Things are tough for the Los Angeles Lakers and from sources, it’s getting worse as there’s a “deepening disconnect” between the team and head coach Darvin Ham.
According to six sources, “the disconnect appears to come from the fact that Ham has made a number of adjustments to the rotation and starting lineup”.
The Lakers head coach used his 10th different lineup in Wednesday night’s 110-96 loss to the Jimmy Butler-less Heat.
It was Los Angeles’ third consecutive game using a different lineup in as many games.
Ham, 50, previously faced scrutiny over his lineup choices back on Dec. 23 during a game against the Thunder.
In that game, he had opted to start LeBron James, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis while he sat D’Angelo Russell.
🎙️@Chris_Broussard: "Just 2-3 weeks ago, Lakers won the in-season tournament. Now, all of a sudden, Darvin Ham can't coach? Why don't the players look in the freakin' mirror at themselves? YOUR ROSTER IS NICE!" pic.twitter.com/DfPl22vafx
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) January 5, 2024
“It’s a little bit of everything right now,” Davis told reporters after the loss on Wednesday. “We’re not executing. That team played harder than us tonight, executed better than us tonight, more physical than us tonight. We got outworked tonight. So it’s a bit of everything right now. If we keep on this trend, it’s not going to be good for us. So it’s kind of obvious that we have to figure it out sooner than later.”
After the Wednesday loss, Austin Reaves told the Los Angeles Times that the feeling in the locker room was “s–tty. We’re losing.”
All isn’t rosy in the Los Angeles Lakers team and fans are hoping the right things are being done to put the team on the right path.
Flip to the next page for reactions…