The Los Angeles Lakers are down 2-0 to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and the two losses could not have been any more taxing. For the sixth time in a row in the playoffs, the Lakers proved they could not only hang with the Nuggets but outplay them for most of the game. But yet again, the Lakers were unable to get over the hump.
Game 2 was particularly taxing as it included a blown lead, a buzzer-beater winner, horrible officiating, and of course, bad coaching. Darvin Ham's coaching has been holding the Lakers back all season and his performance in Game 2 was once again less than ideal.
Ham has absolutely no feel for an NBA rotation or how much each player should play in big spots. Additionally, teams continue to make second-half adjustments against the Lakers, to which LA has absolutely no counter. That has been the story of this series thus far and is a prime example of why Ham is a bad coach.
And despite all of that, Lakers fans might have to cozy up to the idea of Ham sticking around for another year. Of course, anything can happen (especially if the next two games are ugly) but the early signs seem to be that Ham will return. According to Lakers insider Anthony Irwin, there are sources in the building saying that an early playoff exit might not even be enough to get Ham fired by the team.
"Their most pressing question, depending on the outcome and length of this series, is Darvin Ham's future, and sources say, the Lakers remain very split on the job he's done.
In fact, in asking around the last couple weeks heading into the play-in and playoffs, most people I’ve spoken to believe Ham will be back."
Darvin Ham may actually return to Lakers after nightmare first round against Nuggets
To be fair, the series with the Nuggets is not yet over and the Lakers could heroically come storming back to take the series and shock the entire NBA world. But it is far more likely that the series continues to go the same way the last six playoff games have gone and that the Lakers don't even see a Game 6.
And naturally, in that process Ham will be exposed for his bad coaching and for far ahead someone like Michael Malone is. It will be a horrible juxtaposition for the Lakers head coach that fans would hope sways the front office.
But alas, this is a business and admitting fault on yet another head coach is not an easy thing for a front office to do. This front office gave up on Frank Vogel way sooner than it should of because it could not shoulder the blame for the bad Russell Westbrook trade. Instead, it was Vogel's fault.
With that in the rear-view mirror, it is not crazy to think that this front office would justify keeping Ham around just so Rob Pelinka doesn't look wrong... again. It is not hard to see how the Lakers' front office would talk itself into Ham, either. All the front office has to do is look at the team's injuries, how LA still made the playoffs with those injuries, and pencil the bad playoffs in as the Lakers simply coming up against a good Denver team.
It appears like the Lakers' front office is getting ready to do those mental gymnastics to avoid fault. Meanwhile, Lakers fans will know the entire time that next year's team will have absolutely no chance of winning a title with Ham piloting the ship.