Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy could be next in line if Darvin Ham gets fired

With Darvin Ham officially on the hot seat now, the focus is beginning to shift to his potential replacements. So far, the only name to emerge has been longtime Lakers assistant Phil Handy, who is apparently next in line to inherit the job from Ham.

"When you talk to people closer to the situation, it’s Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy who is more often brought up as a possible pick," wrote Sam Amick of The Athletic. "But again, we’re not there quite yet."

Currently, there are no plans in place to replace Darvin or anyone on his staff. But the noise has already begun and if the Lakers keep losing at this rate, it's only a matter of time before Ham gets the boot. The question is, would replacing Darvin really make a difference for this team, or is the situation already too far gone?

Who Is Phil Handy?

Handy has yet to take on a head coaching role, but he's been LA's most prominent assistant for years now and experts have been waiting for him to get an opportunity. Handy, who has coached for the Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Toronto Raptors as an assistant, joined the Lakers in 2019 and was instrumental in helping them win the championship. Of course, without full head coaching experience, it's impossible to say if Handy is suited for this role but he's certainly not a bad option for a team looking to get back on the right track.

Right now, this Lakers team needs someone who can stick to a game plan that works for everybody and plays the best players regardless of any personal vendetta. Darvin Ham does not deserve all the blame for the team's struggles, but it's clear from the recent rumors that they are not happy with the schemes right now. After years working with James and Davis behind the scenes, Phil Handy may be the best person suited for the job and you can bet that he'll be the first name mentioned if Ham ever gets let go.

Darvin On the Hot Seat

Darvin Ham was initially brought in to heal a broken locker room and he did a fine job at that as he led the Lakers to a deep playoff run. But Russell Westbrook is gone now and the situation has changed in Los Angeles. Amid all he losing, it's now Darvin who finds himself under pressure and he's been failing every test so far with his lineup changes and questionable rotation adjustments.

With a 17-18 record this season, the Lakers are back in the play-in territory and are just one or two losses away from dropping out of the picture entirely. At this point, it's hard to imagine that Darvin will stick around for the whole season but he's still got some time to turn things around and save his Lakers tenure. If not, a new coaching search will begin with names like Phil Handy and Doc Rivers at the top of the list.