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In a nutshell

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This is the basic problem between the Nuggs and the Lakers. We have to play damn near flawless basketball for 48 minutes…the Nuggs don’t.

Real Culprit for Lakers Mess and It’s Not Darvin Ham

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Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham is getting a lot of heat on social media for the team’s inability to solve the Denver Nuggets riddle.

But for ESPN writer Tim Bontemps, the beleaguered coach is just the scapegoat.

“I’m not gonna sit here, Brian [Windhorst] and try to say Darvin Ham has done a perfect job. But let’s look at what to me the real problem with the Lakers is, which is the roster isn’t good enough, which is why they’ve lost [12] times in a row to the Denver Nuggets,” Bontemps said on the “Hoop Collective” podcast on April 26.

The real blame, according to Bontemps, for this Lakers mess should be on Rob Pelinka, the team’s vice president for basketball operations and general manager.

“Rob Pelinka was the one who traded Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who’s beating them now with the Denver Nuggets for Russell Westbrook,” Bontemps continued. “[Pelinka] was the guy who chose D’Angelo Russell over Mike Conley in the second Russell Westbrook trade.[Pelinka] was the guy who chose Talen Horton-Tucker over Alex Caruso and also just decided not to pay Alex Caruso whose under-market value contract at the time has only grown in that regard over the past few years with the Chicago Bulls.”

The seasoned NBA writer, who also wrote for The Washington Post early in his career, added more to the long list of what he thought was Pelinka’s blunders as the top decision maker for the Lakers organization:

-Picking Jalen Hood-Schifino over the likes of Brandin Podziemski, Cam Whitmore and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
-Signing Gabe Vincent, who barely played this season with knee injury
-Turning down options on Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba which could have been expiring large contracts to make a move this season

Simply Not Good Enough Roster

Bontemps, however, clarified that Ham should come out unscathed.

“I’m not saying Darvin Ham is perfect,” Bontemps said. “Not saying he’s the second coming of red Auerbach. When you look at what’s going on with the Lakers, this team is not good enough. They have two great players in Anthony Davis and LeBron James. And those guys combined to play 147 games this season. The fact that this team is in the play-in mix because of that means the rest of this team around them is simply not good enough to be with the Lakers [and go where they] expect to be which is contending for Western Conference titles and [NBA] championships.”