Nearly two years ago to the day, the Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham, and he hasn't received another head coaching job since. That could soon change, as The Stein Line mentioned earlier this month that Ham would be a "likely" target for the Pelicans.
Well, on Sunday, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported that New Orleans has "begun formal outreach to candidates."
They didn't specifically say that the Pelicans reached out to Ham, but he was mentioned as a name of "strong interest" (subscription required), along with fellow NBA assistants Sean Sweeney from Dallas, Steve Hetzel from Brooklyn, and Jarrett Jack from Detroit (who they reportedly have requested to interview). The Pelicans could always keep James Borrego, who served as the interim head coach after they fired Willie Green in November.
The fact that New Orleans is considering bringing Ham in is enough to make Los Angeles fans laugh. You'd think that another franchise would want to steer clear of making him a head coach again after watching how his time unfolded with the Lakers, but this is the Pelicans we're talking about. They excel in mismanagement.
Darvin Ham continues to draw interest from Pelicans
Why would anyone expect New Orleans to learn from Los Angeles' mistakes, when it can't even learn from its own? After all, this is the team that traded an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to Atlanta during last year's draft to move up a few spots to select Derik Queen, thinking they'd be competitive in 2025-26. The Hawks have a 29.3% chance at a top-four pick, so there's that.
What the Pelicans need is someone who can help change the culture, similar to what Jordan Ott has done with the Suns this season. Ham is not that guy. He's far too passive and doesn't take accountability. Neither of those traits equals a good coach! It's hard to believe he completely changed his ways, serving as an assistant with the Bucks over the past couple of seasons.
Perhaps New Orleans is simply interested in hearing what Ham's vision would be for the organization if he were to take over, thinking a fresh start could help him. The simple fact that he coached the Lakers might be enough to get his foot in the door, but what the Pelicans need to really look at is how LA has fared without him. That JJ Redick guy is pretty good.
Ham doesn't deserve all of the blame for how his time at the top in Los Angeles played out, but he also isn't someone you should want to hire for round two, either. New Orleans didn't get that memo, at least not yet.
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