Bucks News: Doc Rivers Slams Strange Lakers Offseason Move

Matt Levine | 3 Hours Ago

As the Milwaukee Bucks get ready for a new season, they will be doing so with an old friend. Former assistant coach Darvin Ham rejoined the coaching staff this offseason after he was let go by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Ham had a decent tenure with the Lakers, going 90-74 over two seasons in Los Angeles. However, it wasn't enough for the historic franchise to keep him around.

Many believed that Ham deserved another shot with the Lakers, even after a first-round exit in the postseason last season. This includes Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, who slammed the Lakers for their decision to get rid of Ham this summer.

“It’s been great. First of all, he’s been here even longer than me. He knows things that I didn’t know. He has relationships with the players. Another guy that can trust. Trust is so important for players. And more importantly, he deserves it. I’m not going to get into the whole thing that happened there, but he took a team to a Western Finals, and then the following year, he won the in-season tournament, which they say we should have a lot of value on, and then they release him. It literally makes no sense, but it happens. It happens to all of us. It’s part of what we do. But Darvin Ham’s a coach, he should be on the sidelines, and I wanted him next to me.”

Rivers is very happy to have Ham on his coaching staff so he didn't mind defending his assistant. Ham did take the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals in his first season with the team but it wasn't good enough.

The Lakers are all about winning NBA titles and each year that they don't, it's considered a complete failure. Ham now rejoins the Bucks and will be looking to help Milwaukee get another ring. He was on the staff when the Bucks won the championship in 2021 over the Phoenix Suns. If Rivers and company can lead the Bucks back to the promised land, Ham will likely play a big role in the team's winning.

He is a player's coach and has been praised in the past for building relationships with the guys on the roster. This year the Bucks will look for more glory and they believe they have a good chance to make it happen.

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