"Bring Phil Jackson, bring Pop": Ex-NBA star comes to Darvin Ham's rescue, blames Lakers' problems elsewhere
The LA Lakers find themselves down 3-0 to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. While the team has notably held leads in all three games, they have been unable to capitalize on the momentum, and now find themselves on the brink of elimination. During that time, coach Darvin Ham has come under fire for how things have played out.
The way NBA veteran Chandler Parsons sees things, however, even a great coach like Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich wouldn't be able to coach the Lakers to success. With an inability to remain composed and close out games, the team's problems seem to extend beyond coaching.
In addition, as Parsons explained, LA is up against a powerhouse of a Denver Nuggets team that has continued to impress. On the heels of Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon making history as the first duo to record 20+ point 15+ rebound games on greater than 65.0% from the field, in Game 3, Parsons weighed in.
"Find me anybody in the world that can coach this Lakers team to victory against this Denver Nuggets team. Bring Phil Jackson, bring Pop. There's no coach that can coach that team to beat that team. There's no way."
Looking at the LA Lakers recent loss to the Denver Nuggets amid Chandler Parsons' comments
Chandler Parsons' comments about the LA Lakers come on the heels of the team giving up a big lead in Game 3. In the first quarter alone, LA outscored Denver by 10 points.
The team appeared to be firing on all cylinders, with Anthony Davis and LeBron James leading the way. Despite that, after a big second quarter by Denver, the two teams entered the half separated by just four.
When the Nuggets came out of the half for the third quarter, the team erased the remainder of the deficit, outscoring the Lakers by 12. Despite both teams coming out strong in the fourth, LA was never able to bounce back.
After the game, much of the criticism was focused at Darvin Ham given LA's string of losses to Denver going back to 2022. In addition, a poor night from the field that saw D'Angelo Russell go 0-7 from the floor only added to the frustration among LA fans.
The situation mirrored the one of previous games, which saw LA give up a 20-point lead in Game 2. This has led many to believe that the problem with the Lakers isn't the construction of the team, but rather their inability to close late game.
With the team on the brink of elimination, the stakes couldn't be higher rolling into Game 4 on Saturday where LA will look to stave off elimination. Although reports have indicated that the team is unlikely to part ways with Darvin Ham, with questions about LeBron James' future with the team, LA needs a win.