With the Los Angeles Lakers greatly struggling since winning the NBA In-Season Tournament, Darvin Ham’s seat has begun to heat up.
Things came to a head after the Lakers’ recently loss to the Miami Heat when a report came out that there was a disconnect between Ham and the players because of his constantly changing lineups and rotations.
Despite whatever disconnect there is though, it doesn’t appear that the Lakers are on the verge of firing Ham just yet. It’s still relatively early in the season and he has shown that he can guide this organization through turmoil, as evidenced by the Lakers’ Western Conference Finals run last season after starting 2-10/
It the Lakers do make a change though then the question becomes who would replace Ham for the rest of the season and long term. It appears the favorite may be assistant coach Phil Handy, via Sam Amick of The Athletic:
The other factor here, as is always the case in situations like these, relates to a possible replacement. It was no surprise “Doc Rivers” was trending on social media channels in the hours after the Lakers story dropped, as the former Magic/Celtics/Clippers/Sixers coach and current ESPN analyst is currently available. When you talk to people closer to the situation, it’s Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy who is more often brought up as a possible pick. But again, we’re not there quite yet.
Handy is very popular in the Lakers organization among the players, fans and staff. He is known to be a player development coach but has expanded his role in recent years and has even stated his desire to eventually run him own team.
Plan A for the Lakers seems to be sticking with Ham and hoping he and the team can turn things around. But if things continue to go poorly and the organization decides it needs a change, then Handy is patiently waiting in the wings for his first opportunity as an NBA head coach.
Darvin Ham will continue working to find best starting lineup for Lakers
According to the reports that came out, the issue the Lakers players have with Ham is him constantly changing lineups, rotations and roles.
Part of the reason for that is not many lineups have worked, but Ham recently said that he will continue working tirelessly and won’t leave any stoned unturned when trying to find the starting lineup that works best for the Lakers.
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