LeBron James expressed support for Darvin Ham, though stopped short of a full-throated endorsement.
LeBron James technically expressed support for embattled Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, but it was far from a full endorsement. Prior to their 106-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, the Lakers (18-19) had lost four consecutive games and ten of their previous thirteen. LeBron had yet to make a public comment on Ham’s work performance.
“By just staying and just keeping us prepared when it’s time to go out for battle,” LeBron remarked when asked how Ham has managed the Lakers during their troubles. (He raced through his statement, scarcely enunciating.)
Moments later, LeBron went out of his way to compliment his good friend and former colleague Ty Lue, notably on how swiftly Lue organized the Clippers’ recovery following the James Harden trade. The Clippers (22-12) lost their first five games with Harden, who debuted on November 6. They had won 14 of 16 prior to Sunday’s duel at Crypto.com Arena.
“You said the ‘James Harden Clippers?'” When asked about his thoughts on the Clippers’ new appearance, LeBron answered. “Nah. This is the ‘T-Lue Clippers’…T-Lue doesn’t take long to make sure everything are proper. It took him five games, and they’ve been cooking ever since.
Since joining the Lakers, LeBron has repeatedly praised Lue, who led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA title in 2016.
“T-Lue is excellent. “Simple as that,” LeBron stated in December 2021. “…He excels at every aspect of the game. As a coach, he has no weaknesses.” Later that season, James described Lue — whom the Lakers famously undervalued before hiring Frank Vogel — as “simply the BEST coach in the game!”
Ham’s performance has received greater scrutiny in recent days. Before the Lakers’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Ham aggressively denied claims of unrest within the locker room and claimed to have the support of Lakers management. (Post-game, LeBron claimed the Lakers “suck”).
A ringing endorsement from LeBron would undoubtedly cool Ham’s seat—even more so than a triumph.
Against the Clippers, the Lakers scraped and fought their way to a crucial win. LeBron James (25 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) and Anthony Davis (22 points, 10 rebounds) praised Christian Wood, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Taurean Prince for their crucial contributions. The Lakers’ suffocating halfcourt defense limited the Clippers to 39.6% shooting.
“It takes ‘The Others’ to win championships,” Davis stated. “When these guys are playing well, it just makes me and Bron’s jobs a lot easier.”
“Once everyone pitches in and does their job as long as they can, as best as they can, good things usually happen and that’s what you saw tonight, a well-balanced win,” noted Ham. “Everybody contributed, competed at a very high level. And I’m proud of them. Now the cat’s out the bag for this one, in terms of how we need to approach each and every game and everybody do it as a committee.”
The Lakers’ most effective approach to demonstrate support for Ham is to play with vigor, execute their strategy, and win games. According to those measurements, Sunday was a positive step forward.
“We came out with a sense of urgency,” stated the president. “We played hard…” Competed on both sides of the basketball. Just need to improve on that.”
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