If the Los Angeles Lakers were a hospital patient, they would be on life support, and doctors would be preparing the next of kin for the inevitability of death in the coming days.
In fact, for all intents and purposes, the 2023-24 Lakers are already dead, and their death began in earnest in the second half of Game 2 of their first-round playoff series versus the Denver Nuggets, long before Jamal Murray’s game-winning shot. They now trail in the series 0-3, and there is a better chance of another tropical storm hitting Southern California this summer than L.A. has of coming back to make this series competitive.
While there is plenty of blame to go around, the lion’s share of the blame seems to be falling on the shoulders of head coach Darvin Ham. Following the team’s film session on Friday, he commented on the mood of his players, and he made a curious statement when he said they’re “ready to make a change.”
Darvin Ham on the Lakers’ mood today at their film session: “Guys are irritated, frustrated, fed up, ready to make a change.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 26, 2024
Yes, LeBron James didn’t take charge like a franchise player should when his team’s lead is disappearing. Yes, D’Angelo Russell had possibly the worst game of his life when he went scoreless in Game 3.
But this Lakers team appears to have no leadership or direction. They have built double-digit leads in each of the three games in this series, but when Denver has made runs to start to eat away at those leads, the Lakers have looked absolutely clueless when it has come to how they should’ve responded.
That falls on their head coach, even more so than on someone such as James. Now, all those reports that James and his teammates have been ignoring Ham and even wanted him replaced earlier this season are more telling than ever.
