After the Los Angeles Lakers had the most disappointing and disastrous season in their storied history, they made a move on Friday that has seemed to restore a bit of credibility and even hope for the embattled organization.
They hired Darvin Ham to be their next head coach.
Yes, Ham has never been a head coach in the NBA, but he has been an assistant coach for more than a decade.
He won a world championship while serving under Mike Budenholzer with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, and he started his coaching career with the Lakers in 2012.
Before that, he was an NBA player for eight seasons. Coincidentally, he earned a ring as a player with the 2004 Detroit Pistons, who beat a dissolving Lakers squad in the finals.
There is something about Ham that reportedly impressed L.A. a great deal and led to it offering him a four-year deal.
Via The Athletic:
“Those who know Ham say he has an unteachable presence about him,” wrote Bill Oram. “He can hold players accountable. And not just role players. Stars, too. He understands locker room dynamics with eight years in the NBA as a player. He won a ring as Mike Budenholzer’s favorite assistant in Milwaukee.
“In other words, he’s got juice.
“And sources said he blew the Lakers away with his understanding of X’s and O’s.”
Via Los Angeles Times:
“Ham impressed the Lakers with his ability to communicate and hold people accountable, according to sources, a crucial element in their search to replace Vogel,” wrote Dan Woike and Broderick Turner.
Yes, the Lakers need someone who is good with the X’s and O’s, as they struggled this season not just defensively, but also offensively.
But they also needed a powerful and constructive voice, a captain who can help execute a coherent vision of how they may return to the basketball mountaintop while contributing something to that vision himself.
The outgoing Frank Vogel had solid leadership skills and is a very positive soul. But certain members of the team started to tune him out, which is often a death knell for coaches in any team sport, especially the pro level.
Now, the Lakers can move forward and work on retooling their roster, which won’t be easy. But at least the stench that emanated from the team this season seems to be abating a bit.
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