For Darvin Ham and the Los Angeles Lakers, the offseason has been a busy one as the two sides work together to build a staff and roster that can compete with the elite teams in the NBA.
So far, the Lakers’ roster looks vastly different from the 2021-22 iteration as the front office stockpiled it with younger, more athletic players. It was clear last season that Los Angeles was too slow on both ends of the floor, so hopefully the infusion of talent will serve them better for this go around.
Aside from the players, Ham has also been busy adding to his coaching staff. So far, Ham has filled his sideline with individuals he has worked with in the past and it looks like a promising group that can help him implement his vision of basketball.
One name that has been floated around as a possible addition is Rasheed Wallace, who was previously reported as a possible candidate to join Ham in L.A. In an interview with Vince Carter and Ros Gold-Onwude, Ham confirmed he is still working on getting Wallace on his coaching staff, via NBA on ESPN:
“Well, we’re working on that. We’re trying to push that line to get him in the fold, he and a few other candidates. But yeah, ‘Sheed was with me when I was a head coach in the D-League and he came out and helped me with my training camp and would come out periodically throughout the season.”
Originally it was reported that Wallace had reached an agreement with the Lakers on an assistant coaching position, but Ham quickly refuted that at his introductory press conference saying the two sides were still discussing things. Since then, it looks like no movement has been made but he and Wallace remain in contact.
Wallace has spent a few seasons as an assistant at several stops. He first worked as an assistant with the Detroit Pistons during the 2013-14 season, then as the head coach for Jordan High School between 2019-2021. His last stop was with Penny Hardaway in Memphis during the 2021-22 campaign.
The former NBA champion would bring another respected voice in the locker room, as well as perhaps a mentor for Anthony Davis. It’ll be interesting to see if a deal gets done in the coming months.
Darvin Ham says Russell Westbrook was one of the things that excited him about being Lakers head coach
So far into his Lakers head coach tenure, Ham has said all the right things and seems ready for the upcoming 2022-23 season. One of the biggest areas to watch will be how he handles the Russell Westbrook situation as it seems increasingly likely he remains on the roster.
However, Ham has defended Westbrook at every turn and even went so far as to say that coaching the guard was one of the things he was most excited about when he took the job.
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