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LakerTom wrote a new post
With the team stuck in 10th place and only 18 games left in the season, the Los Angeles Lakers would be smart to fire second-year head coach Darvin Ham right now rather than waiting until this summer to make the change.
While the Lakers will probably wait until the offseason to make a head coaching change, there are compelling reasons why they would be better off making the change right now rather than waiting until this summer.
Firing Ham right now could save the Lakers’ season and their relationship with LeBron James plus give them a head start on securing a new coach, deciding whom to keep, and resetting the franchise’s goals and priorities.Everybody knew the Lakers were essentially sacrificing this season for the future when they decided not to make any moves at the deadline, leaving coach Ham with a flawed roster lacking critical frontcourt size and depth.
But Ham’s inability to handle the simple basic head coach responsibilities like building smart lineups, making the right substitutions, calling critical timeouts, and managing game strategies and tactics has been glaring.Frankly, it seems inevitable that Darvin Ham will be fired this summer. The front office has reportedly had to intervene several times to resolve team rotation and playing time issues between Ham and disgruntled players.
The Lakers need to do whatever they can to save this season. As long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy and thriving, the reality is the Lakers will always have a puncher’s chance to win the NBA championship.Here are five reasons why the Lakers should fire Darvin Ham right now rather than waiting until next summer, when their attention should be on building their next championship team, not searching for a new coach.
1. Only Opportunity To Save Season
While changing coaches at this point would be dramatic, the only way the Los Angeles Lakers can save this season is by firing Darvin Ham right now and replacing him with Phil Handy as the team’s Interim Head Coach.
There’s no question that Darvin Ham has lost this team, that LeBron James and Anthony Davis no longer are listening to or respect him. Waiting until this summer to replace him will only create more confusion and disarray.
After Tuesday night’s collapse against the Kings, the Lakers now have only a remote chance of making the top-6 in the West and will end up as one of four teams forced to win the Play-In Tournament to make the playoffs.Throwing away a season where LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both healthy and playing like superstars would be pure basketball malfeasance. The Lakers should fire Ham now and give Phil Handy a chance to shine.
There’s a better chance Phil Handy could get the team to play better and win the head coaching job for next season than Darvin Ham could survive the rest of the season and be confirmed as head coach next summer.The Lakers have always believed that they have a chance to beat any team if they have a healthy and thriving LeBron James and Anthony Davis heading into the playoffs. They showed last year that the Play-In couldn’t stop them.
What the Lakers need right now is for the team to fire Darvin Ham and promote Phil Handy to Interim Head Coach. That’s the only front office move they can make at this point to possibly save the 2023–24 season.It’s obvious right now this Lakers team is not going to make the playoffs with Darvin Ham as head coach. The only way the Lakers can save this season is to fire Darvin Ham and promote Phil Handy to Interim Coach.
2. Jump Start Finding New Coach
The last thing the Lakers want to be doing next summer is searching for a new head coach when their focus should be on trading for a third superstar to support LeBron and AD and replace James when he decides to retire.
Firing Darvin Ham now would jump start the Lakers search to find his replacement. Besides giving Phil Handy a chance to show what he could do as the head coach, firing Ham opens door for L.A. to start searching.
Unfortunately, the list of available head coach candidates is largely filled with the usual retread list of out-of-work head coaches that includes Mark Jackson, Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, Terry Stotts, and Sam Cassell.Other head coach candidates whom the Lakers might have interest include L.A. assistant coaches Phil Handy and Chris Jent as well as highly respected young coaches like the Kings’ Jordi Fernandez or the Bucks’ Charles Lee.
Phil Handy and Chris Jent both have strong relationships with LeBron James and either of them deserves to be given a trial opportunity to see if they could possibly fit as the long-term head coach of the Lakers.The Lakers have never opted for what could be considered an open search for a head coach conducted by an elite professional executive search firm. Instead, Jeanie and Rob have always trusted their own private networks.
If the Lakers are likely to fire Darvin Ham this summer, doing it now could give them a valuable opportunity to see if Handy or Jent is up to the job and, if they’re not, they then get a head start on finding Jam’s replacement.Should the Lakers no longer believe Darvin Ham is their coach of the future, firing him right now would be a smart move that would give them more time to to experiment and decide who will be their next coach.
3. Reevaluate Current Roster Needs
Another compelling reason why the Lakers need to fire Darvin Ham right now is he is simply in the way of finding out what they have in the current roster before they can finally decide what to do via trades this summer.
While the current scuttlebut is that the Lakers are going to try and pull off a blockbuster trade for a third max-salary superstar this summer, with Trae Young as the favored target, much still depends on the rest of the season.
Because of a plague of injuries and inept player evaluation and poor lineup construction by the coaching staff, the Lakers still are not sure what they have in D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and the rest of their young roster.Even if the Lakers’ chances of winning a championship are remote, the rest of the season is critical to determining whom the team wants to keep and whom they no longer want. Darvin may not be the best coach to do that.
Ham has essentially bungled the lineups and rotations to the point where everybody believes the front office was eventually forced to intervene and order him to start Russell and Hachimura instead of Prince and Reddish.Replacing Ham with either Handy or Jent would be a simple transition that could not only help the team win more games but also give the front office and coaching staff a fresh new look at each of the players under contract.
Before the Lakers trade away assets like Russell, Reaves, Hachimura, Christie, and Vanderbilt for a max salary $45 million per year third star, their front office clearly needs to be find out what they actually have.Over the remaining 18 games, the Lakers need to find out just how valuable are D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and whether they would be smarter to keep them or move them this summer.
4. Rebuild Relationship With LeBron
The single biggest reason why the Lakers should fire Darvin Ham now rather this summer is to jumpstart rebuilding the team’s relationship with superstar LeBron James, whose disdain for Ham has become public.
The front office declining to improve this roster at the trade deadline was the first insult to LeBron James. Forcing LeBron James to finish out this season playing for a coach whom he doesn’t like could be their second.
Everybody knows LeBron wants to stay with the Lakers but if this team misses the playoffs, James may ultimately decide to leave Los Angeles as a free agent rather than sign a new multiple year deal to retire as a Laker.The reports of how LeBron ignores Ham during time outs and calls his own plays have been seen by everyone and Darvin’s bias for or against specific players and rotations was bearable when winning but not when losing.
Keeping Darvin Ham as head coach for the rest of the season may be the easy decision but the risk is LeBron James could become very weary of losing with the bad lineups and watching poor substitutions being made.There is a negative dynamic at play with Darvin Ham and LeBron. Not only is not firing Ham now wasting one of few years left in LeBron James’ career as a Laker but it’s risking his ultimate personal loyalty to the franchise.
While the Lakers may not want to admit Darvin Ham was the wrong pick, the current discord between the coach, the players, and the fans is only going to get uglier. The Lakers and LeBron James do not need this.The Lakers should fire Ham right now to prevent further damage to their relationship with LeBron James. Right now, it looks like James and Lakers are on course for new contract this summer. Don’t allow Ham to ruin that.
5. Reset Franchise Goals & Priorities
The final and most important reason the Lakers should fire Darvin Ham now rather than this summer is to have more time and opportunities to reset their franchise goals and priorities heading into a crucial offseason.
The other contributing factor that may be adversely affecting the morale and quality and consistency of the team’s play is the Lakers’ public plan to pull off a blockbuster trade this summer for a third max-salary superstar.
Make no mistake, to trade for a third superstar making $45 million per year, the Lakers would have to trade every player on their roster except for LeBron James and Anthony Davis and rely on minimum salary playersUnless Russell opts into his player option or agrees to a sign-and-trade, the only tradable contracts the Lakers will have this summer to match Trae Young’s $43 million would be Reaves, Hachimura, Vincent, and Vanderbilt.
Trading those four players for a third superstar like Trae Young would strip the Lakers of their depth and diversity and make them reliant on minimum salary players to fill out their starting lineup and regular season rotation.There’s a strong argument that using their 3 first round picks and 4 pick swaps for a new starting stretch center and aggressive point-of-attack defender would be a smarter than going all-in again on a third superstar. There’s compelling evidence D’Angelo Russell has shown the Lakers he is the third star they need to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers greatest priority should be to bring back D’Angelo Russell.
Firing Darvin Ham right now would give the Lakers valuable time and options to reset their franchise goals and priorities and make a smarter decision on how best to upgrade their roster to championship level.
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LakerTom1 year, 1 month ago
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2. Jump Start Finding New Coach
The last thing the Lakers want to be doing next summer is searching for a new head coach when their focus should be on trading for a third superstar to support LeBron and AD and replace James when he decides to retire.https://t.co/BuTFydhKWS pic.twitter.com/JmvUjLTObb
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 8, 2024
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3. Reevaluate Current Roster Needs
Another compelling reason why the Lakers need to fire Darvin Ham right now is he is simply in the way of finding out what they have in the current roster before they can finally decide what to do via trades this summer.https://t.co/BuTFydhKWS pic.twitter.com/39BJmWEuQE
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 8, 2024
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4. Rebuild Relationship With LeBron
The single biggest reason why the Lakers should fire Darvin Ham now rather this summer is to jumpstart rebuilding the team’s relationship with superstar LeBron James, whose disdain for Ham has become public.https://t.co/BuTFydhKWS pic.twitter.com/DDJGBQVe3z
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 8, 2024
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5. Reset Franchise Goals & Priorities
The final and most important reason the Lakers should fire Darvin Ham now rather than this summer is to have more time and opportunities to reset their franchise goals and priorities heading into a crucial offseason.https://t.co/BuTFydhKWS pic.twitter.com/s2RRYbX7iU
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 8, 2024
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I mean…there’s like a 4.72% chance any of this happens in-season. Whatever the reasons may be, internally or externally, the fact is he has Jeannie’s public and explicit endorsement. For now.
Furthermore the only real hiccup of late was the Kings. Nobody has figured how to beat Denver when they care. Nobody. They’re the measuring stick, we’re an after-thought no matter who is healthy or not. That’s true of the entire NBA.
All the losses in the last 10 games have been against high quality opponents with, for the most part, healthy rosters. Suns were missing Beal, fair enough. The fact is the coach has been over-relying on the excuse of “we’re not healthy” all season long and it stands to reason the FO feels relatively the same way since has full-throated endorsement.
There are 18 games left, even promoting from within will cause disruption and distraction and that can be a season killer threatening us not to just miss the playoffs but playin. That ain’t happening.
Lastly, the LeBron factor. Not sure there’s a FO that cares more what the stars on the team want more than the Lakers. If he wanted a coaching change it would have happened. I don’t know how any of the players feel, the Lakers are not alone with guys being aloof during huddles, star players knowing that the play is already called for them (or know all the plays anyhow and know they have the green light to adjust on the fly) and I haven’t seen him get into it with Ham like he did with Phil Handy and David Blatt.
I’m no Ham Fan but I just don’t see this happening now and, frankly, not even during the summer unless we collapse or maybe lose in the first playin game as it seems we are destined to play 2 now. The way Jeannie went out of her way, the way the FO treated him so much differently than Vogel…who actually accomplished something…speaks volumes to me. Ham is a Company Man and the company is cool with it is how I’m seeing it. Could that change? Maybe.
But not soon.
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Just popping this in, how in the world is Bronny coming out this next season? He hardly gets PT with SCU.
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Exactly, DJ. The expectation around Bronny is way too high. I have always believed that folks need to back off the kid and let him grow into a man of his own rather than forcing him to be like his dad. Didn’t Michael Jordan have sons? Did any of his sons become a Michael Jordan? Let the kid carve out his own identity, please!!
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Looks like the apple is still a ways from the tree. I’ve never been a fan of freshmen jumping to the NBA, regardless of their daddies. I’m old enough to remember when they couldn’t even play varsity. Don’t suppose they have freshman squads anymore…
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LakerTom wrote a new post
In the 23 games since he returned to the starting lineup, D’Angelo Russell transformed the Los Angeles Lakers’ league-worst 3-point shooting from a major weakness into a newfound strength as L.A. begins their stretch run.
Before DLO turned himself into the high volume, high percentage 3-point bomber the Lakers desperately needed to provide floor spacing for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, L.A. had the worst 3-point game in the league.
Over the last 23 games, the Los Angeles Lakers increased their 3PM per game from 10.9 for first 40 games (#28) to 12.4 (#18), their 3PA per game from 30.4 (#30) to 31.2 (#28), and their 3P% from 35.7%(#20) to 39.7% (#4).The driving force behind the Lakers’ dramatically better 3-point shooting the last 23 games has been D’Angelo Russell, who transformed himself into the elite high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter L.A. badly missed.
DLO raised his FGA per game from 12.4 for first 40 games to 16.5 (3rd to Davis’ 16.7) over the last 23 games, his minutes per game from 29.1 to 36.1, his 3PA per game from 5.5 to 8.5, and his 3PM per game from 2.2 to 3.7By reinventing himself as the elusive difference-making volume 3-point shooter the Lakers have desperately needed, DLO has triggered a massive foundational change in the team’s blueprint for how to win NBA games.
