Not long after winning an NBA championship, the Los Angeles Lakers are somehow already looking to find a replacement for Frank Vogel.
Los Angeles was reportedly moving “deliberately” slow with making a decision because they were waiting to see if either Doc Rivers or Quin Snyder would become available.
Snyder was an assistant coach for the Lakers in 2011-12, but someone who makes just as much sense for the position is former NBA player Darvin Ham, who was also an assistant coach on the Los Angeles staff that same season.
Ham, currently an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks, should be considered the favorite for the position.
Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham and former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts are among candidates who've advanced to the final round of interviews for the Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching job, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 20, 2022
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Ham has advanced to the “final round” of interviews for the position. Ham is also a “serious candidate” to become the head coach of the Hornets, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
He was also an early candidate for the Kings job before Mike Brown was hired. The former NBA player was also a candidate for previous openings with the Celtics, Wizards, Magic, Bulls, Clippers, Pacers, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, and his alma mater Texas Tech.
But would he be a good fit for the position? Kevin Durant was recently asked about the most important part of the job for a head coach, and KD said that it was managing personalities.
Asked what an NBA coach does, Kevin Durant says, "managing personalities. I think that's the biggest thing. We all know how to play. We all know all the terminology. We know every single scheme that can be … Managing personalities, I think that their biggest job."
— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) May 20, 2022
Nowhere would that be more true than in Los Angeles, a team with LeBron James on the roster. But it seems like Ham can handle it (via Yahoo):
“Communication? He knows how to talk to people without being afraid of them,” an executive told Yahoo Sports. Several executives named Ham as a coach to watch during this cycle … “He’s smart. He doesn’t get too high or too low. Players notice that.”
Ham won a championship as a player in 2004, and he now has championship experience as a coach, winning a ring with the Bucks in 2021.
There is little doubt that he is qualified for the gig, and he seems like a good bet to replace Vogel as the head coach of the Purple and Gold.
