Time has run out for Darvin Ham. After two seasons in charge of the Los Angeles Lakers, his stint is now coming to an end. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, “The Los Angeles Lakers dismissed coach Darvin Ham, sources tell ESPN.” Ham’s dismissal doesn’t come as a shock to most NBA fans; in fact, the writing has been on the wall for quite some time now. However, the Lakers’ premature exit from the playoffs proved to be the last straw.

The Los Angeles Lakers succumbed to the Denver Nuggets for the second consecutive postseason. During his two-season stint, Darvin Ham led the Lakers to victory in 90 out of 164 games. He also guided the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals last season and the inaugural in-season tournament. However, his dismissal was rather acrimonious. According to Woj, “Lakers GM Rob Pelinka informed Ham of decision in phone call short time ago.”

Several coaches are in the fray for the head coaching gig, and the Lakers’ search will commence soon. Candidates like Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick, and potentially Ty Lue are all under consideration. Despite the coaching talent on offer, one name stands out. JJ Redick has garnered a reputation for being tactically sound, as evidenced by his tactics-heavy podcast with LeBron James, Mind the Game.

JJ Redick currently works for ESPN as an analyst. However, in recent weeks, he has been linked to the head coaching vacancy in Charlotte. Despite Redick’s links with LeBron, Clippers’ HC Ty Lue remains the ideal replacement for Ham. In fact, Ty Lue and LeBron won the 2016 NBA title together in Cleveland. So there’s a lot of history between the two. But, Redick remains a left field option if the Lakers are not able to entice Lue.

Fans react to Darvin Ham’s firing

Many fans have speculated that the Lakers could hire JJ Redick if LeBron is consulted on the matter. One Instagram user suggested that LeBron would force the Lakers to hire Redick, only to backtrack on his decision a couple of months later. They wrote, “LeBron gonna hire JJ Redick, then 4 months later say they need a new coach.” Another Lakers fan was in the same boat, claiming, “JJ REDICK 100% LOCK IN.”

Despite the optimism of hiring a new coach, many fans feel that the way in which Darvin Ham was dismissed was unprofessional and appalling. One X user publicly trashed Lakers’ GM Rob Pelinka because of his “disrespectful” behavior towards Ham.

One Lakers fan went on to suggest that they also need to fire Rob Pelinka and hire former Warriors’ GM, Bob Myers. They wrote, “Fire pelinka too n get bob myers.” However, some fans were satisfied to see the back of Darvin Ham. During his stint, Ham garnered a reputation for not making in-game adjustments. Many fans believed that he was a subpar coach at best. One fan wrote on Instagram, “thank God bruh Darvin “ hands in my pocket” Ham needed to get outta der.”

What are your thoughts? Should the Lakers have fired Darvin Ham? Let us know in the comments below!

This is a developing story…