As what was widely expected, the Los Angeles Lakers handed Darvin Ham his walking papers, parting ways with the head coach after just two seasons. The final straw apparently for Ham in LA was the team’s series loss in the first round of the 2024 NBA Finals at the hands of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Not a few people think that Ham was used as a scapegoat by the Lakers for the franchise’s shortcomings in the playoffs, including Boston Celtics superfan and founder of The Ringer Bill Simmons, who commented on the Ham firing in a rather sarcastic way.
Here’s what Simmons said after news of Ham’s dismissal as Lakers head coach broke out:
It was all Darvin Ham’s fault! Remember when he traded for Westbrook, picked D-Lo over Conley in the Russ makeup trade, drafted Hood-Schifino over Jaquez, signed Wood and Reddish, gave Rui and D-Lo short deals that immediately made them trade rumor guys…
Darvin Ham Did Not Satisfy the Los Angeles Lakers Enough
The Lakers were the underdogs against the reigning NBA champions Nuggets and managed to win just a game in the first round. Last year, the Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals but got swept by the Nuggets. Despite his short stint with the Lakers, Ham was able to have his fair share of highs with the franchise. But the standards of Los Angeles and its fans are always set higher, with a championship always expected of the team to deliver, and the head coach always being a major target every time the fanbase gets frustrated with the result.
Ham had his lows as well with the Lakers and it; ‘s just unfortunate for him that he will not have the chance to rectify and improve on them now that he’s no longer part of the Los Angeles organization.
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