Instead of a 10 points per game negative 3-point shooting differential that forced the Lakers to have to dominate PIP and FTM to have any chance to win, the Lakers have slashed that negative 10 ppg in half to just -5 ppg.The 3-point challenged Lakers are suddenly taking and making more threes and that’s dramatically changed the team’s blueprint to win and renewed the importance of D’Angelo Russell to the franchise future.
DLO Reinvented Himself As Volume 3-Point Shooter
The Lakers seemingly never-ending search for a difference-making shooter who could revolutionize their 3-point game had been a monumental failure until D’Angelo Russell chose to reinvent himself as the shooter L.A. needed.
That Russell’s on pace to set a new Lakers’ record for 3-point shots made in a season despite only posting volume 3-point shot attempts the last 23 games is testament to just how poor Los Angeles’ 3-point game has been.
After a constant offseason rotation of supposedly lethal 3-point shooters who quickly forgot how to make shots after coming to L.A., the Lakers may have finally found a shooter to bring their offense into the 21st century.In 23 games since he returned to the Lakers’ starting lineup, D’Angelo Russell has averaged 21.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 36.1 minutes with elite shooting splits of 46.3/43.9/84.5%.
That’s a big improvement over the first 40 games when he averaged 15.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 29.2 minutes shooting 46.9/39.0/76.6%. More minutes, shots, threes, points per game.Most importantly, DLO dramatically increased the number of 3-point shots he took. During the first 40 games of the year, he averaged just 2.2 3PM pg out of 5.5 3PA pg for 39.4% from deep, a good but still limited performance.
During the last 23 games of the year, however, Russell not only increased his FGA pg from 12.4 to 16.5 but also increased his 3PA pg from 5.5 to 8.5. In last 23 games, 52% of DLO’s shots were threes vs. 35% first 40 games.DLO has continued to shine in his new role as the team’s 3rd star and high volume 3-point specialist. By this summer, D’Angelo Russell could be as untouchable as LeBron James and Anthony Davis when it comes to trades.
DLO Changed Lakers’ Blueprint For Winning Games
The Lakers’ blueprint to win in the four years since LeBron signed has been to win games by dominating PIP (points-in-paint) and FTM (free-throws-made) by more points than they give up in the 3-point shooting battle.
That’s become a more difficult blueprint to follow for the Lakers as teams throughout the league are taking and making more 3-point shots than ever before. Suddenly, Russell’s 3-point game transformation has opened a door.
DLO’s expanded shot-making not only made him so valuable the Lakers were unable to find an acceptable deal to trade him. If he can continue to produce volume 3-point shooting at this level, he may be untouchable.Everything changed the moment DLO decided the best way for him to succeed next to superstars James and Davis was to take advantage of the attention they attract by being aggressive rather than deferring to them. Playing more minutes and taking the same number of shots per game as the Lakers’ two superstars, DLO has put up legitimate All-Star numbers and reinvented himself after returning to the starting lineup 23 games ago.
During the first 40 games of the season, the Lakers won PIP by 5.6 ppg (54.0–48.4) and FTM by 3.0 ppg (18.8–15.8) but lost 3PM by 10.5 ppg (3*[10.9–14.4]) for a net -1.9 ppg, which resulted in a 19–21 win-loss record.
During the last 23 games, the Lakers totally changed their winning formula. They won PIP by 3.8 ppg (59.2–55.4) and FTM by 4.6 ppg (17.8–13.2) but only lost 3PM by -4.2 ppg (3*[12.4–13.8]) for a net +4.2 ppg and 15–8 record.DLO’s reinventing himself as the high volume 3-point shooter the Lakers needed has transformed the Lakers from one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league to a team that can suddenly rain threes on opponents.
