The Los Angeles Lakers recently broke their four-game losing streak with a win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Prior to that game, tensions were high in the locker room with a certain level of animosity building between the players and the Lakers head coach, Darvin Ham. Ham’s recent comments on the Lakers’ struggle led to him facing some serious backlashes.
Advertisement
Even Los Angeles Lakers legend, Eddie Johnson went ahead to chime in on Ham’s controversial statement after the Lakers lost their fourth game to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies game was the Lakers’ fourth straight loss. After the game, head coach Ham sat down with the media and talked about the recent struggles of the team and whether it stemmed from their performances from the last 13 games.
While talking to the media, Ham said, “It is what it is. This is the NBA man. This is a marathon and you just have to look at the totality of the picture. I’m tired of the people living and dying with every single game we play. It’s ludicrous.”
Ham’s comments did more harm than good as Laker fanatics went on to berate him on various social media platforms. Former Lakers guard Eddie Johnson gave his thoughts while making an appearance on SiriusXM NBA radio.
“Obviously, he didn’t have to say what he said. I kinda get his frustration and what he was trying to say. And I think what he was trying to say is like, this is a marathon. We talk about it all the time on the show. It’s a marathon, it’s 82 games. Last year we saw two teams struggle and get to the Conference Finals(Lakers) and one of them got to the Finals(Miami Heat).”
Lakers Head Coach, Darvin Ham, says he’s tired of people living and dying on every single game they play.@JumpShot8 tells @TermineRadio why he understands the frustration. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/xMb4LhfxRi
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) January 9, 2024
Johnson came to Darvin Ham’s aid pointing out that the Lakers did struggle earlier in the season but made it to the Conference Finals in the end. He even interpreted Ham’s statement by saying, “Just be patient, I think that’s what he’s saying.”
Laker Nation urging to fire Darvin Ham
After the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Grizzlies, things did get tense in the locker room. After the game, Darvin Ham and Anthony Davis both had a few words with the media. However, Davis’ words went on to contradict everything his head coach said in the post-game press conference.
Trouble in Lakerland?
Darvin Ham stressed the importance of health for consistency, but Anthony Davis sparked controversy by rejecting injuries as an excuse.
The #Lakers are 3-9 since winning the IST and have lost 3 games in a row. pic.twitter.com/G8OedbM1CM
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) January 4, 2024
If that wasn’t enough of an indication then Lakers’ rookie Maxwell Lewis liking a post on Instagram on the team’s disconnected locker room should speak volumes.
Many unofficial pages with NBA highlights too have been emphasizing on even the most minute arguments or disagreements that have been happening within the Lakers on the floor. And now, fans are urging the Lakers front office to fire Darvin Ham.
There has been quite a buzz among Laker Nation to hire Phil Handy as the Lakers’ next head coach. Now whether that will happen or not is anyone’s guess. Let’s just wait and see if Darvin Ham amps things up from his end meanwhile.
