After being swept by the Nuggets, Lakers head coach Ham has been on the cusp of public opinion, and the news about him and thick eyebrows after the G2 game is endless, and the connotation of Russell is endless, with a black cloud overwhelming the city. Now, Lakers management has finally made a less difficult choice — to part ways with Ham.
General manager Pelinka issued an official statement on behalf of the Lakers, announcing the official dismissal of Ham and thanking him for his efforts in the past two seasons, highlighting the results of leading the team to two breakout play-offs and leading the team to the first midseason championship in NBA history. But Pelinka also mentioned that it was a difficult but best decision for both parties after a thorough assessment. In fact, according to ESPN's McMahon, shortly after the elimination, Lakers management solicited extensive player opinions in end-of-season interviews with players as an important part of the comprehensive evaluation of this season's results. Obviously, the cracks in the locker room prompted the players to collectively "impeach" the head coach, so even if Jeanie Buss and Pelinka gave him a "gold medal" before the playoffs began, Ham could not escape the fate of being fired.
Goodbye Ham, Lakers fans can finally stop standing on the sidelines chewing gum and looking like he doesn't care about himself. Unlike Vogel's time, this time the Lakers management chose a major reshuffle - firing the entire coaching staff. In fact, as early as in the playoffs with the Nuggets, James, Davis, and Russell repeatedly lashed out at the coaching staff for obvious misjudgments but did not challenge, and you can see the dislike between the players and the coaching staff, and everything was foreshadowed. On the other hand, this can be regarded as the last tenderness of the Lakers management to Ham, firing the entire coaching staff, not targeting him alone, and also the last tenderness of the "midseason champion coach".
It's a pity that Phil Handy, a three-time "championship assistant coach" and a much-loved veteran among the players, will also be fired this time. Handy is loyal to the Purple and Gold Army, and has been conscientious over the years, and has also made great achievements in helping Lao Zhan improve his three-point shooting and helping Hachimura retry his shooting confidence, I believe this is what Lakers fans don't want to see, or hope that the follow-up operation can win back this meritorious veteran, and don't let him pay for Ham's mistakes.
Next, the Lakers' priority in the offseason also followed, that is, to find the 29th head coach in team history, and whether the coach selection work is going well or not will directly determine to a certain extent whether Lao Zhan will renew his contract with the team and end up in the city of angels. According to a report by Charania of The Athletic, the list of candidates for the next Purple and Gold coach includes these familiar names: former Bucks coach and 2022 championship coach Budenholzer, Atkinson, who is now an assistant coach of the Warriors and the French men's basketball team, former Nets coach, and Atkinson, who agreed to the Hornets and finally gave up a four-year contract, and Redick, who is now running a booming podcast and almost joined the Lakers before.
And, of course, there's Tyronn Lue, an old friend who won the 2016 championship with James. The Clippers have made it clear that they will not sign an early contract extension with Lue, leading him to test the free agency market as soon as this summer. There have been reports that James is very interested in renewing his relationship with Lue, which will undoubtedly put Lue in a leading position on the runway to become the new coach of the Lakers. In your opinion, which one will be the Lakers' 29th head coach, and who will lead the Purple and Gold out of the quagmire?