7 Comments-
The Lakers seemingly never-ending search for a difference-making shooter who could revolutionize their 3-point game had been a monumental failure until D’Angelo Russell chose to reinvent himself as the shooter L.A. needed.https://t.co/xpJNXudgAH pic.twitter.com/sGv6iutac5
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 6, 2024
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DLO’s reinventing himself as the high volume 3-point shooter the Lakers needed has transformed the Lakers from one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league to a team that can suddenly rain threes on opponents.https://t.co/xpJNXudgAH pic.twitter.com/zvk1LQilA3
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 6, 2024
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Over the last 23 games, the Los Angeles Lakers increased their 3PM per game from 10.9 for first 40 games (#28) to 12.4 (#18), their 3PA per game from 30.4 (#30) to 31.2 (#28), and their 3P% from 35.7%(#20) to 39.7% (#4).https://t.co/xpJNXudgAH pic.twitter.com/mLCvPcbxLE
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 7, 2024
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DLO raised his FGA per game from 12.4 for first 40 games to 16.5 (3rd to Davis’ 16.7) over the last 23 games, his minutes per game from 29.1 to 36.1, his 3PA per game from 5.5 to 8.5, and his 3PM per game from 2.2 to 3.7.https://t.co/xpJNXudgAH pic.twitter.com/gQLrwoh7Ml
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 7, 2024
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Instead of a 10 points per game negative 3-point shooting differential that forced the Lakers to have to dominate PIP and FTM to have any chance to win, the Lakers have slashed that negative 10 ppg in half to just -5 ppg.https://t.co/xpJNXudgAH pic.twitter.com/g7EQU0G7iy
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 7, 2024
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The Lakers are actually using DLo at the 2 as the release valve as much as on the ball. This is possible by acquiring Dinwiddie and Austin’s (general, OKC game notwithstanding) improvement as the offensive initiator. Max Christie has become an after-thought with Dinwiddie being able to at least get us into our sets and playing decent D. DLo has also held his own on D, not that he’ll ever be recognized but he’s at least trying more.
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I don’t know if it’s reinventing himself as much as finally deciding to be himself Tom. He’s had 4 seasons of over 9 3 attempts a game and 2 seasons of 8 attempts. He simply decided to stop deferring as much. He’s also getting into the lane more as well.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Benching D’Angelo Russell late in the 4th quarter vs. Denver was coaching malpractice that not only cost the Lakers the game but likely any chance to win a title this season by alienating and undermining their 3rd best player.
With the Lakers trailing the Nuggets 99–98 with 7:48 left in the 4th quarter, Darvin Ham benched D’Angelo Russell, who had been playing well and was on the way to redeeming his poor play against Denver in last year’s playoffs.
At that point, D’Angelo Russell had posted 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists with zero turnovers in less than 30 minutes while recording a team-best +2 plus/minus and team-best 119 defensive rating.The move to rely on Cam Reddish’s defense rather than D’Angelo Russell’s offense was a disaster. By the time Ham replaced Reddish with Russell with 1:34 left in the game, the Lakers’ deficit had ballooned from 1 to 7 points.
Russell had been one of the major reasons the Lakers were within 1 point of the Nuggets with 7:48 left in the 4th quarter. Replacing him with the offensively-challenged Cam Reddish was a wrong move at the wrong time.Ham wasted two-thirds of the season trying to build a championship caliber defensive team before reinstalling the offense-first starting lineup that carried the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals last season.
The last thing the Lakers need right now is for Ham to undermine what has been working for the Lakers by alienating the one player in DLO who’s been mainly responsible for the team turning into an offensive juggernaut.Losing the game was unfortunate but what’s more worrisome is how Russell is going to react to again being benched against the Nuggets down the stretch of the game just like during last season’s conference finals.
HOW DOES D’ANGELO RUSSELL RESPOND?
Instead of building up Russell’s confidence by counting on him to close out the game, Ham did the opposite by replacing him again with Reddish, the same player he earlier in the year gifted with an unearned starting spot.
Make no mistake, reinstating D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves as the starting backcourt was the move that woke this team up to make a push to make the playoffs this season despite standing pat at the trade deadline.
That Darvin Ham would, in the midst of the Lakers’ biggest game of the season, suddenly pull the plug again on D’Angelo Russell in favor of Cam Reddish, is the final straw. Darvin Ham should be fired as Lakers’ coach.Darvin Ham’s stubborn refusal to play the lineups responsible for the Lakers making it to the conference finals last season has been perplexing. Ham’s seeming embrace of new over old players has been a major issue.
Ham’s over reliance on new signees like Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish over proven returnees from last season like D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves has been a constant defense-over-offense theme all season long.I have no problem with coaches who emphasize defense over offense as I think a strong defense is how you build a championship team. It’s the anchor you can count on to be more consistent than just shot making.
Unfortunately, great offense in today’s NBA often beats great defense and championship teams usually have great balance between offense and defense. Defense or offense alone is never enough to win a championship.How D’Angelo Russell reacts to being benched for Cam Reddish could determine how this season goes for the Lakers. Ham’s decision was a slap in the face of DLO. No way he wants to play for Darvin going forward.
D’ANGELO RUSSELL GONE IN FREE AGENCY
With the Lakers committed to using the 3 first round picks and 3 pick swaps available this offseason to trade for a third superstar to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are going to need DLO’s help.
