The Los Angeles Lakers are still trying to figure out how to turn things around and get this season back on track. The superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis has proven to be one that can win a championship, but questions have continued to arise about head coach Darvin Ham.
There have been rumors of a disconnect between the Lakers players and Ham, which is concerning as his connection with the locker room has been one of this strongest suits. Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal had been in every kind of locker in his Hall of Fame career and he doesn’t feel Ham has the qualifications to command champions like LeBron and Davis to listen to him.
In the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the big man noted the importance of résumé within a locker room and believes that James and Davis aren’t really listening to their head coach:
“What I know for a fact, in the locker room, résumé is important. You mean to tell me LeBron’s gonna listen to Darvin Ham in the thick of things? I know the answer to that, I’ll let you figure it out. You think AD is gonna listen to Darvin Ham? That’s no disrespect to Darvin Ham, but no championship experience, no playoff experience. So if I’m a guy that’s been there to the title run a lot, why would I listen to a guy that hasn’t been there? But, as the 1-2 punch on the team, if that is true, you just have to say, ‘OK we’re not gonna listen to him, y’all gotta listen to us and this is what we gotta do.'”
It is true that James and Davis have both won NBA Championships while Ham has not done so as a head coach, though he did win one as a player and as an assistant coach. Not to mention Ham did great work during the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals last season, so while he doesn’t have a lot of playoff experience, he does have some.
Whatever the case may be, James and Davis need to be on the same page as Ham if the Lakers are ever going to turn this season around as none of the three are going anywhere anytime soon.
Lakers inform Darvin Ham his job is not in jeopardy
All of the struggles of the Lakers have led many to believe that Ham could be on the hot seat, but the franchise has reportedly assured him that is not the case.
Recent reports have come out stating that the Lakers have informed Ham that his job is not in jeopardy. That assurance surely allows him to focus on leading LeBron, Davis and the rest of the Lakers throughout the rest of the season.
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