Lakers Players Want Darvin Ham Fired, Replaced With 1 Big Name

Darvin Ham is arguably the least respected coach in basketball right now.

L.A. came into this season fresh off a run to the Western Conference Finals. Most expected them to contend for a title in 2024.

Unfortunately, the combination of Ham’s refusal to play last year’s winning lineup, his weird decision to beef with franchise golden boys like Austin Reaves, and his bizarre decision to veto a key trade at the NBA Trade Deadline has kept Los Angeles at the bottom of the standings.

Now all signs point to the Lakers needing to win two play-in games just for the opportunity to face off against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs – a team they simply cannot beat.

According to Ashish Mathur of Hoops Wire, the Lakers’ players have had enough of Ham and his games. They want him gone and replaced with one other notable name.

“A source told Hoops Wire that Lakers players wanted assistant coach Phil Handy to replace Ham earlier in the season,” he wrote.

“However, Los Angeles owner Jeanie Buss is a fan of Ham and she has never thought about firing him as coach, the source said.”

That certainly checks out. Prior reports have suggested that, not only is Buss somewhat fond of Ham, but the front office also felt like getting rid of him would be bad PR.

Well, Buss kept her man. And it may have led to even worse PR.

What awaits Ham this summer when the Lakers inevitably get an early boot from the playoffs this year? An answer one way or the other is coming within the next few weeks.