The last thing the Lakers want next summer is D’Angelo Russell to decline his player option, spurn the Lakers, and sign as a free agent with another team this summer, leaving Los Angeles with nothing to show in return.
Considering the Lakers will need $40.0 million in matching salaries to trade for a third superstar this summer, they desperately need to include an $18.7 million sign-and-trade deal for DLO as part of their blockbuster trade offer.Darvin Ham’s benching of D’Angelo Russell in the 4th quarter vs. the Nuggets will ultimately end up with DLO refusing to re-sign or cooperate with the Lakers because of Ham or of the Lakers replacing Ham as coach.
Throw in the rumors of LeBron’s dissatisfaction with Darvin as well as the number of times the front office has had to intervene to force the stubborn Ham to adjust his lineups to boost the offense efficiency and win games.Coaching is as much art as it is science but Ham appears to rely more on his gut than what the analytics are telling him. Prince, for example, has long been the least productive Lakers role player given the most minutes.
Coaches need to establish guidelines and systems to simplify making up starting lineups and rotations and ensure the team always has enough scoring and defense to compete rather than always going by their gut.Benching Russell for Reddish for more than 6 critical stretch minutes was just further evidence that Darvin Ham’s future as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers is likely to come to an unfortunate ugly end this summer.
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Instead of building up Russell’s confidence by counting on him to close out the game, Ham did the opposite by replacing him again with Reddish, the same player he earlier in the year gifted with an unearned starting spot.https://t.co/S82pOm6C9I pic.twitter.com/TZAyVtSH3u
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 4, 2024
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How D’Angelo Russell reacts to being benched for Cam Reddish could determine how this season goes for the Lakers. Ham’s decision was a slap in the face of DLO. No way he wants to play for Darvin going forward.https://t.co/S82pOm6C9I pic.twitter.com/4bgV2IXX02
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 4, 2024
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The last thing the Lakers want next summer is D’Angelo Russell to decline his player option, spurn the Lakers, and sign as a free agent with another team this summer, leaving Los Angeles with nothing to show in return.https://t.co/S82pOm6C9I pic.twitter.com/I3Gd5dUCmA
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 4, 2024
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LBJ could bail as well. If I were him, no not that HIM, I would get feelers. Could play cheap for some team, like Denver? Or?
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Darvin Ham’s benching of D’Angelo Russell in the 4th quarter vs. the Nuggets will ultimately end up with DLO refusing to re-sign or cooperate with the Lakers because of Ham or of the Lakers replacing Ham as coach.https://t.co/S82pOm6C9I pic.twitter.com/cRWi3k8g08
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 4, 2024
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I jumped on that right after the game. Nother have to win game tonite and it ain’t gonna be easy!
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That Darvin Ham would, in the midst of the Lakers’ biggest game of the season, suddenly pull the plug again on D’Angelo Russell in favor of Cam Reddish, is the final straw. Darvin Ham should be fired as Lakers’ coach.https://t.co/S82pOm6C9I pic.twitter.com/OTYE9DLBu3
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 4, 2024
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I share your frustration Tom, Murray had one basket with DLO in and 3 baskets with Cam. They 9 of 10 down the stretch. What it did accomplish was slowing the offense. You can’t play off of DLO. But the Nuggets sent Can’s man to help, making it tougher on LeBron and AD. Darwin’s other major mistake was leaving Rui on the Joker those last 7 minutes. Rui banged and did his best but he’s just not tall enough. I can see not wanting AD to bang all game with the Joker but he should have been on him down the stretch. For me our ace in the hole is Vando. They haven’t played us yet with him in the line up. He’s a difference maker on D and on the boards. Unfortunately we don’t play them again unless we meet in the playoffs.
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If DLo bails do the math on replacement value lost …also the loss of appeal for free agents to come play for cheaper than market value. LeBron is an issue by himself…free agents know if they come to a LeBron team they have to integrate into his style.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
The 33–28 Los Angeles Lakers face a bruising 7-game gauntlet over the next two weeks that will determine whether they’re legitimate championship contenders or simply pretenders who have no realistic chance of winning.
The Lakers’ are likely to be underdogs in every one of the 7-games that start tomorrow night versus the world champion Nuggets and include games against the Thunder, Kings, Bucks, Timberwolves, Kings, and Warriors.
