Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - BONUS POD: Darvin Ham Sharply Criticizes the Lakers for Firing Him During ESPN Interview.

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everyone, welcome to a special bonus episode of Locked on Lakers. Brian Komenetsky, Andy Komenetsky, Darvinham goes off on his firing from the Lakers. Does he have a point? It's next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Locked on Lakers first listen to every day, Monday through Friday, no matter how where you get your podcast, this one's always going to be free and never behind

Starting point is 00:00:35 to pay wall. Locked on Lakers on YouTube's ready to go hang out with over 26,000 subscribers to the channel, Andy, all of whom are wondering why I'm sitting here in the dark. It's because, for those of you're watching on YouTube, it's because the news demands it. And my internet's not cooperating, but it doesn't matter because Darwin Ham, Andy, who didn't have much to say smartly, wisely, perhaps, after he was let go by the Lakers over the summer, finally opened up. And boy, did he open up to Mark Spears at ESPN.

Starting point is 00:01:08 This was on the heels of the Bucks winning the NBA Cup. Darwin has now been either the head coach or I think the first lead assistant on both of the NBA Cup championship teams. He and Tori and Prince have officially become the Scorsasian De Niro of the NBA Cup so far. and Darvin was asked about his time with the Lakers, and he said, quote, to do as well as I did, I swear to God, anywhere else I'm probably looking as an extension with what I did. I'm not talking about feelings.

Starting point is 00:01:42 I'm talking about actual facts. They go from making it to the playoffs to the final four in the NBA, the conference finals, and then you win the in-season tournament, navigate through all the injuries and win both your playing games to get to the playoffs. People always talk about losing in Denver, but they never talk about how we got the Denver. We beat a kick-ass young squad in Memphis and beat Golden state. I'm not so okay and that's just part of it. We'll get to the we'll get to more of it later. There's more. Yeah, there's more. And we have a great preview though for the regular show on the

Starting point is 00:02:11 back to back with a day in the middle, but two consecutive games against Sacramento. We're talking to Matt George from Locked on Kings later on for Thursday show. So no real space there for that. So we got we need to respond separately to that. And when he was let go, you and I both made the point. And quite frankly, I was yelled at, you know, commented at whatever you want to say from people on the channel, on Twitter at Cam Brothers and all that stuff for being too kind to Darwin often last year for pointing some of these things out. we noted that some of the things that Darwin was being blamed for, some of the lack of success for the team and things like that, were not his fault.

Starting point is 00:03:06 Darwin was dealt a very challenging hand, I think, and I know you agree, played it poorly, but it was dealt a really challenging hand. Played elements of it poorly at the very least. I would say his time at the metaphorical poker table, he didn't play all of it badly,

Starting point is 00:03:23 but I think there were moments in hands that he played badly that really mattered. And so, you know, when you break it all down, you know, was it quote unquote fair? I don't know. Fairness got nothing to do with it a lot of times. And the Lakers were in a position where they had to let him go. But like just this quote here, what we're starting with is him outlining that basic premise, anywhere else under different circumstances, you go from a sub 500 team to the Western Conference final. Is that enough is going to be a bit to buy you a couple more years?

Starting point is 00:03:56 And then, you know, the second year of that deal, it was, they still made the playoffs. You know, they still, you know, they weren't a disaster. You know, they rallied and lost to a, you know, a better Denver team that has their number. What I think is interesting about this, though, Andy, is it is a start of a trend throughout his comments to Mark Spears, where Darwin is correct and leaves out important context. Yeah, I think that's a big piece of both these comments we're going to discuss now and some of the other comments that we hear from Darwin. I think Darwin is absolutely correct that most organizations, if those are your two years,

Starting point is 00:04:39 you're at the very least not getting fired. I don't know if you're necessarily getting an extension off that, but in most situations, you are not. likely getting fired for having made the playoffs both years you are there, one of them getting to the Western Conference finals. And if nothing else, it speaks to. And Lord knows, this is something you and I have been critical of with this organization dating far back to when we actually had this show. But for those who followed our careers, you know it's come up with us time and time again. This organization does not really know what it wants in a coach, because I don't

Starting point is 00:05:16 think they think the role of a coach is all that important, especially since Dr. Bus is passing. I think it's truly become a thing where they do not know what they want in a coach because I don't think they consider the role of coach nearly as important as they consider the, uh, the presence of superstars. Like first, second, third, maybe 10th. That being said, he is leaving out some of the actual issues that went on while he was coaching the team that I think made it difficult, like you said, to keep him here. So he goes on to say, quote, I'm not a mud slinger and I'm not going to wait until I'm 51 to become one.

