Time has run out for Darvin Ham. After two seasons in charge of the Los Angeles Lakers, his stint is now coming to an end. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, “The Los Angeles Lakers dismissed coach Darvin Ham, sources tell ESPN.” Ham’s dismissal doesn’t come as a shock to most NBA fans; in fact, the writing has been on the wall for quite some time now. However, the Lakers’ premature exit from the playoffs proved to be the last straw.
The Los Angeles Lakers succumbed to the Denver Nuggets for the second consecutive postseason. During his two-season stint, Darvin Ham led the Lakers to victory in 90 out of 164 games. He also guided the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals last season and the inaugural in-season tournament. However, his dismissal was rather acrimonious. According to Woj, “Lakers GM Rob Pelinka informed Ham of decision in phone call short time ago.”
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Several coaches are in the fray for the head coaching gig, and the Lakers’ search will commence soon. Candidates like Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick, and potentially Ty Lue are all under consideration. Despite the coaching talent on offer, one name stands out. JJ Redick has garnered a reputation for being tactically sound, as evidenced by his tactics-heavy podcast with LeBron James, Mind the Game.
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Therefore, many fans have speculated that the Lakers could hire JJ Redick if LeBron is consulted on the matter. One Instagram user suggested that LeBron would force the Lakers to hire Redick, only to backtrack on his decision a couple of months later. They wrote, “LeBron gonna hire JJ Redick, then 4 months later say they need a new coach.” Another Lakers fan was in the same boat, claiming, “JJ REDICK 100% LOCK IN.”
This is a developing story…
