Darvin Ham took the LA Lakers to the Western Convention finals in his first yr as a head coach. Ham was on the helm when the crew roared from a 0.3% likelihood of constructing the playoffs to battling the eventual champions within the convention finals. The previous NBA journeyman led the crew to win the inaugural NBA In-Season Match.

The Lakers are 15-14 this season heading into their recreation on Saturday in opposition to the OKC Thunder. It’s a greater win-loss slate than their 13-16 document on the identical level final season. Nonetheless, Ham’s crew is struggling, and lots of assume he could also be within the sizzling seat.

Already, there’s a checklist of potential replacements for Darvin Ham that has gone viral:

Phil Useful: +350

Juwan Howard: +600

Jared Dudley: +750

Kenny Atkinson: +750

Sam Cassell: +750

Jamahl Mosley: +800

Quin Snyder: +800

JB Bickerstaff: +1000

Steve Clifford: +1000

Mike Brown: +1600

LeBron James: +2500

Skip Bayless: +100000

Phil Useful, one among LA’s assistant coaches, was reportedly one of many main candidates to take over Frank Vogel earlier than the entrance workplace selected Darvin Ham. The subsequent 10 choices are nonetheless concerned as head coach or assistant coach within the NBA. If Ham must be changed, it won’t occur this season.

An fascinating identify within the combine is LeBron James, the face of the NBA and the franchise famous person. The final time the league had a player-coach was in the course of the 1978-79 season. The late Dave Cowens had a 27-41 document with the Boston Celtics in that capability.

“King James” is the LA Lakers’ coach when he’s on the ground. Nonetheless, asking him to do it full-time and likewise put within the work as a participant could also be an excessive amount of at this stage in his profession.

Lastly, there’s Skip Bayless, the longtime LeBron James critic on the checklist. The Lakers must be past determined to even take into account him.

Darvin Ham’s offense is sputtering

LA Lakers GM Rob Pelinka retooled the roster to make it higher and extra balanced. They acquired Jaxson Hayes, Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Christian Wooden within the offseason. Darvin Ham nonetheless has LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell as the principle gamers.

With a star-studded solid at his disposal, the Lakers are remarkably struggling on offense. Heading into their recreation on Saturday in opposition to the OKC Thunder, they’re ranked twenty fourth in offensive effectivity. The Washington Wizards, who’ve gained simply 5 video games this season, are higher than them in that class.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are having excellent seasons and have been largely wholesome, however there’s purpose to fret because the crew is struggling.

The LA Lakers are additionally twenty fifth in 3-point effectivity, the second-worst crew in offensive rebounding and backside 10 in turnovers. Having mentioned that, Darvin Ham’s crew confirmed within the NBA In-Season Match that they’re nonetheless powerful to beat.

In a knockout format, they’re as legit title contenders as any. A seven-game sequence, although, could be a completely completely different factor if the offense continues to sputter. Ham is aware of the strain of teaching the Lakers and has embraced it. His stint in Hollywood may rely on how his crew will carry out this season.