3 Darvin Ham replacements the Lakers need to consider

The Los Angeles Lakers were dispatched from the NBA Playoffs in five games. Once again, the Denver Nuggets were present to drive the nail in the coffin. Unlike last season, however, there is serious uncertainty about the Lakers' future. LA didn't lose in the conference finals, it lost in the first round, and LeBron James is set to enter free agency for the first time since 2018.

James probably won't leave, but he will exercise his considerable leverage to influence change in the organization. One probable vicitm is head coach Darvin Ham, who endured thinly-veiled barbs from his players and the media all season. Los Angeles' failures extend well beyond Ham, but he is not without fault. He's also the easiest scapegoat.

As The Athletic's Shams Charania reports, Ham's tenure in LA is expected to be short-lived. After two seasons leading the charge, Ham is on the chopping block.

"Lakers finish to season has left coach Darvin Ham’s future in serious peril, as some stakeholders indicate he is highly unlikely to return, sources say."

When the "stakeholders" are involved, you know it's bad. The Lakers are about to be looking for a head coach if the tea leaves are any indication. Here are a few plausible options worth their consideration.

3. Lakers can play it safe and hire Mike Budenholzer

Sometimes it's best to go straight to the source. Darvin Ham was a much-celebrated branch of the Mike Budenholzer coaching tree in Atlanta and Milwaukee, but he couldn't translate that experience to success as a head coach. Bud is not without his shortcomings, but few coaches have been more reliably successful over the last decade. He has a career win percentage of 60.4 and he led Milwaukee to the mountaintop in 2021. You can see how the Bucks have faired without Budenholzer this season.

Bud is known in particular for establishing elite defenses. He makes the most of high-level rim protectors, such as Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He would be a great coach for Anthony Davis, tightening the screws on Los Angeles' defense and putting its All-NBA center in a position to succeed every night.

A product of Gregg Popovich's long lineage of successful coaching offspring in San Antonio, Budenholzer led the Hawks to 60 wins and the conference finals. He coached Kyle Korver to the freakin' All-Star game. The Bucks took off when Budenholzer replaced Jason Kidd, and not by coincidence.

The primary concern with Budenholzer is his lack of flexibility and schematic versatility in the playoffs, but the baseline is extremely high. Los Angeles would be a guaranteed top-five defense with a proven coach that should command LeBron's respect. There would be a few groans from members of the fanbase who are reluctant to embrace a retread, but sometimes the great coaches get re-hired for a reason. Bud shouldn't have waited this long for a new job. In fact, Milwaukee probably regrets letting him go. Such is life.

2. Lakers can hire 'mini' Erik Spoelstra away from Heat

Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn has been referred to as Erik Spoelstra's "mini me" in league circles. It is unclear why every team isn't vying for Miami assistants every summer. Any chance of that Spo Magic Dust rubbing off on your franchise is a chance worth taking.

Quinn has been working under Spoelstra since 2014. He is familiar with LeBron, and vice versa. James' relationship with Spoelstra wasn't always rosy during his Miami days, but after a couple championships, respect tends to crystalize. We are talking about the top assistant of the (undisputed?) best coach in basketball. The right-hand man of the man who captained Miami to the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed last season.

Known as a detail-oriented grinder who has embraced the famous 'Heat Culture' in Miami, Quinn is also a former player — a clever, table-setting point guard who has always thought the game at a high level. He has experience that players can relate to, as well as first-hand knowledge of how Spoelstra game plans and where Miami holds its voodoo rituals every April.

It's past time for Quinn to get his head coaching chance. Like, seriously, what are we doing here? The Lakers aren't necessarily a natural destination for a first-time coach, but Quinn has been around winning enough to inspire confidence, and the built-in relationship with LeBron certainly won't hurt.

1. Lakers can pull J.J. Redick back into the NBA lifestyle

J.J. Redick is a finalist for the Charlotte Hornets job. It says a lot about Redick's love for the game that he is willing to throw away ESPN's premium announcing gig and a world-famous basketball podcast to grind it out with the Charlotte Hornets. He's a Duke grad, I get it, but the Hornets aren't exactly a prestige program.

The Lakers, on the other hand, would offer Redick a chance to immediately contend. He's also co-hosting an X's and O's podcast with LeBron, and any Lakers hire will be centered on appeasing James. Redick is clearly a smart dude, with 15 years of valuable NBA experience and an analytical mind that projects favorably in the modern coaching landscape.

It's hard to go straight from never coaching to leading an NBA franchise. Redick would be a huge risk for the Lakers, and there are several quality assistant coaches who have paid their dues in ways Redick has not. We shouldn't put Redick on a pedestal just because he has a podcast and he broadcasts his basketball knowledge to the world.

And yet, that is certainly something the Lakers could do. Redick undoubtedly knows the game well enough to have a fighting chance, and the coaches he played under — Doc Rivers, Brett Brown, Stan Van Gundy — surely passed along plenty of wisdom. Redick has long been one of the NBA's craftiest players, capable of bending defenses to their breaking point without even touching the rock.

This is a major risk, and one the young Hornets are probably better prepared to take. But... the Lakers are 'Show Time.' They hired Rob Pelinka because of his relationship with Kobe Bryant. Magic Johnson was in charge of the front office once upon a time. Redick has LeBron's ear in a public forum, and he's the sort of flashy name that Los Angeles could be attracted to, even if it's not the best choice.