Tag: Darvin Ham

LeBron revealed in Netflix’s Starting 5 how much he hated his minutes restriction

Tell em how you really feel then, Bron.

From the very beginning of the NBA season last year you could tell that there was a sense of frustration constantly brewing with LeBron James.

Now, thanks to Netflix’s “Starting 5” series giving us a glimpse into the season of five NBA stars, we know exactly where that frustration for James was coming from.

In a clip from the new series, James can be heard vehemently declaring his frustration with Darvin Ham’s minutes restriction as soon as the season started. He complained to the Lakers’ assistant coaches about the decision to keep him limit the time he spent on the floor.

WARNING: There is some NSFW language in this clip

“I know you got me on [expletive] old man time percentages and [expletive],” James said. “Played eight minutes and [expletive]. Two shots in eight minutes. Just getting cardio. I hate this [expletive] already. This [expletive]’s garbage.”

Well, alright then, Bron.

Ham and the Lakers’ coaching staff decided to restrict James’ minutes to start the year to try to preserve his body for the long season ahead. Ultimately, it didn’t last. James averaged 35.3 minutes last season, just a tick behind the 35.5 minutes he averaged the year before under Ham. Eventually, James got what he wanted.

But this gives us an interesting glimpse into the Lakers’ year last season and, potentially, another reason why the Lakers decided to move on from Ham.

Stephen A. Smith criticizes optics of LeBron James’ podcast

Stephen A. Smith feels the timing of LeBron James’ “Mind the Game” podcast hurt former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham.

The “Mind the Game” podcast, which is co-hosted by Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick, premiered in March. It has gotten rave reviews for being the rare podcast that doesn’t just talk basketball, but talks about it on a deep, tactical level.

However, critics have had some issues with it. With Redick apparently being the Lakers’ top head coaching candidate, some feel James has been angling in his usual passive-aggressive way to practically choose his next coach.

Even before the podcast premiered, Darvin Ham, who was then the Lakers’ head coach, was seemingly on the hot seat. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith says that coaches around the league had a problem with the timing of the podcast given Ham’s situation at the time.

Some in the national media felt the Lakers’ decision to fire Ham was hasty and that he should’ve been given more time to develop as a head coach. Ham had coached Los Angeles for two seasons, and he had never been a head coach before.

Prior to the Lakers hiring him two years ago, he had spent 11 seasons as an assistant, mostly under Mike Budenholzer on the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.

Stephen A. Smith’s Darvin Ham-Dan Hurley false equivalency

Is Stephen A. Smith out of his mind when it comes to this take on former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and current candidate Dan Hurley?

When the Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham after he had been their head coach for the last two seasons, many fans let out a sigh of relief. Some even celebrated.

The general consensus in Lakersland was that Ham was a decent motivator but lacking as a tactician. His lineup decisions and inability to make smart counters and adjustments on offense and defense were a big reason why the team only won 47 games and lost in the first round of the playoffs in five games to the Denver Nuggets.

Yet some prominent journalists in the national media felt the franchise acted in haste when it got rid of Ham.

Now, the Lakers are making a strong push to hire University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley to fill the spot once occupied by Ham. On Friday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith said that while he believes Hurley would be a great hire for L.A., the job Hurley would do with it could’ve been done by Ham.

This is a ludicrous take and a flat-out false equivalency.

While Ham did do well last season as a rookie head coach by unexpectedly guiding L.A. to the Western Conference Finals, he seemed to regress this year. He hasn’t shown any real talent as a tactician, and multiple reports indicated that his players didn’t trust or respect him.

Hurley, on the other hand, is regarded as a brilliant and even an innovative offensive mind. He also has the reputation of someone who knows how to build a winning culture and program, which is something the Lakers haven’t had since Phil Jackson left in 2011.

Perhaps Ham can become a decent NBA head coach someday. But at least right now, he doesn’t belong on the same page, let alone in the same chapter, as Hurley.

Perhaps that is why, according to one insider, the Lakers are prepared to offer Hurley a deal in the ballpark of $100 million over eight years to leave the Northeast and come to the Southland.

Report: Warriors have had conversations with Darvin Ham

The Warriors have reportedly had conversations with the former Lakers head coach.

While the Golden State Warriors’ roster will likely undergo construction during the offseason, there could be changes coming to their coaching staff alongside Steve Kerr.

