"Made mistake by letting Darvin Ham go": Lou Williams makes bold claim about Lakers coaching conundrum
The LA Lakers parted ways with Darvin Ham this offseason following a first-round exit from the playoffs. The move came on the heels of a two-year stint with the team, that included a run to the Western Conference Finals in the 2022-23 season before the team then struggled to find consistency this year. While the Lakers had hoped to acquire Dan Hurley, the UConn Huskies coach has declined their offer.
Now, the Lakers are scrambling to find a new coach, while Darvin Ham has signed with the Milwaukee Bucks to be Doc Rivers' assistant. While the Lakers struggled to find consistency this season under Ham, some members of the NBA community have questioned whether the team made a mistake firing him.
This week, while speaking on Tuesday morning's episode of FanDuel TV's Run it Back NBA vet Lou Williams weighed in on the situation. While seated alongside Chandler Parsons, Shams Charania, and Michele Beadle, Williams questioned whether the Lakers made a mistake by letting Ham go:
"It feels like it's every few years that we're having this conversation. You know, I'll go viral and I'll say, maybe they made a mistake by letting Darvin Ham go. You know, it was very early in his career, very early in his process.
"Sometimes you gotta allow things to grow. You gotta allow it to the opportunity to see what you can get out of it."
Lou Williams explains how the LA Lakers' coaching search could impact the team's free agency
As Lou Williams went on to explain, the Lakers' decision to fire Ham could be problematic with the free agency period rapidly approaching. With Dan Hurley declining the team's offer, LA will now look to bolster their roster while finding a suitable head coach.
As an NBA veteran himself, Williams knows that players like stability, and given that LA is without a head coach, there's some uncertainty surrounding the team. Because of that, he believes that players may be hesitant to join their roster:
"You got new guys coming in you got veterans that are waiting around. You know, this can possibly affect your free agency. A lot of guys want stability. They want to know where they're going, what they're getting themselves into."
Of course, the situation could also have an impact on LeBron James' offseason decision as well. The future Hall of Famer is preparing to opt in or opt out of the final year of his deal before the Jun. 29 deadline, and with things up in the air regarding the team's coach, James could decide to take his talents elsewhere.
In addition, D'Angelo Russell is also notably preparing to either opt in or opt out of the final year of his deal. Given that, and the fact that the franchise will be negotiating with other free agents in hopes of bolstering their roster, there's no telling how big of an impact the lack of a coach could have.