Stephen A. Smith Shockingly Defends Darvin Ham Amidst Lakers Coach’s Heavy Criticism: “Who The F**k Says..”

The fury against Darvin Ham reaches new heights as the Los Angeles Lakers head back home. For the entirety of the 2023-24 NBA season, the head coach has been bashed by the fans; be it for Lakers’ losses, rotational changes, questionable on-court plays, or injury concerns. Now, as the fans unite to see the 50-year-old coach see the exit door on his coaching role, Stephen A. Smith brings up the franchise’s ‘foolish’ mistakes from the recent past.

“Who the f*** says it’s time to get rid of Darvin Ham?,” Stephen A. begins his bold take on his podcast. Smith claims that Ham, in his 2 years as a Lakers’ coach, has only “lost to one team – the Denver Nuggets.” After talking praises of the defending champions, Smith flipped the script talking about Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and citing that the Lakers “foolishly let him walk out of the door.” 

With that, Stephen A. also weighs in on the trade of Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso while looking at the questionable move to bring in Russell Westbrook, ultimately claiming, “That’s what happened to Los Angeles Lakers.”

Moreover, he then highlights Kuzma’s stature complimenting his shooting abilities and Kentavious’ attribute to spark offense. Additionally, Smith even cites that the Lakers’ could have seen a different fate if Caruso had been guarding Murray on the final play of Game 5 against the Nuggets.

With that, even though he denies advocating against him, Smith claims that Rob Pelinka must face the blame for hiring Ham; that is if all the heat towards Darvin Ham is valid.

Smith claims that hiring Bob Myers will be better than replacing Darvin Ham

“If you want to talk about replacing coaches with a better coach, how about replacing Rob Pelinka with Bob Myers,” Stephen A. Smith tried bashing the Lakers’ fans. Even though Smith’s idea purely sparks from backing LA’s head coach, the reporter presents a promising possibility.

Bob Myers was the general manager of the Golden State Warriors from 2011 to 2023 and had an active role in crafting the most dominating team of the decade. From shaking things in the franchise to hiring Steve Kerr, Myers is one of the masterminds behind the Warriors’ 73-9 iconic run.

Moreover, he was the brains behind drafting Draymond Green, trading for Andre Iguodala and even bringing Kevin Durant into the mix. Additionally, when KD left the Warriors, he made a tactful inclusion of Andrew Wiggins, who proved to be instrumental in the Warriors’ 2022 championship.

The Lakers could definitely use Bob Myers’ path. They have made some questionable moves in recent times. A few of them include firing their championship coach Frank Vogel. Moreover, they have consistently failed in drafting promising prospects and, as Smith highlights, making efficient trades. With their playoff elimination urging a new flame to light within the franchise, Myers can spin the wheels in the right direction for the purple and gold.