The Los Angeles Lakers have a marquee matchup on Friday against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. While fans will tune in to watch LeBron James and Anthony Davis go head-to-head with the two-time most valuable player, this game marks Darvin Ham’s first return to Milwaukee after being named the Lakers head coach.
Ham, who has already taken the reigns as the new leader for the Purple & Gold by accepting responsibility for mistakes early, returns to the city and team he assistant coached for from the 2018-2022 NBA season.
During Wednesday’s postgame interview, Ham was asked about what it would be like emotionally to return to Milwaukee. As anyone could have guessed, it will be something the former Bucks assistant will have to prepare his feelings for.
“I don’t know, man. We’ll see,” Ham said of his return to Milwaukee. “Hopefully, I don’t cry like a baby. But that’s, you know, it’s 50-50 right now, but just getting to go back to see, you know, another part of my journey and other part of my basketball family, some people I love dearly over there. It’s been huge for me in both my playing and coaching career. Being able to make history with those guys. It’s great. I mean, just it’s good to be able to build relationships like that. That’s a wonderful city. They’ve always shown me love, made me feel super duper welcome. And it reminds me a lot of home in Michigan. I’m a Midwest kid. So I’m looking forward to it. The game was another story. They’re a hell of a team. So we’re going to put our minds together and try to give our best shot and swing for the fences once we get on the court.”
The Lakers bench better have a box of Kleenex for Ham to use during his first return to Milwaukee. Nevertheless, the first-year head coach knows that to make his return stick, his Lakers team will need to show up and show out to win against one of the best teams in the NBA.
Some key matchups include the big man battle with Anthony Davis versus Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, the underrated matchup of the night will be the men with the clipboards calling the shots, Ham versus former co-worker, Mike Budenholzer.
Ryan’s Release Is For The Lakers To Open Up A Roster Spot
After the Lakers beat the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday, news broke out that L.A. was waiving sharpshooting forward, Matt Ryan.
Ryan, who has climbed amazing lengths to excel on the NBA stage, put his stamp on the heart of the Lakers faithful by walking away from the Purple & Gold with a buzzer-beating three to give the L.A. fans some hope early in the season.
As they say around professional sports, it is a business. This transaction gives the Lakers an open roster spot, to prepare for the speculated Lakers trade date of December 15 or later.