"Darvin Ham was also objectively terrible" - Analyst calls out ex-Lakers coach for extension remarks 

Following his second consecutive NBA Cup championship, ex-LA Lakers coach-turned-Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham called out his former squad for firing him. However, according to The Volume's Jason Timpf, Ham's firing was justified.

Upon being hired in 2022, Ham spent two seasons as LA's coach, amassing a 90-74 regular-season record. He led the franchise to a 2023 Western Conference finals run as a seventh seed (43-39). The following year, he guided the Lakers to an NBA Cup title in the league's inaugural in-season tournament.

Nevertheless, Ham's LA stint was consistently plagued by criticisms about his rotations and inability to make in-game adjustments, with fans regularly calling for his dismissal.

After the Lakers suffered a five-game first-round 2024 playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets, Ham was fired in early May. He was replaced by rookie coach JJ Redick, who was hailed for his analytics-driven approach and high basketball IQ.

However, Ham rebounded, landing Milwaukee's top assistant gig in early June. That gave him the chance to defend his NBA Cup crown.

The Bucks ultimately went undefeated in this year's in-season tournament (7-0), with Ham improving to a perfect 14-0 in NBA Cup play on Tuesday. Afterward, he told Andscape's Marc J. Spears that he got the short end of the stick regarding LA's deficiencies. He added that he was more deserving of a contract extension than getting fired.

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"To do as well as I did, I swear to God, anywhere else I'm probably looking at an extension with what I did," Ham said.

"I'm not talking about feelings. I'm talking actual facts. They go from not making it to the playoffs to the final four in the NBA, the conference finals. And then you win the in-season tournament, navigate through all the injuries, and win both of your play-in games to get to the playoffs."

However, on Wednesday, Timpf challenged Darvin Ham's comments. According to the analyst, Ham's reluctance to play his top players together was one of the Lakers' biggest issues early last season.

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"The Lakers have a bunch of issues starting with the incompetence of Jeanie (Buss)/Rob (Pelinka) and the apathy of LeBron (James)/(Anthony Davis). But Darvin was also objectively terrible," Timpf wrote.

"Didn't play his five best players ((Austin) Reaves/(D'Angelo Russell)/Rui (Hachimura)/Bron/AD) a single minute the first half of the season while they were floundering."

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Darvin Ham says criticisms about his Lakers rotations were unfair

While Darvin Ham didn't address Jason Timpf's criticism directly, he pushed back against the widespread narrative that he mismanaged his rotations with LA.

Ham noted that he did his best, given the Lakers' age and injury circumstances, and his coaching chops deserve more respect.

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"It's being reported like I'm just throwing some lineups up against the wall to see what sticks," Ham said. "No, man, we were really navigating a lot, from guys being hurt to having the oldest player in the league (James) to navigating A.D.'s injury history. It was a lot.

"Some of the s**t that was coming out? Wow, bro, I don't know X's and O's? I was winging it. Dude, that was the most disappointing stuff, how mean and so much stuff people are saying online. The best thing I could do was block out the outside noise."

Ham added that he would like to receive another NBA head coaching position. However, he is "in a great place" in Milwaukee and "(having) fun going to work every day."

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