After Monday night's nail-biting Game 5 in Denver, another tumultuous season for the Los Angeles Lakers is now complete. What began as a campaign with high expectations after significant roster improvements last summer ended in disappointment with LA coming up short against the defending champions once again.
Make no mistake about it, this series was different from the Western Conference Finals last season. In 2023, the Lakers were an underdog riding off a hot streak and matched up with a team that had not yet proven themselves worthy of the title champion in the playoffs. There was plenty of reason to believe LA had a shot against the Nuggets a year ago.
This time around, it felt like the Lakers had much less of a chance against a team that had proven time and again they had the Lake Show's number. But despite that, LA put up a remarkable fight. Denver was playing far from their best basketball, and the Lakers held the lead for the vast majority of minutes played over the course of the series.
Even while down 3-0, it was stats like that one that led to whispers of the first three-to-nothing comeback in NBA history. While it sounds crazy in hindsight, the Nuggets were legitimately lucking out in many ways through the first three games. But now with the Lakers' season officially done, questions as to what lies ahead grow louder. Following the loss on Monday, Head Coach Darvin Ham gave an eyebrow-raising quote about his future with the team.
Darvin Ham: “It’s been a hell of a two years sitting in this seat, I’ll tell you that. It’s been a hell of a two years.” pic.twitter.com/w6K2zzrslm
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 30, 2024
Darvin Ham may have confirmed his future with the Lakers
In speaking with media following the season-ending defeat, Ham was asked to reflect on his unique two seasons as Head Coach with the franchise. Considering he was a first-time coach coming in and was tasked with leading a duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the later stages of their careers, Ham acknowledged it was a good question.
"It's been a hell of a two years, I'll tell you that. Sitting in this seat, it's been a hell of a two years," he said. "A lot of good things that got done, but ultimately, you want to win that ultimate prize." Ham acknowledged how wild of a ride it has been, while also recognizing that his mind is still all over the place and he will need more time to reflect before giving a more accurate assessment.
As of right now, nothing is set in stone when it comes to the Lakers' offseason plans. There has been no official confirmation of the team's decision on Darvin Ham's status as Head Coach either way. But this statement from the second-year coach certainly sounds as if his time with the organization could be about to end.
According to Dave McMenamin, the Lakers will conduct a "postmortem" of their season over the next several days, at which point a decision on Ham's future as this team's coach is likely to be made.