When the Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham after he had been their head coach for the last two seasons, many fans let out a sigh of relief. Some even celebrated.
The general consensus in Lakersland was that Ham was a decent motivator but lacking as a tactician. His lineup decisions and inability to make smart counters and adjustments on offense and defense were a big reason why the team only won 47 games and lost in the first round of the playoffs in five games to the Denver Nuggets.
Yet some prominent journalists in the national media felt the franchise acted in haste when it got rid of Ham.
Now, the Lakers are making a strong push to hire University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley to fill the spot once occupied by Ham. On Friday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith said that while he believes Hurley would be a great hire for L.A., the job Hurley would do with it could’ve been done by Ham.
"All of a sudden, he's coming in as the savior… [Dan] Hurley, I think, would do a good job. But the job that he would come there and do for the Los Angeles Lakers, I believe Darvin Ham would've done that job."
— Stephen A. Smith 👀
(via @FirstTake)pic.twitter.com/viARUtV5KF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 7, 2024
This is a ludicrous take and a flat-out false equivalency.
While Ham did do well last season as a rookie head coach by unexpectedly guiding L.A. to the Western Conference Finals, he seemed to regress this year. He hasn’t shown any real talent as a tactician, and multiple reports indicated that his players didn’t trust or respect him.
Hurley, on the other hand, is regarded as a brilliant and even an innovative offensive mind. He also has the reputation of someone who knows how to build a winning culture and program, which is something the Lakers haven’t had since Phil Jackson left in 2011.
Perhaps Ham can become a decent NBA head coach someday. But at least right now, he doesn’t belong on the same page, let alone in the same chapter, as Hurley.
Perhaps that is why, according to one insider, the Lakers are prepared to offer Hurley a deal in the ballpark of $100 million over eight years to leave the Northeast and come to the Southland.
