The Los Angeles Lakers are once again searching for a new head coach.
Darvin Ham was fired by the Lakers on Friday, according to multiple reports. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka informed Ham of the decision via telephone.
The Lakers confirmed the news with a statement thanking Ham for his contributions to the franchise.
Ham finishes with a record of 90-74 in two seasons with the Lakers. He led the team to the Western Conference Finals last year, where they were swept by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets knocked L.A. out of the playoffs again this year, beating them in five games in the opening round.
Almost immediately after the Lakers lost Game 5 to the Nuggets on Monday night, a report said there was “discontent” in L.A.’s locker room and that Ham was likely to be fired. The report claimed players were frustrated about fluctuating rotations and did not agree with some of the lineups Ham used throughout the season.
Ham later defended himself over the multiple lineups he used and may have called out one of his starters while doing so.
The Lakers did not assemble championship-caliber rosters around LeBron James the past two seasons, but they obviously felt Ham should have done more with what he had. The team will now begin another coaching search that might include an ESPN analyst.
More must-reads: