The Darvin Ham era with the Los Angeles Lakers is over after two seasons.
On Friday, the Lakers dismissed Ham, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and other NBA insiders.
This news wasn't a surprise to anyone really. Ham was on the hot seat after the Lakers lost in five games to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Lakers dismissed coach Darvin Ham, sources tell ESPN. In two seasons, Ham was 90-74 with a Western Conference Finals berth, two Play-In victories and an In-Season title. Lakers lost in five games to Denver in opening-round. pic.twitter.com/33ck0Hgyu4
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 3, 2024
Darvin Ham got the ax for Lakers failing to live up to their talent
All things considered, Ham's résumé with the Lakers wasn't terrible. His teams simply ran into the buzzsaw that is the Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
But it wasn't just about losing those series. It was the way Los Angeles lost, with Ham having seemingly no clue how to coax his team to victory. The Lakers lost 4-1 but they had real opportunities to make the series far more competitive than it would seem on just wins and losses. There was a sense that Ham wasn't getting the most out of his roster.
The bigger issue was that the Lakers had to play the Nuggets in the first round in the first place. LeBron James and Anthony Davis were relatively healthy and available during the regular season. Having to go through the Play-In Tournament was an indictment of the performance of the team all season. They didn't live up to their potential and the buck ultimately stopped with Ham, even if he tried to shift the blame at the end.
It stands to reason the Lakers will now look for a new coach who James in particular approves of. He can opt out of his deal and enter free agency. There are already signs that LA is willing to draft his son Bronny James in an effort to keep him in town but the appointment of the right head coach will undoubtedly play a role in recruiting him back to purple and gold.