On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers were bounced from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets for the second year in a row and on Friday, they officially announced the firing of head coach Darvin Ham.
Ham coached the Lakers for two seasons to a record of 90-74 and his accolades included a Western Conference Finals appearance and an NBA In-Season Tournament championship.
Even the successes he found as Lakers coach, he was ousted with two years left on his contract. Was this the right move? According to our latest SB Nation Reacts poll, Lakers fans agree with letting go of Ham.
83% wanting the coach gone is a massive majority. While I think Ham has some good traits and did win more than he lost, he wasn’t enough of the solution to the Lakers’ problems to keep his job.
It was an accumulation of mistakes that ultimately caused his demise. These included small grievances, such as taking too long to call timeouts during runs and larger issues, like arguing with Anthony Davis about how lost players were on the floor during the playoffs.
Yes, he had a couple of seasons left to coach, but with the Lakers wanting to be aggressive in the trade market and hoping for LeBron James to return, you need a coach you trust and can sell to players.
Speaking of the King, while there is nervousness that he will opt out of his contract and become a free agent, many reports state he intends to obtain a long-term deal and remain with the Lakers.
Until this all unfolds, however, you have to be a little nervous about LeBron becoming a free agent this summer. We asked Lakers fans if LeBron would be on the team next season and the answer was an emphatic yes.
A dominant 86% of fans think LeBron will continue playing in Los Angeles, which makes sense given recent reports and his current career status.
The Lakers seem to be doing everything possible to keep LeBron happy. They are reportedly open to drafting his son, Bronny James, have fired an unpopular coach and his podcast co-host, JJ Redick, is allegedly a candidate for the position.
There have been no reports on the Lakers being hesitant about paying James more and giving him more years and their top player under contract, Anthony Davis, has said he’ll recruit LeBron James this summer.
So, it seems the King is likely to stay and a new era is upon us with a coaching change. We’ll continue monitoring the Lakers head coaching search, James’ status with the Lakers, the impending draft and more as the offseason continues. Say what you will about the on-court quality, but it’s never boring in Southern California.
