What's stopping Lakers from finding better replacement for Darvin Ham https://t.co/CF3pGmuBqb
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 29, 2024
Controlling owner Jeanie Buss and executive Rob Pelinka have voiced their support for Ham despite all the ups and downs he has faced through his first two seasons with the team. Their decision to possibly part ways with Ham will come down to two things: what is best for the future of the organization and what LeBron ultimately wants.
The Lakers are committed to James. They want to capitalize on the final years of his career. If there is a sense that the Lakers will need to choose between LeBron or Ham in the offseason, it’s not hard to believe that they would be 100 percent committed to James. At the same time, Buss and Pelinka are keeping an eye on the future of their franchise, with LeBron turning 40 years old next year.
The unfortunate aspect of everything transpiring with the Lakers is that Ham could wind up being the scapegoat for many of their wrongdoings. After all, the Lakers have had to deal with a plethora of injuries over his two seasons in Los Angeles, and Ham did have the team within four games of the NBA Finals in 2023. There really isn’t another coach out there right now that could accomplish anything more than Ham already has with the Lakers.
The unwillingness to spend a lot of money on a new head coach, especially someone like Budenholzer, may very well lead the Lakers down a path where they keep Ham entering the 2024-25 season. At the end of the day, there is no telling what the organization has planned until their season comes to an end. That moment may very well come on Monday night in Denver.
Been saying this for months lol