Amid the Los Angeles Lakers’ struggles in December, there has been a great deal of talk about what changes the team needs to make. The Lakers (16-15) have lost six of their last eight games, and they’re in ninth place in the Western Conference.
Many fans want the team to fire head coach Darvin Ham. Ham, who was hired prior to last season despite having no head coaching experience has come under fire for some of his decisions regarding lineups and rotations.
Podcaster Kenny Beecham said on “Run It Back” that Ham’s job isn’t safe, but he also pointed out that head coaches on a James-led teams only have about an 18-month window before they’re on the hot seat.
"No LeBron [James] coach is really safe after the first season."@KOT4Q on Darvin Ham's safety as the Lakers Head Coach. pic.twitter.com/afkkxzeCjl
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 26, 2023
There is some precedent to support Beecham’s statement. Paul Silas, James’ first pro head coach, was fired midway through James’ second season. When the superstar went to the Miami Heat for the 2010-11 season, the Heat struggled early that season, and there were rumors that head coach Erik Spoelstra’s job was in jeopardy. In fact, team president Pat Riley strongly implied that James passive-aggressively tried to urge him to replace Spoelstra on the bench and return to coaching.
In the second season of James’ second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, head coach David Blatt was fired midway through the year. There was speculation James might have been the impetus behind that firing.
The four-time MVP said after Monday’s loss to the Boston Celtics that the Lakers aren’t where they want to be to be able to compete with the NBA’s top teams.