Lakers News: Fans Demand Darvin Ham Make Rotation Change

Frankly, they're right.

Last night, your Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, in Memphis, for only the second time in their ongoing best-of-seven first round playoff series. Despite the 116-99 blowout defeat, LA still leads 3-2.

A big reason for the team's failure last night was what happened to LA when starting center Anthony Davis sat.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had been weirdly using non-centers to play small ball five minutes in AD's absence, from Rui Hachimura to Jarred Vanderbilt to LeBron James, despite having one legitimate rim-protecting seven-footer just riding pine on the end of the bench this entire series.

Finally on Wednesday, Ham at least gave backup power forward/center Wenyen Gabriel a look, and although the 6'9" big man is not a rim protector, it was nice to see him playing non-garbage time minutes.

That rim protector, Mo Bamba, was sorely missed, especially when Ham subbed out Davis after LA had clawed its way to within a point late in the third quarter, from being down by double digits. The Grizzlies immediately went on a 19-2 run, and the Lakers never recovered.

There's no question what needs to happen anymore -- Mo Bamba needs actual rotation burn.

The fans agree:

I also don't understand why he doesn't at least give Mo Bamba garbage time. If he could just give us 12 minutes of rim protection and rebounding a night when we sit Anthony Davis, it'd shore up our biggest weakness. Gotta at least try it, right?

— Tony Tost (@tonytost) April 27, 2023

So many of them agree:

Darvin Ham took out AD when we was down 1 point and he didn’t even put Mo Bamba at all where he at least could’ve box out for rebounds and alter some shots but our coach has CTE and is a moron pic.twitter.com/B9kS7oabdG

— 🅿️ainSzn (@cjsweet567) April 27, 2023

Even pros like Sam Quinn of CBS concur:

I continue to wish Mo Bamba would get a look over Wenyen Gabriel if the Lakers want to use a backup center.

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) April 27, 2023

As does noted Mo Bamba fan Kevin O'Connor:

Gotta get Mo Bamba in there for the non AD minutes

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 27, 2023

Let's make this happen.

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