Lakers' Massive Summer Decision 'Makes No Sense,' Claims Doc Rivers

John Robinson | Oct 13, 2024

Mar 23, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers reacts against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After the Los Angeles Lakers lost a consecutive playoff matchup to the hands of the Nikola Jokic-led Denver Nuggets, the front office decided to fire head coach Darvin Ham in favor of retired NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick. After Ham's departure from Los Angeles, he was offered a position as an assistant coach on the Doc Rivers staff with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The fringe Hall of Fame head coach has put together an impressive resume during his tenure with his biggest accomplishment being his 2008 championship as the leader of the Boston Celtics. During post-practice media availability this past Wednesday, coach Rivers talked about his latest addition to his staff in Ham.

When talking to reporters River proclaimed that he was puzzled by the Lakers' decision to let go of Ham after he finished both his seasons in Los Angeles with playoff appearances.

“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.”

For the casual spectator, firing a coach after two trips to the playoffs seems odd, however, in the case of Darvin Ham his firing from the Lakers was justified. Throughout his time as the leader of the Purple and Gold, it was clear that he did not have the confidence of his players.

There were a number of stories that were circulating from the Lakers' locker room this season about players such as D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis not clicking with coach Ham. Continuity and chemistry within a locker room are important for the success of a team because the Lakers were unable to establish that with Ham it was better to find someone better suited for the job.

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