Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

How unpopular is Darvin Ham among Lakers fans? 

Well, for starters, at least according to a poll on the show's YouTube page, fans would rather see Phil Jackson return—nearly 79 year old projector of intense "these teenagers need to get off my lawn" energy and once insulter of LeBron James Phil Jackson—than give the keys to Mike Budenholzer, who isn't any of those things and has won an NBA title and 50 games in a season multiple times. 

Why? 

Ham comes from the Budenholzer tree. It would mean firing the student to hire the teacher. And by about 2-1, Lakers fans favor Jackson in this scenario. 

Of course, in theory none of this matters. Who cares what fans think, right? Well, the Lakers for starters. And not without cause. After this much churn on the bench, perception is important. Honeymoon periods are going to be very short, and the energy fans project around the new coach will shape coverage and narratives. It's obviously not the only thing, or even the most important thing, for the Lakers to consider, but optics are surely some kind of a factor in their minds. 

So if Bud is out, what about Mark Jackson, a still-popular option among many Lakers fans? Not a great idea. We explain why. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Phil beats Bud! 

SEGMENT 2: Why fan sentiment around the new coach is at least a consideration in El Segundo. 

SEGMENT 3: Why Mark Jackson is a bad idea. 

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As the Lakers were losing (again) to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, it felt like they were far enough away from the defending champs that the deficit couldn't be placed entirely at the feet of Darvin Ham. Somewhere near his feet? Sure. A good chunk of that blame? Ok. But to the point where you'd say the Lakers would win if not for coaching? 

It was tough sell. 

That sales job, however, is looking a little easier now that Denver is down two games to none against Minnesota, including a 26-point pasting on Monday night. Even factoring in an injury to Jamal Murray (playing through a calf problem), the Nuggets are certainly looking a lot more vulnerable, and given that the series was tight (Denver won by a total of 22 points over four victories, and two games came down to the buzzer) maybe the question isn't so crazy. 

So would the Lakers have pushed the series to six games? Seven? Would they have won? The question encompasses not only the work Ham did in the postseason and individual moves within the games, but also how good his team was relative to its ceiling. 

And the answer matters. The Lakers need to have a good understanding of how far away they are, and in what areas, from the top teams in the conference. The more an upgrade at can address those shortcomings, the less they have to rely on potentially risky roster moves, or leaning harder into stars that are older and more pose a higher injury risk than those on the competition. So it's not just about piling on to Darvin Ham. 

Meanwhile, Anthony Davis finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, in a near-tie for third (Bam Adebayo) and with a huge advantage over fifth place Herb Jones. Does that soften the blow a little, in terms of charges that Davis doesn't get nearly enough respect on that end of the floor? And finally, Christian Wood is reportedly picking up his $3 million option for next season. It's fair to say this season didn't quite work out as hoped, but is it a good thing he'll be back next year? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Would the Lakers still be playing if they had a better coach this season? 

SEGMENT 2: Why the answer matters (beyond just piling on Darvin Ham)

SEGMENT 3: Anthony Davis finishes fourth, Christian Wood will return. 

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The Lakers have to find a new head coach, meaning there are a lot of decisions in front of them, some small, some large. But even before it comes time to actually start the interviews and begin negotiations with a preferred candidate, the Lakers need to decide a couple things, themselves. 

First, what do they really want in a coach? What qualities do they value? And then from there, what kind of basketball do they want to play? Different coaches have different strengths and styles. For the Lakers to know if they're getting the right guy, they need to  have an idea of what type of team they're trying to assemble, anyway. If the ethos of the organization doesn't match the ethos of the coach, there will be problems. 

Are those conversations happening? 

How good are the Lakers at making choices like this when there isn't an obvious choice? Because if there isn't an obvious choice, chances are you'll need to do a nice bit of work to match your team's strengths to your coach's. 

Finally, the Lakers have basically three categories of coach to choose from. The Budenholzer, Stotts, Atkinson type (i.e. former head coaches), a category of well-respected assistants most people think will make good head coaches (Adelman, Nori, Lee) ... which is basically like hiring from the same category as Darvin. Shouldn't be the reason they don't hire if the Lakers find themselves enamored with a rookie head coach. But what about the Never Coaches Anywhere crowd? That's a leap of faith to say the least. 

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Defenders of Darvin Ham—and while Lakers Nation isn't exactly full of them, there are some whether among fans or in the (generally national) media—have pointed out since the Lakers canned Ham (ha!) Friday afternoon that it's not fair to blame him for everything that went wrong this year. 

Darvin wasn't "the" problem.  The "real" problem was something else. 

The problem there, of course, is that the framing is too reductive. In any season like this one, responsibility for success and failure is spread around. So yeah, Darvin wasn't "the" problem, but he was "a" problem, and the easiest one to fix at the moment. The time will come for players to be held accountable, as the franchise chooses who they'll try to keep, who they let walk, and who they might use to try and upgrade the roster. But the final question is who holds the decision-makers accountable? Is Rob Pelinka going through a process of introspection similar to the one that led to his evaluation of Ham, and the need for his dismissal? How does that process work in the basketball ops department? 

