D’Angelo Russell Blames Darvin Ham Ties With Former Lakers Guard For WCF Debacle

The Los Angeles Lakers lost the chance to win the Western Conference Finals last season. They couldn’t get past the Denver Nuggets. Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell talked about the way Dennis Schroder affected his relationship with head coach Darvin Ham.

“[Schröder’s] relationship with Darvin is the reason I couldn’t have a relationship with Darvin,” Russell told ESPN in a feature story that came out on March 13.

“When I was struggling, I would’ve been able to come to the coach and say, ‘Bro, this is what we should do. Like, I can help you.’ Instead, there was no dialogue. … I just accepted it. And we got swept and I’m here and he’s not. And I like our chances.”

Schroder and Ham worked together in Atlanta. They have an established relationship and Ham had a favorite. Russell saw less playing minutes than before and he was frustrated. He had a bigger role in the rounds against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors.

It got really tense and Russell wasn’t really sure about his return to the Lakers. Schroder joined the Toronto Raptors and Russell saw this as a sign.

“They were like, ‘We’re going to do whatever to try to keep you here,’” Russell told ESPN. “And I was like, ‘Are y’all going to let me rock out, though?’”

Ham was honest about his relationship with Russell

ESPN offered more details on the relationship between Ham and Russell. According to this, these two got into a heated debate in the film room in January. Ham wanted to see more from Russell and the point guard fired back. He told coach Ham that the team needs better schemes.

“There’s times we agree to agree, agree to disagree or come to an understanding,” Ham told ESPN of his relationship with Russell.

“But it’s not so much the dialogue as it is the access to have it. And I can’t stress that enough. I can go to him and let him know how I feel and meet him halfway, or tell him I need him to come more over to my way, or [it can be] him telling me how I need to trust him more and come more over to his way. And it’s a workable relationship.”