Darvin Ham with another blunt statement

The Lakers fell 114-103 to the Nuggets on Saturday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference first round. After the game, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham gave a blunt statement about what the Lakers are challenging against.

Ham and the Lakers need to win this series against the Nuggets to prove they can be taken seriously in the league. They have nine straight losses to the Nuggets, including last year’s sweep of the Western Conference Finals.

But many wonder if the root of the problem lies with Darvin Ham. He has come under fire from Lakers fans for much of this season and previous seasons.

He lacks in-game adjustments and relies too much on the dominance of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The only reason the Lakers made their postseason runs, such as last year’s Western Conference Finals appearance and win in the Play-In Tournament, was primarily because of the way James and Davis played next to each other.

Ham’s attitude towards the organization and the media shows his lack of hope in his team this season. And if the Lakers leave early this season, there’s a feeling his job could be in jeopardy. It seemed like Ham was on thin ice midway through his second season, and it was known that many members of the locker room were unhappy with the state of the front office and coaching.

Much of what Ham says during press conferences makes fans and the media shake their heads. For example, after a Lakers-Kings game earlier in March, Ham said this:

“I wish I could tell Mike Brown (…) just let us know what you’re going to do so we can stop it.”

It almost comes across as if he doesn’t take his job seriously. It’s a running joke around the league that whatever team James plays on, he’s the coach and GM, but it appears Ham is taking that mentality seriously.