And what about Jeanie Buss? Is she holding Pelinka responsible? Who does she talk with to get a feel for whether Pelinka is doing the job as well as he should? 

What happens if the answers to the questions that aren't about Ham's accountability aren't very good? Or aren't really being addressed at all? What does that mean for the capacity for success for the next guy? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Darvin got fired because he wasn't successful enough in his responsibilities this season...that doesn't mean he was the only issue. 

SEGMENT 2: Multiple things can be true at once. 


SEGMENT 3: Is Pelinka holding himself accountable? Is Jeanine holding Pelinka accountable? 

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The inevitable just became reality. On Friday, the Lakers announced that Darvin Ham has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Lakers. It's no surprise that Ham is out because all signs pointed in this direction, but it's actually pretty shocking that Ham, after doing such a good job building buy-in as a rookie coach with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, saw it all go to pot during his second year. Increasingly, Ham found his decisions being questioned by players, to say nothing of fans and, reportedly, the front office, and kept refusing to take public accountability for whatever struggles. You can't do that in a season that didn't live up to expectations, which explains in part why Ham is out.

Still, nobody can honestly say ALL of the problems were the coach. The roster isn't perfect, even if the oodles of supporting players who were injured stayed healthy. LeBron requires season-long maintenance. And there aren't many obvious choices to replace Ham. Lot of pressure on Rob Pelinka to get this right. 

We shall see what comes next. 


HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers haven't canned Ham yet. Why? 

SEGMENT 2: What should the Lakers be doing with this time? 

SEGMENT 3: Is Pelinka escaping criticism? 

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WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG? 

While not exactly the sentiment of every Lakers fan... it's the sentiment of many when it comes to the expected dismissal of Darvin Ham from his gig with the Lakers. After all, reports following LA's Game 5 loss to the Nuggets earlier in the week suggested Ham's job was all but gone. Subsequent reports say the Lakers are still moving down that path, potentially as early as the end of the week. Which, to be clear, is basically today. So if they know they want to do it, and are continuing to leak that they're going to do it... why haven't they done it? 

Well, one  reason might be the fallout from the last time they fired a coach. You may remember the Lakers received some flak, and lost out on opportunities to interview desired candidates, after they leaked that Frank Vogel was out and it was reported basically at the buzzer of their final game, before Frank Vogel even reached the podium. So, hey, don't do that again! But is this way any better, whether to be respectful to Ham or to burnish the team's reputation? 

What could they be doing, beyond PR and news cycle management? Certainly the Lakers ought to be doing due diligence, making sure they like potential candidates out there more than they like the idea of trying to make it work with Ham. After all, the guy did have a reasonably promising first season before things went south this year, and isn't far off from being one of the more sought after head coaching candidates out there. 

Maybe they're double checking with all the critical stakeholders not only about whether they're ok with Darvin going, but also what type of coach would make sense to replace him, and whether that hypothetical coach would be available. So maybe all of these things are happening, but if the Lakers have their minds made up, they ought to get it done sooner rather than later. 

Meanwhile, is all of this attention on Ham fair? Some hoops minds think he's getting too much criticism for how the team's season turned out. And does all of this distract from criticism Rob Pelinka should be getting? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers haven't canned Ham yet. Why? 

SEGMENT 2: What should the Lakers be doing with this time? 

SEGMENT 3: Is Pelinka escaping criticism? 

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The immediate business ahead of the Lakers is deciding, or perhaps just finding the right time to announce, the future of Darvin Ham. 

But while everyone waits on that—and the Lakers did in fact conduct exit interviews internally (and away from probing questions from media types)—one could certainly assume that major stakeholders were asked not just about Darvin, but more importantly what worked and what didn't this year, and what kind of coach they'd like to see next season. 

That would include, at least in theory, LeBron James, whose own future in Los Angeles isn't exactly an open question, but isn't solidified, either. He is expected to opt out of his deal, and while a return to LA is what most expect and is unquestionably the most likely outcome, the contours of that future are very much unknown. Will LeBron demand three years at the max? A full no-trade clause? 

Is there anything, really, he could ask for that the Lakers wouldn't give? After all, both parties are pretty much tied to each other, assuming LeBron wants to play on a competitive team in a city he likes and get paid what he feels he's worth. The Lakers, meanwhile, can't replace James with comparable talent, so it's either sign him to a deal he likes or blow up the roster and start over. 

They're not going to do that. 

Still, the parameters of the relationship might look a little different than anyone expected, because it's worth wondering if anyone thought it would last this long. We've all been having the Father Time conversation for a while now, and LeBron is still chugging along at an elite level. Is he the best player in the game? No, but is he still in that highest echelon? Yeah, probably. It's fair to ask, and LeBron seems to be doing just that, whether his body will be the thing that forces him to quit, as it is with most athletes. Instead, his will to play could be the first thing that goes. 

Plus, the whole Bronny conversation has radically shifted, following the younger James' challenging year at USC. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: What does the future hold for LeBron?

SEGMENT 2: Did anyone expect to be here? 

SEGMENT 3: How the evolving Bronny situation impacts LBJ's decision. 

