Sadly, the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers is sacked due to the mis…
The Lakers have been under a lot of light these past two days, and rightfully so following their defeat to the Heat. The questions will be raised after a loss at home against a Heat team without Jimmy Butler, in which they trailed the entire game and LeBron James was essentially ineffective.
Following a series of discouraging weeks following the in-season tournament, Wednesday marked a significant turning point in the conversation regarding head coach Darvin Ham’s future.
Given the Lakers’ downward trajectory, the questions were warranted. However, at this point, they are only questions because, as Sam Amick of The Athletic notes, it doesn’t seem like the team wants to fire Ham (emphasis added).
However, as we are reminded annually, there is a big difference between the players surrounding a coach losing their cool and the people in positions of authority actually choosing to fire him. In light of this, a senior Lakers source refuted the notion that Ham is about to lose his job. Nevertheless, Ham is obviously under a lot of internal pressure, and the only way he can relieve that pressure is by making his escape possible in the coming days and weeks.
This is the way it should be with Ham for the time being. Increase the ante and insist on outcomes that haven’t been shown in previous weeks.
Perhaps it’s something that helps the Lakers get back on track. The team performed admirably last season despite being under pressure for the majority of the second half of the campaign, leading them all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
In the end, the Lakers’ winning the in-season tournament and the team’s overall atmosphere aren’t all that far off. Furthermore, the run to the Western Conference Finals is not to be laughed at. Ham merits a little wiggle room.
The Lakers haven’t changed their head coach during the season since Mike Brown did so in 2013. While this statistic has a lot of context, it also demonstrates a general philosophy that favors giving coaches time to work things out and acknowledges that making changes in the middle of the season is a risky move that could cause things to fall apart even more quickly.
The Lakers are under intense scrutiny, and it’s either time for them to respond positively or demonstrate just how bad things can really get.
