As the Los Angeles Lakers struggled over the past month, much of the attention went towards head coach Darvin Ham. Many questioned his constantly changing lineups and rotations, and a report emerged of a disconnect existing between himself and the Lakers roster.
It has gotten to a point where some are wondering how much longer Ham will last and there have even been rumors about potential replacements should he be fired. But despite all that, Ham himself doesn’t feel like he’s coaching for his job.
“Nah, I don’t,” Ham said prior to the Lakers’ contest against the Los Angeles Clippers. “I feel like I’m coaching a hell of a franchise and it comes with the territory when you’re a coach in this business. I’ve seen a lot of coaches come and go, good ones, some that had some bad circumstances around them. But in no way, shape or form do I feel that way.”
There is no denying that coaches in general are under a lot of pressure and that especially goes when you are leading a franchise as storied as the Lakers. Ham admitted he has put more pressure on himself to help the Lakers turn things around, but still wants to keep a positive atmosphere around the team.
“Absolutely. You look at different ways, different numbers,” the Lakers coach noted. “It’s not so much putting pressure on yourself, I think it’s just asking more of yourself and doing more and trying to see every little thing, let no stone go unturned in terms of trying to turn this thing around. But also keeping things in perspective with having a positive approach at the same time.
“Not the old, ‘Woe is me’ synergy, aura around myself, my staff, my team. Just trying to constantly work towards taking advantage of the opportunity that lies before us.”
It is far from an easy job to be head coach of the Lakers, let alone one with the star power of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Everything is under a microscope and the pressure is immense, but Ham embraces all that comes with the job, and continues to stay focused on the main goals through the struggles.
“I don’t think anyone sets out to fail,” Ham added. “And things you say get taken out of context, but essentially what I’m saying is if anyone learned anything from last year, it’s that this thing goes in stages, right? And I know we’re the Lakers and I embrace it, I don’t run from it. I lean into it. And I just want us to be great. And it takes time to be great, in the moment.
“This has been a great franchise, the best in the league. And the work we put in has to lead towards something and sometimes there’s gonna be a few bumps in the road. But the totality of everything we’re doing in the short-term and getting to a big picture, it’s a process. So you’re gonna have some valleys and you’re gonna have some peaks. Our thing is to get stronger as the season goes on.”
Ham has proven that he can get through those valleys and lead the Lakers to success. Now he will have to do so once again to get this season together and accomplish the championship goal the franchise had at the start of the season.
Darvin Ham: Lakers can’t get comfortable after win over Clippers
Ideally the Lakers can get started back on that road after snapping their four-game losing streak with a win over the Clippers. But Ham cautioned against the team relaxing too much after this one victory.
“Definitely,” Ham said when asked if it was a relief to get a win. “But we can’t be comfortable. We can’t be too comfortable. We still got a lot of work to do. This was a huge, huge win. Again, against an elite ballclub, but it shows us what we can do once we band together and everyone just really focuses in on the job they have to do individually and collectively.
“All of us, players, coaches, performance team, everybody. And so this is something that I hope will continue to spill on through the next several games all the way until the end of the season, this type of performance.”
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