Starting point is 00:05:55 It's a franchise I'm working for. The expectations can be unrealistic at certain points in time to be 33 and 49 when I was hired with an unbalanced roster, turn that around, make a Western Conference final. The very next year we're plus 10 and wins. It goes on. It's being reported. This is a part you could tell. I mean, you know, it's the injuries the Lakers had and things like that last year.

Starting point is 00:06:16 He goes on to say, and this is a part you could tell, really stung. It's being reported like I'm just throwing some lineups out in the wall to see what sticks. No, man, we were really navigating a lot of guys from being hurt to having the oldest player in the league, meaning LeBron, to navigating AD's injury history. It was a lot. Some of the bleep that was coming out. Wow, bro, I don't know X's and O's. I was winging it.

Starting point is 00:06:38 Dude, that was the most disappointing stuff. how mean and so much stuff people are saying online, the best thing I could do is block out the outside noise. Again, the context matters. Like there is a lot of truth to what he's saying. Like, they didn't have necessarily the ability to play consistent lineups all the time.

Starting point is 00:06:58 Dot, dot, dot, dot. But he's leaving out context. The biggest context, and I think ultimately the thing that led to Darwin, retaining Darwin being untenable was when there was the opportunity to get back to more of the combinations involving LeBron, A.D. Delo, Reeves, Rui, Vando, i.e., the group that took you to the Western Conference Finals. That was the core. The reluctance to work with that group. And when Darwin talked about resenting the idea of being presented as throwing bleep at the wall and seeing

Starting point is 00:07:34 of it sticks. I don't doubt that there was methodology to what Darwin was doing. Like in Darwin's mind, I'm willing to give him credit that it wasn't all randomness. And I remember you can go back and listen to the shows if you want in case anybody thinks this is revisionism. I'll actually include the first show we did in the wake of Darwin's firing just to talk so people can hear how we talk about it in the show notes. But I asked Darwin, point blank. Is there a reason that you are not going with that group, like that you're seemingly avoiding it, like wondering, is there really a reason? Like maybe something I don't see, Brian doesn't see. Certainly the players who clearly want this and they are itching for more

Starting point is 00:08:24 of that look are expecting. And Darwin's answer was in so many words, no, not really. I just haven't done it. And when you are doing basically everything, except the thing that all of your players are expecting and think will work and they don't understand it, that is going to be something that can lead to as what happened with Darwin losing the locker room. And ultimately, by the way, did work and things like it made a big difference. But it worked further illustrated the frustrations a lot of people were having. Correct. The problems the Lakers have, while they are not a.

Starting point is 00:09:04 garbage team. They're not trash. They haven't fallen off a cliff. It's not a dumpster fire. Like, it could be a lot worse. But the problems that they have and the limitations that they have were not, are not purely based on coaching. They are not, we are learning that it was not, you know, changing the coach did not miraculously cure the Lakers of some of their problems. I'm going to think this year's roster is weaker than last years, but either way, the coach has not, quote unquote, solved the problem. The Lakers have an ownership problem in the Jeannie Bus, while I think, you know, obviously very dedicated to the team, very dedicated to the city, very dedicated to her father's legacy, is a bad lead manager in the sense

Starting point is 00:09:48 that she, I think, is unwilling to step out and push for larger changes to step outside of her comfort zone, to hold people accountable in ways that they ought to be. And mostly I'm talking about her relationship with Rob Polinka. I think Rob Polinka has done a much better job of satisfying ownership than he has of really nailing the job that he's supposed to do and is protecting himself too much in terms of having this insular and small organization around him, which benefits him. He has not done a very good job over the last couple of seasons. None of that necessarily means that Darwin can't also have done a poor job last year.