Not only will all 7 games be against elite playoff quality opponents but 6 of them will be against Western Conference teams currently are above the Lakers in the standings. These are games the contending Lakers must win.Make no mistake. The Lakers will not be able to survive the next two weeks if they play like they did in last night’s lucky overtime win versus the sad and hapless Wizards. They’re currently facing what are 7 ‘must win’ games.
If the Lakers come out with the same clueless and relaxed approach they had last night, we won’t have to wait two weeks to learn the Lakers are mere pretenders who lack the drive and determination to win a championship.The good news is 6 of the next 7 tough games will be home games at Crypto.Com Arena, including Saturday’s big rematch with the world champion Denver Nuggets. The Lakers are 21–9 at home this season.
With their only road game during the upcoming 7-game gauntlet being vs. the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers will essentially be able to stay in California for the full two weeks needed to play the next 7 gamesLet’s take a closer look at where the Lakers are in the Western Conference standings, the schedule for their next 7 games, and what it would take for them to move to a top-6 guaranteed playoff seed or a #7 or #8 play-in seed.
The Standings
The Los Angeles Lakers are 33–28 and in 9th place in the West. Since they have one more loss than the 10th place Warriors, the Lakers are in serious danger of falling back into 10th place if they lose to Denver on Saturday.
The Lakers problem is that the Timberwolves, Thunder, Nuggets, and Clippers have already locked up the top-4 seeds in the West, leaving just the Suns and Pelicans as the only teams who haven’t locked up a playoff seed.
Since Phoenix and New Orleans both have winning percentages just under .600, any team hoping to take end up as the 5th or 6th seed will likely have to end up winning over 49 games or 60% of their 82-game schedule.Unfortunately, the Lakers would have to win 17 of their remaining 21 games in order to finish the season with 49 wins and a .600 winning percentage or the Suns or Pelicans would have to fail down the stretch.
That probably eliminates any realistic opportunity by the Lakers to win one of the six guaranteed playoff seeds in the West and likely commits them to having to follow last year’s 1-game play-in path to making the NBA playoffs.The actual battle the Lakers face will probably be trying to beat out the Warriors and Kings for #7 or #8 place in the West and a chance to play just one play-in game to win the #7 playoff seed in a repeat of last season.
Worst case scenario for the Lakers is fortunately the #9 and #10 play-in spots because the#11 through #15 spots in the West are already too far back to get into the competition for #9 and #10 play-in tournament slots.Bottom line, the standings make it clear that the Los Angeles Lakers have only a remote chance of winning one of the top-6 seeds in the West but have an excellent chance of winning the #7 seed in the play-in tourney.
The Schedule
The Lakers currently have the 4th toughest schedule remaining in the NBA with many of the team’s toughest games being the among 7-game gauntlet the team embarks upon beginning tomorrow night against the Nuggets.
The only way the Lakers have a shot at winning one of the top-6 seeds in the West is to finish off this 7-game stretch with 5 or 6 dominating victories where LeBron James and Anthony Davis show they’re ready to win it all.
Whether the inconsistent and injury plagued Lakers can suddenly flip the switch and become a dominant team that nobody wants to have to meet in the playoffs is still to be seen. Question is which Lakers team will show up.Frankly, facing a 7-game gauntlet like the Lakers have to go through over the next two weeks could be the silver lining they need to save their season. This team doesn’t play their best until their backs are up against the wall.
Over the next 7 games, the Lakers will have to bring their A-game just to be able to compete much less win consistently against the toughest possible competition. Lakers will be underdogs in every one of these 7 games.The good news is we’ve seen what this Lakers team is capable of, we’ve seen what a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis can accomplish. The only question is whether this team can pull it together and start winning. There’s no more time for Ham experimenting or for anybody on the Lakers not coming out from the opening tip and giving everything they have to win every single game. The next 7 games will tell us if this team is for real.
The bottom line is the 2024 NBA Championship is as wide-open as it has been in any year in history. In the end, the Lakers still believe LeBron and AD give them a puncher’s chance at winning their 18th NBA championship.
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Bottom line, the standings make it clear that the Los Angeles Lakers have only a remote chance of winning one of the top-6 seeds in the West but have an excellent chance of winning the #7 seed in the play-in tourney.https://t.co/tXeAqurPCR pic.twitter.com/b0BVk4DyWj
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 1, 2024
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Frankly, facing a 7-game gauntlet like the Lakers have to go through over the next two weeks could be the silver lining they need to save their season. This team doesn’t play their best until their backs are up against the wall.https://t.co/tXeAqurPCR pic.twitter.com/D4tBQP2FYx
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 1, 2024
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The Los Angeles Lakers have lost 7 straight games to the Denver Nuggets. Tomorrow night’s game is the Lakers’ season wrapped up in a single regular season game. This is the biggest game of the season and I expect the Lakers to come out and play like it is. We must defeat the Nuggets and keep the momentum moving forward by getting better and winning every single game. Saturday is character test.
