Lakers head coach Darvin Ham Apr 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham watches game action against the Denver Nuggets during the first half in game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
By Reice Shipley on

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets for the second consecutive season in the playoffs, this time doing so in the first round of postseason play. And ultimately, this was enough for the organization to make some serious changes on Friday.

Darvin Ham has been the head coach of the Lakers for the last two seasons. And while there have been some bright spots like the team’s In-Season Tournament championship, the team has floundered when it comes to the bigger picture of the NBA postseason.

Quickly after the Lakers’ first-round loss to the Nuggets, rumors began to swirl that Ham could potentially be on the hot seat. And as the saying goes, when there’s smoke there is fire.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers have dismissed Ham from his coaching duties on Friday.

Again, you can argue if this decision is fair considering the Lakers simply haven’t been able to beat one team, the Denver Nuggets, in the postseason.

You can certainly argue that over the past few seasons, there are simply very few teams that actually can realistically defeat this Nuggets team, as they are very clearly a championship-caliber team again this year.

But regardless, the Lakers will be heading in a different direction moving forward. And naturally, fans had plenty to say about the move on social media.

As you can tell by some of these reactions from fans, Ham wasn’t exactly the most popular coach over the course of his tenure with the Lakers…

You can argue whether or not that is justified. But if the Lakers organization wants to truly build another winner, there are still some more obvious changes, particularly with their current roster, that need to be made.

But for the time being, the real question is who could potentially replace Ham?

Well, a few candidates to potentially watch out for in terms of Ham’s replacement as head coach consist of Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, J.J. Redick, and Tyronn Lue if he were to come available, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

[Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter/X]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley