Patrick Beverley claims ‘coach’ Darvin Ham apologized to him after Lakers exit, sought Russell Westbrook’s phone number
Patrick Beverley claimed former LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham apologized after the two bumped into each other in Las Vegas. Beverley played under Ham for four months in the then-rookie coach's stint with the Purple and Gold during the 2022-23 season. The veteran guard frequently advised Ham on getting reps, but the latter never came through.
"Coach Ham come up to me, I don't know his move," Beverley said on Thursday's episode of Pat Bev Pod. "'I'm just (like), 'What up?' He (said), 'Could I get five minutes?' Oh sh**t, 'Okay, what up Ham?' Beverley asked. 'Just want to let you know Pat, I apologize,'" Ham replied.
Ham apologized to Beverley because he didn't listen to his advice of practicing and preparing better for games. The veteran guard has always been a vocal leader in locker rooms, but the star power in LA's locker room, featuring LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, was not under his control.
That didn't help his case to get through to Ham, either. After their conversation, Darvin Ham also asked for Russell Westbrook's phone number. The former Lakers coach wanted to reach out to the former MVP.
Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook were among the departing players, who made room for D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba, the core that revived the Lakers' 2022-23 season and led them to the conference finals.
Beverley and Westbrook struggled in their tenures with the Lakers that year. The former produced career-low averages, while the latter got demoted to a bench role.
Darvin Ham's lack of preparation amid factors that led to his LA Lakers firing
Darvin Ham led the Lakers to a 90-74 record. They made the conference finals in his rookie coaching year and lost 1-4 to the Denver Nuggets this past season. While there were fewer complaints about Ham in 2022-23, he received the bulk of the blame for the team's struggles in 2023-24.
According to Lakers' insider Jova Buha's June 6 report, Ham's lack of preparation was a common complaint during his tenure. Here's what Buha reported while comparing Ham to new coach JJ Redick's preparation methods:
"One of the common internal complaints with Ham was his lack of preparation. Conversely, Redick is obsessively structured and organized, from dogmatically attempting 342 game-speed shots every day during the offseason as a player to swiftly developing into one of the game’s premier NBA analysts and podcasters after retiring in 2021."
Darvin Ham got heavily criticized for his lineup choices and lack of in-game adjustments in the second season. The Lakers did a lot of things on the fly, which ultimately led to their struggles, especially against teams that were coached better.