3 Darvin Ham replacements the Lakers must avoid at all cost

The Los Angeles Lakers made their decision quickly, firing head coach Darvin Ham just days after the Lakers were swatted back out of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets for the second straight year. There was at least some buzz that Ham might get another shot but he faced constant questions about his rotations during the regular season and right up into the playoffs. He and Anthony Davis had to "agree to disagree" about the Lakers' level of preparation and in the end, he had no meaningful adjustments to offer against Denver.

Getting this next head coaching hire right is essential for the Lakers with their championship window hanging open by a thread. LeBron James will reportedly opt-out of his contract this season and explore his options. It seems extremely likely that he'd ultimately return to the Lakers but they need to hire someone who has LeBron's confidence and can make the most of what's remaining of his rapidly dwindling career.

A slew of names has already been mentioned as potential candidates, including Mike Budenholzer, J.J. Redick, Terry Stotts, David Adelman, Kenny Atkinson, Ty Lue (who is still the coach of the Clippers) and more. That list will likely grow over the next few days and while there is no consensus right answer at this point, there are a few candidates with some obvious stay-away red flags.

3. Kevin Ollie

Ollie hasn't appeared on any rumored list of possible candidates but if the Lakers are serious about a thorough search his name should at least come up. He played for 11 teams across a 13-season career as a mostly unremarkable backup point guard before moving into coaching.

Ollie spent two seasons as an assistant at UConn before taking over for Jim Calhoun. He helped lead the Huskies to a National Championship in 2014 but the program eventually descended into chaos with NCAA investigations of multiple recruiting violations. He was fired in 2018 and eventually joined the Brooklyn Nets as an assistant in 2023. He finished the season as interim head coach after Jacque Vaughn was fired.

Ollie has precious little NBA head coaching experience but his national title at UConn still provides a certain amount of clout and his name recognition and stint with the Nets may be enough to get him more than a passing glance. But there's nothing to indicate he's ready to step into a role as complex as the this Lakers' opening. Shabazz Napier is the only real NBA player who came through UConn during his tenure there. His stint as Nets head coach was unimpressive enough that he was replaced at the end of the season by another first-time head coach. The Lakers need someone with more to offer.

2. Terry Stotts

Stotts is a veteran head coach who is likely to get a look as well, even if his name hasn't really featured in many rumors yet. He had a pair of unremarkable two-year head coaching stints with the Hawks and Bucks in the 2000s before taking over the Portland Trail Blazers for a nine-year stretch from 2012-2021. He has more than 500 career wins but with a win percentage just barely above 0.500.

He may not be the most exciting name you'll hear floated but Stotts has a solid record, he's worked with star players like Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge and he was reportedly a finalist for the Lakers' opening two years ago before they ultimately hired Darvin Ham. He also has a strong connection with Lillard — he joined the Bucks as an assistant at the beginning of this year to help run their offense and make Lillard feel comfortable before ultimately resigning because of disagreements with Adrian Griffin.

Even if he's not helping recruit Lillard to the Lakers, Stotts is as experienced a candidate as the Lakers are likely to find, someone who has been through the wars in the Western Conference. But his resume is also loaded with mediocrity. His Trail Blazers teams made the playoffs eight straight seasons and won just four total playoff series, two of which were courtesy of series-clinching buzzer-beaters from Lillard. He'd probably be fine but the Lakers need more than that.

1. J.J. Redick

Redick has already been mentioned by numerous outlets as a possible candidate and is, by far, the most interesting name out there. He's never been a head coach before, sliding into media roles after retiring and currently hosting a podcast with LeBron James. However, he's stated plainly that he would like to coach and reportedly was in consideration for the Raptors' opening last year and the Hornets opening a few weeks ago.

Redick may have a bright future in front of him as a coach. He is a smart and well-respected NBA veteran with a solid relationship with LeBron. But the track record of former players moving directly into head coaching roles is decidedly mixed, especially early in their careers. It certainly didn't work for Steve Nash. The jury is very much still out on Chauncey Billups. Jason Kidd has had some success but also made some catastrophic mistakes with the Bucks. It worked for Steve Kerr but remember that he spent three years as general manager of the Phoenix Suns before jumping into coaching.

All that is to say, Redick is a gamble. He might be the long-term answer for the Lakers but it could take him a while to find his stride and the team simply doesn't have time to spare. At best, they may only have two years of LeBron James left. They can't waste any of that with a first-time head coach getting his feet wet. The Lakers need a sure thing, or as close to one as they can reasonably find.