Lakers News: Fans Demand Darvin Ham Make Rotation Change
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:
So many of them agree:
Even pros like Sam Quinn of CBS concur:
As does noted Mo Bamba fan Kevin O'Connor:
Let's make this happen.
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