The future of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has been the subject of considerable speculation — almost since the franchise hired him to replace Frank Vogel in June 2022. Ham guided the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals last season and the inaugural NBA Cup this season, but LA’s inconsistency over the past two years on the whole has proven frustrating to their millions of followers around the globe.
Ham’s relationship with superstar LeBron James has not been entirely smooth, either. The King has been seen “checked out” during timeouts while Ham is speaking, and the possibility that the Lakers could retain the second-year head coach for another season could cause James to consider his future in southern California.
According to Lakers insider Anthony Irwin, Ham is poised to return for the 2024/25 season, irrespective of the result between the Lakers and the Denver Nuggets, who are currently playing a first-round series in the West playoffs.
The second-seeded Nuggets took Game 1 over the seventh-seeded Lakers on Saturday night, overcoming a halftime deficit to win 114-103 at Ball Arena. Ham was heavily criticized following the game for the Lakers’ continued inability to slow down Nikola Jokic, who scored a game-high 32 points while adding 12 rebounds and seven assists.
James was frustrated after Game 1 and chided his teammates for not paying attention to the details against the defending champion Nuggets. That message could easily have been meant for his coaching staff, too, which has not yet concocted a successful game plan to defeat Denver — the winner of nine consecutive meetings with Los Angeles. The Lakers’ season could be on the verge of ending with another loss Monday night — giving James, who can opt out of his contract this summer, plenty to think about as he contemplates his next move.
Murray swished a step-back 15-footer over Anthony Davis at the buzzer Monday night, giving the Denver Nuggets a stunning 101-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers and capping a comeback from a 20-point second-half deficit.
Murray tumbled into the Nuggets’ bench along with Davis just as his shot fluttered in the net and the roar from the crowd shook Ball Arena.
“I just lost my balance and fell. I think A.D. was in my way or somebody was in my way and I just heard everybody scream and that’s how I knew it went in,” said Murray, who was mobbed by his teammates after his bucket gave the reigning NBA champions their 10th consecutive win over the Lakers.
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