Kenny Atkinson has been linked to multiple head coaching openings, specifically the Cleveland Cavaliers. If Atkinson leaves, Kerr will be tasked with finding a new assistant coach on his staff.

According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Warriors have had conversations with former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham in recent weeks. The Warriors could hire two assistant coaches if Atkinson leaves this summer, per Slater.

Read the full story from Slater via The Athletic.

Ham was fired after two seasons with LeBron James and the Lakers. Ham led the Lakers to two straight postseason appearances. However, after being eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in back-to-back playoff series, the Lakers parted way with Ham.

Prior to joining the Lakers, Ham spent multiple seasons as an assistant, including four seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. Ham also spent time as an assistant with the Lakers and Atlanta Hawks.

Before becoming a coach, Ham played eight seasons in the NBA. Ham had stops in Denver, Indiana, Washington, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Detroit.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and X! 

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Did Austin Reaves throw shade at Darvin Ham on Instagram?

Former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham continues to get criticized even after he was fired.

It has been about two weeks since the Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham after he had been their head coach for two seasons. Fans seem to have already moved on after spending the better part of this season heavily criticizing him and practically begging for him to be fired.

Apparently, it wasn’t only fans who felt that way. According to multiple reports, Lakers players wanted him to be shown the door and reportedly even ignored him during huddles.

Starting guard Austin Reaves liked a post on Instagram that showed an image of Ham simply writing “contest without fouling” instead of drawing up a play on a clipboard. It seems like it may have been a gentle shot Reaves took at his old head coach (h/t The Cold Wire).

Perhaps the greatest act of coaching malpractice is losing one’s locker room. Now that Ham has been excised from the Lakers organization, the franchise needs someone who has not only the leadership skills but also the tactical skills to retain the respect of his players.

Amick: Anthony Davis was not on board with Darvin Ham

It looks like one of the many reasons the Lakers fired Darvin Ham was because Anthony Davis was unhappy with him.

Two weeks have passed since the Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham after two seasons, and some are starting to believe it may have been a hasty decision. Some even think it may have been a calculated move to deflect responsibility for a disappointing season.

But the reality is Ham was lacking as a tactician in multiple ways. In addition, key players such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis lost trust and respect in him and ignored him at times.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, one of the many reasons Los Angeles got rid of Ham was Davis was unhappy with him.

“When they chose to fire Darvin Ham, I was told that one of the many, many considerations was that it was pretty evident that AD was not on board anymore with Darvin and they know, like everybody else, that AD has a history of having asked for trades in the past. That’s how he got to the Lakers from New Orleans. Last thing they wanted was for AD to be frustrated with the situation and maybe have those types of thoughts cross his mind.”

In fact, according to another report, the team may prioritize how Davis feels over James’ preferences when it comes to who it hires to be its next head coach.

Via The Athletic:

“The franchise’s next coach will be tasked with guiding both the end of the LeBron James–Anthony Davis era — potentially a two-year window — and then the next era of Lakers basketball led by Davis. Los Angeles is looking for a coach who can grow with the franchise for years to come, according to team and league sources, placing a premium on maximizing Davis’ greatness, the current returning players and the element of high-level player development.

“As one source briefed on the situation said, ‘This should be more of a hire about AD than LeBron.'”

Still, former 3-point specialist JJ Redick may be the current favorite to land the job. He is James’ co-host on the “Mind the Game” podcast, as well as a commentator for ESPN’s coverage of NBA games.

Lakers seem to want a head coach who has a tireless work ethic

It looks like there is one big quality the Lakers are looking for in a head coach.

Darvin Ham’s many flaws led to him being fired by the Los Angeles Lakers after he had been their head coach for two seasons. They’re now in the early stages of a search for their next head coach, and they have reportedly received permission to interview several candidates on their list.

Obviously, they will want to hire someone who is a strong tactician, something Ham isn’t, at least not at this point in his coaching career. But Los Angeles is also looking for other big qualities in its next bench leader.

An ESPN report mentioned general manager Rob Pelinka wants his next head coach to be what he calls a “grinder.”

Via ESPN:

“In Pelinka’s conversations with officials across the league, the term ‘grinder’ keeps coming up in the general manager’s description of an important characteristic for the next coach, sources said,” wrote Dave McMenamin.

Another report, this time from The Athletic, shed more light on that desire.

Via The Athletic:

“The Lakers are seeking a coach who will command the locker room and hold players accountable, as well as tirelessly game plan and provide a level of structure and organization, according to those sources,” wrote Shams Charania and Jovan Buha.

Perhaps there was nothing wrong with Ham’s work ethic or grit. But when a head coach simply lacks the resourcefulness to settle on the right starting lineup early in the season, maximize his players offensively and defensively or make strong adjustments, his work ethic and leadership skills will not matter much.

Players will lose respect for him and stop trusting him, no matter how great his people skills are or how much of a “grinder” he is.

Michael Wilbon to LeBron James: Take accountability

Journalist Michael Wilbon feels the Lakers firing Darvin Ham is indicative of LeBron James’ refusal to take accountability.

The Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham on Friday after he had been their head coach for two seasons. While there were some high points during that time, such as when he guided them to last year’s Western Conference finals after starting 2-10, there weren’t enough of them.

Reportedly, it was Ham’s fiddling with the starting lineup and his inability to make proper strategic adjustments that led to him losing his job.

Still, there are some in the national media who believed the Lakers were hasty in dismissing Ham. There are also those who believe Ham has been the latest casualty of LeBron James’ attempt to control the narrative of his career. According to these critics, James and his camp are blaming the Lakers’ shortcomings entirely on Ham instead of talking about what James can do to improve the team’s fortunes.

Longtime sportswriter Michael Wilbon, who has praised James many times over the years, took the 39-year-old to task after Ham was ousted. In Wilbon’s mind, it was an example of James’ unwillingness to take accountability.

Two things can be true at the same time. On one hand, Ham, who is a good and positive human being, simply wasn’t the right head coach for a Lakers team that is in win-now mode.

At the same time, critics have always accused James of always shifting the blame to others. In their mind, James ignoring Ham on the sidelines is perhaps one of his tactics to maroon and scapegoat a coach he doesn’t like, which leads to said coach getting criticism for the team’s shortcomings instead of James.

Report: Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson candidate for Lakers head coaching position

The Warriors assistant coach is reportedly a candidate for the Lakers new opening at head coach.

After losing to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers are changing their coaching staff.

On Friday, multiple outlets reported the Lakers have parted ways with head coach Darvin Ham.

Via @wojespn on X:

The former Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach spent two seasons in Hollywood, posting a 90-74 regular season record. The Nuggets eliminated Ham and the Lakers in playoffs in back-to-back years.

With Ham out, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers are starting a head coaching search. A member of Steve Kerr’s coaching staff with the Golden State Warriors is reportedly a candidate to replace Ham.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson is a candidate for the opening at head coach with the Lakers along with Mike Budenholzer, Ty Lue and JJ Redick.

Via @ShamsCharania on X:

Since joining Kerr’s staff in 2022, Atkinson has been a candidate for multiple head coaching positions across the NBA, including with the Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks.

Prior to joining the Warriros, Atkinson was an assistant in Los Angeles with the Clippers under Ty Lue. Atkinson served as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets for four seasons from 2016 through 2020.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and X! 

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George Karl slams the Lakers for firing Darvin Ham

Former Nuggets head coach George Karl has attacked the Lakers organization again — this time for firing Darvin Ham.

In a move many saw coming from a mile away, the Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham on Friday after he had been their head coach for two seasons. He had been the recipient of significant criticism throughout the season, and fans are very happy that he is gone.

However, some across the NBA landscape believe the Lakers were hasty or unjustified in firing Ham. These people believe more of the blame should fall on the team’s players or front office, and not necessarily on Ham.

Former NBA head coach George Karl took the Lakers to task not just for deposing Ham, but also for their tendency to switch head coaches every couple of years.

He even attacked their 2020 NBA championship, claiming it “doesn’t count” because it was won inside the Walt Disney World Resort bubble during the nadir of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Karl, who used to coach the Denver Nuggets, the team that has eliminated the Lakers from the playoffs the last two seasons, has gone at the Purple and Gold multiple times in the recent past. He attacked the legitimacy of their 2020 world title last October, and he implied superstar big man Anthony Davis didn’t deserve to be named one of the NBA’s top 75 players of all time.