Trouble is surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers. Since winning the NBA In-Season Tournament, the Lakers have lost nine of their last 12 games and currently have a record of 17-18 as the 2023/24 season nears the halfway mark. The recent poor performance has caused head coach Darvin Ham’s chair to shake violently.
According to Jovan Buha and Shams Charania of The Athletic, the relationship between Darvin Ham and the Lakers locker room is getting worse. Many other sources also gave similar information, claiming that the 50-year-old strategist’s future at the Lakers is about to end because he has lost control of the locker room.
Will the Lakers fire Darvin Ham?
According to information from Buha and Charania, the Lakers’ internal affairs had a serious rift after the loss to the Miami Heat. They lost in the context of having full force, and Heat lacked their number 1 star, Jimmy Butler.
According to some anonymous sources, the rift in the Lakers’ locker room stems from Ham’s excessive adjustments to the starting lineup, as well as rotation of forces during the match.
This season, Ham has made some notable moves to change the squad. Among them is the decision to let Austin Reaves play as a reserve to give Cam Reddish the opportunity to play as a main player. Or recently, putting D’Angelo Russell on the bench and letting LeBron James play point guard.
In the match against the Pelicans in New Orleans on January 1, Ham chose the starting lineup including James, Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince and Jarred Vanderbilt, a lineup that made everyone confused because all five players above had forte playing as a pioneer. The unsurprising result was that the Lakers lost 20 points to the club they destroyed in the recent In-Season Tournament semi-finals.
After the loss in New Orleans, James had compliments for Reaves, who has rarely been used by Ham in recent times: “Austin is great. I like Austin no matter where he plays. Obviously, being on the field is always a blessing.” It’s great for him, whether coming from the bench or starting. I just love being on the field with him, because of the way he plays football.”
Faced with a bleak future at Cryto.com Arena, Ham gave an optimistic outlook before the Lakers’ match with the Heat: “We had a 14-20 record at this time last year. So, the situation is It’s not too extreme right now, although it’s certainly uncomfortable. With a 17-17 record, we’ll have a few days after Tet to focus on ourselves… Basically, I think we have enough necessary personnel”.
With Hachimura and Russell sidelined, Ham chose a starting lineup of James, Reaves, Reddish, Prince and Davis against the Heat but the result remained unchanged.
James scored 12 points (a season low), Reddish and Prince scored no points and the Lakers’ starting lineup trailed by 12 points in a 14-point loss. With growing frustration, James left Crypto.com Arena without speaking to reporters, something that often happens when the Lakers are in crisis and struggling.
Darvin Ham’s contract and salary
In 2022, Ham agreed to a four-year contract to become head coach of the Lakers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, with Ham estimated to earn between $3 million and $5 million per year.
Darvin Ham’s coaching achievements
Darvin Ham has a 60-57 record in his first 117 games as Lakers head coach. After leading the Lakers from the playoff round to the Western finals in 2023, Ham has a 9-8 record in the playoff round
After leading the Lakers from the Kickoff Tournament to the Western Conference Finals in 2023, Ham is 9-8 in the postseason and 8-8 in the playoffs.