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The Lakers have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, but without question the highest profile choice is about Darvin Ham. Does LA fire him, as is the broad expectation based on multiple reports? 

If so, why? 

For starters, you can look to a few recent quotes, some from after Monday's loss and more in a story published by ESPN following the game. In both, Ham defended himself against accusations of mismanagement in areas like lineups and rotations, focusing on injuries that ruined his ability to be consistent. He defended himself against high profile benchings over the course of the season by asking what you're supposed to do if a player is "sh***ing the bed" for 10 games in a row? Given that the only three guys this really applies to are Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell, three of the team's five best players, you can forgive any of them for thinking the coach was publicly, well, pooping on their performance. 

And while there some truth to what he's arguing, none of these statements were accompanied by any sense of accountability. The poor performance is the responsibility of fate, or players who aren't up to par, or a media that doesn't get it. Never about him and the staff, even if just to deal with the relationship management aspect of the job (which, it should be said, is probably the most important aspect of being an NBA head coach). 

Still, the Lakers are reportedly engaging in a "post-mortem" to figure out what they want to do. On the surface, the results would seem self-evident: Ham has to go. But if he's fired, he needs to be replaced, which means the Lakers need to know who they want, and more importantly, why. What kind of coach are they looking for. Would yet another first-time head coach be a viable option? Is there a scenario where it makes more sense to try and repair a dynamic with a coach that a year ago seemed much more promising? One good year, one bad for a guy who was extremely well-regarded when the Lakers made the hire? 

What would "repair" over "replace" entail? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Darvin Ham sounds like a man with many excuses. 

SEGMENT 2: What do the Lakers want in a head coach? 

SEGMENT 3: Is there a scenario where it makes more sense to keep Darvin? 

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When those who defend the Lakers talk about how the distance between them and the best teams in the league isn't necessarily that big, Monday's Game 5 loss to the Nuggets, eliminating the Lakers from the postseason, is what they're talking about. 

Jamal Murray, once again, was the catalyst. He scores Denver's final five points, and they beat LA 108-106. 

This was a fantastic game, with huge punches thrown by both teams, and massive emotional swings. Both teams were banged up. There were significant injuries during the game, to Anthony Davis first and foremost (a shoulder that functionally removed him from LA's offense for the last 18 minutes or so), but also Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and for a moment, at least, LeBron. The Lakers lost this game on the margins in many ways - untimely offensive rebounds given up, open shots that needed to go down - and spots that aren't exactly marginal, like nine missed free throws. 

The Lakers went down swinging, but they went down. Really, the issue wasn't that they lost this game, but that they lost Game 2. Or the opportunity to win Game 1, or Game 3. 

So now the Lakers have a ton of questions to ask. About Darvin Ham, most importantly. But about the roster, as well. What happens if/when LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell opt out? Do the Lakers package guys in a trade for another star? Which one? Can the Lakers make significant improvements to the supporting cast? Do they run it back and try to continue developing the continuity that has served a team like Denver so well? 

Is Rob Pelinka the right guy to be orchestrating all of this? 

It's going to be a VERY interesting offseason... 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers lose a heartbreaker. 

SEGMENT 2: Who gets blamed for Game 5? A lot of fingers are pointing to Ham, as usual. 

SEGMENT 3: What to make of the series.  

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Playoff series often hinge on the fairly random prospect of who is available and who is not when the games need to be played. You can be the second best team in the East, but if Giannis and Dame are injured, you might just lose in the first round to Indiana. The Lakers, while they've enjoyed a good run of health from Anthony Davis and LeBron James (and this is the most important thing, obviously) they've been unable to really play big in ways that would benefit them against the Nuggets because of injuries. 

Now Christian Wood is back, having returned for Game 3. And Jarred Vanderbilt has been upgraded from out to questionable for tonight's Game 5 in Denver. 

Wood didn't play in Game 4. He might not play in Game 5. But if Vanderbilt is available, even acknowledging that he likely won't be fully healthy and certainly won't have his full level of fitness, would Darvin Ham put him in the game? 

Probably, and with good cause. We explain. 

Meanwhile, Nuggets star Jamal Murray is going the other way for Denver, having been downgraded to questionable for the game with a calf injury. This situation provides a legitimately tricky set of options for Denver. Play him, and there's a better chance of eliminating the Lakers tonight and getting Murray (and everyone else) rest. (The Nuggets would start the second round next weekend.) Sit him, and while Denver could still undoubtedly win (and would likely still be favored, with the game in Denver) it would significantly increase LA's chances of forcing a Game 6. That would be dangerous, but it would also give Murray until Thursday to feel better. 

Finally, while the Lakers did get a little bit of weight off their shoulders by winning Game 4 and putting the losing streak against Denver to bed, they still have a looooooooong road ahead of them before they'd be in position to actually win the series. How do you play the mental games required to not get overwhelmed by the long odds at hand? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: What would losing Jamal Murray mean for Denver? What would be the smart play? 

SEGMENT 2: The Lakers might welcome back Vanderbilt. Should Darvin play him? 

SEGMENT 3: The mental gymnastics the Lakers have to execute in order to give themselves the best chance at pulling off the miracle. 

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Nissan
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Gametime
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FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)