Starting point is 00:10:28 and the bottom line is whether again it is fair or not, there was no way they could bring him back with the same team. You either needed to move LeBron. I mean, it was telling it later in the story. He goes on to say, you know, I haven't talked to, when they played, we saw the Bucks, you know, or when the Bucks saw the Lakers, dapped up a couple guys, you know,

Starting point is 00:10:50 Jackson Hayes and said hi to D. Lo and all these. Hadn't talked to LeBron, haven't talked to AD. You can't be the coach of the Lakers. and not have a solid relationship with those guys. And he wasn't going to have it. And so. And it seemed like he began with one for what it's worth. But the stuff that you're talking about in terms of losing the locker room,

Starting point is 00:11:11 you could tell in training camp, players needed a change. It's ironic. Jason Tim pointed this out, you know, a friend of the show and a great basketball voice in NBA media. You know, Doc, who was critical of it. just one line. You know, I thought he got a rough, you know, instead of Darwin, he thought it got a rough deal and all of that. Doc is in Milwaukee, replacing Adrian Griffin,

Starting point is 00:11:39 who was fired under similar circumstances as Darwin, which was the team was, in Griffin's case, very successful, but the players wanted them out. It was very clear. Like, it wasn't going to work in the long term, so they pulled the plug. And that's why Doc River, has that job.

Starting point is 00:12:00 And so, you know, I am, I guess I'm happy for Darwin in the sense that he is sticking up for himself. I do think he is a, you know, a very good guy. Like, you know, the person is rock solid. I think he's going to get another opportunity to coach. And I think he'll learn from what happened in L.A. And I don't think anything he said in this story was untrue. He just omits a lot of stuff that explains the other half of it and why a lot of people felt like this team was not being coached to maximize what was available to it.

Starting point is 00:12:42 I feel like a lot of Darwin's comments insofar as relaying his own job, like you said, I think there are details that get left out. You know, I mean, you remember last year there was that point where he went off on the way Laker fans, you know, as he said, living and dying with every single game you play, that it's ludicrous actually, direct words. Whatever you think of how JJ Redick has done in comparison to Darwin, and we're seeing a lot in the YouTube comments that JJ doesn't look any better. Some people think JJ actually looks worse. Like, why isn't JJ getting the same treatment or scrutiny from you? you and I. The biggest comment I would say is he needs more time in the same way Darwin's first season before you really start making sweeping evaluations of either one of them. They should, as first time head coaches, both of them are afforded a certain amount of time. I mean,

Starting point is 00:13:39 I've made as an example very clear. I think they were that JJ defensively was doing far, far, far too much switching, automatic, all that stuff. But like that is some of it is you have to give the new guy time to settle in. But like, JJ has done a good job if nothing else, repeatedly saying, I need to do better. And that is messaging that you also did not hear enough from Darwin, which will make these type of comments about the Laker fans freaking out or remember famously he noted that, you know, what am I supposed to do when 10 games in a row one of my starters is bleep in the bed? You know, like things like that are, again, what makes it, I think, untenable for Darwin to keep this job, even if I think everything Darwin is saying about the organization in terms of lack of realistic goals, like how much self-examination goes on with Polinka and Jeannie and down the line.

Starting point is 00:14:42 I think he's 100% accurate with that. And that's nothing you and I haven't said before many times. So we'll see. I don't think the Lakers are going to have much to say about it. I don't think LeBron and AD are really going to comment about this stuff. But it is interesting. And it's one of these moments. And the reason we really talk about it,

Starting point is 00:14:57 other than it's news and it's worth talking about, is just that it is another opportunity to contextualize where the Lakers are now. And, you know, the accuracy of Darwin's comments reflect in a lot of ways some of the problems the Lakers are still seeing. And, you know, when you criticize JJ, when you criticize the front office, whatever might be, all of this stuff is still relevant. So plenty more to come for Thursday, again, the preview of these critical games with the Sacramento Kings coming with Matt George of Locked on Kings. So a little bonus here, the regular show coming as well.

Starting point is 00:15:38 And we, of course, will try to do as much of this type of thing. If there are things that we talk about on the show that you don't think we necessarily spend enough time on, leave it in questions, leave it in comments, let us know what would you like us to do on these little mini shows and stuff like that? And we will. It's easy to respond to news like this. But if there's something that you want to hear more about that we might not have time in the regular show, we'll record one of these things. So let us know. But before we go, Andy, we have to tell people about this.

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Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - BONUS POD: Darvin Ham Sharply Criticizes the Lakers for Firing Him During ESPN Interview.

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