Former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham popped off on his outdated group.
Ham, now an assistant coach with the Bucks, spoke with Andscape forward of the group’s NBA Cup championship win in Las Vegas on Tuesday, pushing again on a few of the narratives that got here out throughout his ultimate weeks as Lakers coach.
Los Angeles fired Ham on Could 3, ultimately changing him with JJ Redick.
Ham led the Lakers to a 90-74 document over his two seasons on the job, guiding them to a Western Convention Finals look in 2023.
However a fast exit within the first spherical of the playoffs final season was the ultimate straw after questions arose over Ham’s decision-making, lineups, rotations and techniques.
“To do as well as I did, I swear to God, anywhere else I’m probably looking at an extension with what I did,” Ham instructed the outlet. “I’m not speaking about emotions. I’m speaking precise details. They go from not making it to the playoffs to the ultimate 4 within the NBA, the convention finals. And then you definitely win the in-season event, navigate by all of the accidents and win each of your play-in video games to get to the playoffs.
“People always talk about us losing to Denver, but they never talk about how we got to Denver. We beat a kick-ass young squad in Memphis and we beat Golden State.”
Ham instructed Andscape that accidents performed an element in what went mistaken in 2023-24, however he felt that he had created “a little bit of a core.”
“It’s being reported like I’m just throwing some lineups up against the wall to see what sticks,” Ham mentioned. “No man, we were really navigating a lot from guys being hurt to having the oldest player in the league [James] to navigating A.D.’s injury history. It was a lot.”
He added: “Some of the s–t that was coming out? Wow, bro I don’t know X’s and O’s? I was winging it. Dude, that was the most disappointing stuff, how mean and so much stuff people are saying online. The best thing I could do was block out the outside noise.”
The Lakers are sitting in tenth place within the Western Convention with a 14-12 document below Redick.
Milwaukee is 14-11 and in fifth within the East.
