Darvin Ham's last words after Game 1 loss prove he's wrong coach for Lakers

The Lakers fell to the Nuggets 114-103 in Game 1 of the first-round series in the Western Conference Saturday night. After the game Lakers head coach Darvin Ham gave a blunt statement of what the Lakers are challenging against.

Ham and the Lakers need to win this series against the Nuggets to prove that they can be taken seriously around the league. They have nine straight losses to the Nuggets, including last year's sweep in the Western Conference Finals.

But it leaves many to wonder if the root of the issue is with Darvin Ham. He has come under fire for much of the season and seasons prior by Lakers fans.

He lacks in-game adjustments and relies too much on the dominance of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The only reason the Lakers have gone on their postseason runs, such as last year's Western Conference Finals appearance and Play-In Tournament win, was primarily because of the way James and Davis played alongside one another.

Could the Lakers fire Darvin Ham this offseason?

Ham's attitude towards the organization and media shows his lack of hope in his team this season. And if the Lakers exit early this season, there is a sense that his job will be at risk. It looked like Ham was on thin ice midway through his second season, and many of the locker room were known to be unhappy with the state of the front office and coaching.

A lot of what Ham says during press conferences have fans and the media shaking their head. For instance, after a Lakers-Kings matchup earlier in March, Ham had this to say:

"I wish I could tell Mike Brown [...] just let us know what you're going to run so we can stop it."

It almost comes off as if he doesn't take his job seriously. It's been a known joke around the league that whatever team James is on, he is the coach and GM, but Ham looks like he may actually be taking that mentality seriously.