Lakers Coach Darvin Ham Gets Bad News On Future After Playoff Elimination

The Los Angeles Lakers are officially out of the playoff race. This puts the Lakers into an uncomfortable position and they are expected to make major moves in the offseason. Convincing LeBron James to stay is probably a priority right now, but fans have some concerns regarding Darvin Ham and his future with the team.

Ham found himself in the hot seat early in the season. Numerous reports confirmed that some players have issues with his decisions. Let’s not forget that Lakers fans chanted “Fire Darvin” in Game 3.

“The Lakers’ unflattering finish leaves Ham’s future as head coach in serious peril, multiple league and team sources tell The Athletic, with some stakeholders indicating it’s highly unlikely he’ll return. The plan is to reassess everything that went wrong in the coming days before making a final decision. In 2022, Ham signed a four-year deal in the range of $5 million per season, so the team would be assuming the remainder of his deal if he is fired.”

Lakers have to make a decision on Ham and his future role

Ham knows that his position with the Lakers is in danger. His team lost the series to Denver. We all know what happened to Frank Vogel.

“It’s been a hell of a two years sitting in this seat, I’ll tell you that,” Ham said after the Game 5 loss. “It’s been a hell of a two years.”

There may have been some mistakes on his end, but Ham admits that constant injuries had a huge impact on the final record. He accepted a great challenge, but it’s up to the front office to make a decision.

“It seemed like every time we hit a rhythm, somebody, a key piece, would fall out of the lineup. It is what it is, man,” Ham said. “I’m not going to feel sorry for myself, for ourselves. It’s an unbelievable franchise to represent. I couldn’t ask for a better governor, a better president of (basketball operations) in Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss. But I’ve seen a lot my first two years in this seat. I’ll continue to work, to get better and to control what I can control.”

Fans and players disagreed with some of the decisions Ham made. He was expected to take a different approach and even LeBron James was visibly frustrated with him.

“Throughout the series and most of the season, however, team officials and players believe Ham’s fluctuating rotations, game plans and lack of adjustments led to an underperforming group,” The Athletic trio of Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick reported. “It created discontent within the locker room, which became palpable across the franchise.”