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Gonna need an LBJ chase down Block, 3 Pointer and outlet pass to Cam for a Slam from all others not named LeBron!
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While the Nuggets have had our number, it’s not like they have been blowing us out. The playoffs were tight and we were tied with 2 minutes to go last game. We are 2-1 against the Thunder this year. AD more than neutralizes Holgram. The TWolves have been tight games as well. I think we can beat the Kings and the Warriors. While it’s going to be tough, I don’t think it’s impossible.
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I’m hoping we can get Vando back in time to ramp up for the playoffs. I look at him as our 3rd most important player because of his elite defense and rebounding. We can score but having him available for defending and rebounding will be key.
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That the games were all close makes it even more frustrating. Vando is going to be key to our being able to beat the Nuggets. As well as DLO getting revenge for last playoffs.
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Lakers stretch run has to begin tonight against the champ Nuggets. Lakers starters need to come out and play with desperation. Rebounding, taking care of the ball, and preventing second chance points will determine winner. Lakers by 20 tonight.https://t.co/tXeAqurPCR pic.twitter.com/EofDnET7ZF
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 2, 2024
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LakerTom wrote a new post
The Clippers and the entire NBA got a rude reminder of just how lethal LeBron James in full playoff mode can still be even at 39-years old as he led the Lakers to a stunning 21-point fourth quarter 116–112 comeback win.
When an exhausting injury-plagued season, failure to make a difference-making trade at the deadline, and tough remaining schedule all seemed to doom the Lakers to end up as a play-in team, LeBron James to the rescue.
Instead of losing three of their first four games after the All-Star break and falling to 31–29 and 10th in the West, the Lakers are now miraculously 32–28 and 9th in the West, just 3.0 games out of 5th place with 22 games to go.With a back-to-back tonight against the lowly Wizards, the Lakers should be able to pick up a needed easy win while maybe resting LeBron James, which would push them to 5-games over .500 for the first time this season.
That would hopefully give the Lakers some desperately needed momentum as they look to finally win a game against the defending champion Denver Nuggets in a nationally televised Saturday night game at Crypto.com Arena.The game against Denver marks the start of seven straight home games against elite opponents who will be favored over the Lakers. After Nuggets, Lakers play Thunder, Kings, Bucks, Timberwolves, Kings, and Warriors.
How the Lakers handle that 7-game stretch will likely determine whether they can realistically win a top-6 spot in the West and avoid the play-in. After that 7-game stretch, the Laker will only have 14 games remaining.Assuming the Lakers beat the Wizards to be 33–28 heading into the 7-game stretch, how many games do Lakers need to win to have a chance to avoid the play-in? They would be 37–31 with 4 out of 7 and 38–30 withy 5 out of 7.
Even at 38–30, the Lakers would likely still be in 9th place in the West with just 14 games remaining. Fortunately, their remaining 14-game schedule is much easier than the touch 7-game West stretch they’re facing right now.Bottom line, the Lakers still have an uphill climb to get out of the play-in and into a top-6 guaranteed playoff spot. Like last year, the Lakers are likely to end up 7th or 8th in the West, needing 1 play-in win to make playoffs.
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Bottom line, the Lakers still have an uphill climb to get out of the play-in and into a top-6 guaranteed playoff spot. Like last year, the Lakers are likely to end up 7th or 8th in the West, needing 1 play-in win to make playoffs.https://t.co/vIXhtAhmqU pic.twitter.com/XNiwP327hP
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) February 29, 2024
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With a back-to-back tonight against the lowly Wizards, the Lakers should be able to pick up a needed easy win while maybe resting LeBron James, which would push them to 5-games over .500 for the first time this season.https://t.co/vIXhtAhmqU pic.twitter.com/H3zPH6GDUd
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) February 29, 2024
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That would hopefully give the Lakers some desperately needed momentum as they look to finally win a game against the defending champion Denver Nuggets in a nationally televised Saturday night game at https://t.co/84m3Xn4eID Arena.https://t.co/vIXhtAhmqU pic.twitter.com/hAKncvnm6U
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) February 29, 2024
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