There weren't a slew of top tier current NBA coaches vying for the Lakers head coaching job and how the organization has handled past coaches is a big reason why. On top of not letting Frank Vogel select his own assistants, director of basketball affairs Kurt Rambis attended coaching meetings from time to time to make heavy-handed suggestions about rotations and overall strategy.
In January, Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of The LA Times reported that Rambis sat in on a meeting with Vogel and his staff and strongly "advocated" for more minutes for DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard.
According to Substack.com's Marc Stein, Rambis dropping into his meetings isn't something that Darvin Ham will have to worry about.
"According to the buzz in NBA coaching circles over the weekend, Ham has likewise been promised the autonomy to pick his coaching staff and is said to have received assurances that Lakers senior advisor Kurt Rambis will not be a regular presence in coaching meetings like he was with Vogel. If those promises come to fruition and Ham actually receives all that latitude, they will rank as significant concessions secured by a first-time NBA head coach."
Honestly, it's slightly embarrassing that the Lakers had to put Ham at ease that a member of the front office won't be barnstorming his meetings. But that's just a testament to the dysfunctional nature of this franchise over the last few seasons.
Less Rambis, should hopefully lead to more wins for Ham and the Lakers.
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