
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