Gilbert Arenas Blasts Darvin Ham’s Fragile Job Security Concerns and Defends Lakers’ Senior Star in Fiasco: “LeBron Didn’t Get Nobody Fired”

The Los Angeles Lakers are once again on the brink of getting swept by the Denver Nuggets in the very first round of the playoffs this season. The last few years have been quite volatile for the LA unit. Since 2020, a lot of changes have been made to the team, and many believe LeBron James has been the voice behind, who has demanded these changes. Fans have often used this to criticize the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, especially when someone is fired from the team. However, Gilbert Arenas is siding with James on this. 

In a YouTube live today, Arenas was interacting with the fans, and one of them commented, “He Got [Frank] Vogel and [Darvin] Ham fired.“ The Washington Wizards legend replied, “See, that’s the problem. LeBron didn’t get nobody fired. Your record got you fired, your adjustments got you fired.” 

After game 3 between the Denver Nuggets and the Lakers, “fire Darvin Ham” chants broke out at the Crypto.com Arena. Many want the head coach to be fired, and Arenas is hinting at the same. 

Arenas has often criticized Darvin Ham and the Lakers for their rotation in the lineup. For e.g., in Game 3, Ham ran a three-guard lineup involving Spencer Dinwiddie, Gabe Vincent, and Austin Reaves, which frustrated the LA fans a lot. Arenas believes these poor adjustments and rotations are the reason behind a coach getting fired. Now once again, we might see a new coach for the Lakers in the next season. 

Vogel, who helped the Lakers bring a championship in 2020, was fired a season later. He is now coaching the Phoenix Suns, who are also on the brink of elimination to the Minnesota Timberwolves. While these facts could prove Gilbert Arenas’ point right, another former NBA veteran is siding with Ham on this debate. 

“There’s no coach that can coach that”: Former Houston Rockets veteran criticizes the Lakers 

Chandler Parsons shared on FanDuel’s Run it Back, “Find me anybody in the world that can coach this Lakers team to victory against this Denver Nuggets team…There’s no coach that can coach that to beat that [Nuggets] team.” LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been crucial for the Lakers’ offense in this playoffs. However, the guards have been a big letdown. D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, and Dinwiddie, are yet to make a mark in the first round. 

Parsons’ case makes sense too. The fans were frustrated that Ham did not let D’Angelo Russell play in the first half yesterday. But at the same time, the 28-year-old point guard did not score a single point. He was having an off night and thus, Ham was forced to use the bench. Regardless, his three-guard lineups have never been efficient for the Lakers. So let’s see if he can keep his job in the next season.