
USA Today via Reuters
Oct 11, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham stands on the sideline during the game against the Sacramento Kings at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

USA Today via Reuters
Oct 11, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham stands on the sideline during the game against the Sacramento Kings at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
There are signs of disconnect and cracks appearing in the Lakers‘ locker room as they suffered their third back-to-back loss on Wednesday against the Heat after starting the season on a friendly note. The only prime point for them was taking home the IST trophy, and ever since it has been a slump for the Darvin Ham-led Lakers. As the team struggles with injuries and inconsistent play, Coach Darvin’s switching up player rotation is seemingly the source of confusion and frustration.
His drastic rotations are a constant perplexity to the Lakers’ performance. Even this late into the season, the Lakers are still struggling to decide on a starting five, even with so far deep into the season. Yo put things in perspective, in their last three games, they have used three different starting lineups and lost all games. In this chaos, ESPN’s Skip Bayless stands up for Darvin and gives his take on the situation.
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Darvin is a good coach
Skip Bayless comes to Coach Darvin’s rescue by revealing that he is a huge fan of his, and he believes Darvin is a magnificent coach. He has an explanation for Darvin’s woes and even gives him credit for bringing the team together. “He coached the hell out of this team last year. Once they flipped the script at the trade deadline and once Rob Pelinka [Lakers’ GM and VP of Basketball Operations], I thought he should have been the executive of the year because he went out and revamped this team it became a very good basketball team on the fly,” he says.
Bringing up the Lakers’ run into the playoffs last season, Bayless adds, “And Darvin had a whole lot to have to deal with and compute and translate and figure on the fly and he pulled it off because they got on a playoff role.” The Lakers blew over the Grizzlies and then the Warriors in the WC semifinals only to lose to the Nuggets in the Conference finals. This, Bayless says, calls for due credit to Darvin. However, right now, dissatisfaction is mounting and it doesn’t look too good for the Purple and Gold.
What’s taking Darvin so long?
Coach Darvin’s back is against the wall as discontent grows among the players. We are not seeing the lineup that took the team to the Finals. The constant switch-up is making the players find a rhythm. What is especially shocking was removing Austin Reaves from the starting five, relegating him to a bench role. Only recently did he see himself back on the lineup.
Injuries have played a role in this inconsistency, considering the absence of key players like D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. But it is about time Coach Darvin comes up with a consistent rotation. So far, he has used at least ten different lineups, and the frustration among the players is only growing. It won’t be long until this whole thing blows open.
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