“LeBron James’ Departure Triggers Lakers to Consider Trading Anthony Davis: Five Potential Destinations Revealed”
The Los Angeles Lakers have once again faced a disappointing season, being knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, missing out on advancing to the second round. With an early offseason ahead, the Lakers are poised for a tumultuous break as they contemplate necessary changes.
Coach Ham has become one of the scapegoats for the team’s losses. Many fans and media outlets have expressed dissatisfaction with Ham’s coaching abilities. Reports suggest that the Lakers are reassessing Ham as they enter the offseason. According to internal sources within the Lakers, there are indications that Ham is expected to be dismissed this weekend.
“The latest I’ve heard is that the plan is still to part ways with Dave Ham at some point, possibly this weekend, as early as tomorrow, and then begin the search for a new head coach. I’ve already started hearing some names from different people.”
Ham’s coaching record with the Los Angeles Lakers has been relatively decent. At the very least, the team secured a spot in the Western Conference playoffs in two seasons, clinching postseason berths through play-in tournaments.
One season saw them reach the Western Conference Finals, while in another, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Based on the Lakers’ performance, Ham should receive support from the outside to stay with the team. However, the pivotal factor for his departure lies in the Lakers’ consecutive losses to the Nuggets, where his coaching prowess was severely questioned.
Despite calls from many fans and media outlets to dismiss Ham immediately after the season, the Lakers have not taken such action. At this point, it remains uncertain whether Ham will be fired by the Lakers. After all, judging from the overall performance in the playoffs, the Lakers’ losses were more attributed to the players’ shortcomings, as they struggled defensively and offensively.
However, if the Lakers aim to retain LeBron James and secure his contract extension, their top priority is to dismiss Ham and hire competent coaches to lead the team in Los Angeles. This is because, for LeBron James, Ham has shown little to no in-game management skills.
The Lakers aspire to keep LeBron James in Los Angeles to lead the team to victory and championships, hoping he can help sell more tickets for the franchise. Therefore, the Lakers must reinforce or sign players according to LeBron James’ requirements. LeBron James has shown his dissatisfaction with Ham from the bench during both regular-season and playoff games. The Lakers are well aware of this, and if they intend to keep LeBron James, Ham must go.