Back in January, Shaquille O’Neal questioned whether players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis listened to Darvin Ham. The coach has been under fire for his in-game rotations, substitution patterns, and even his reluctance to start certain players. And after the Lakers went down 0-2 to the Nuggets in the playoff series Diesel had a warning for the entire locker room citing the franchise’s history.

The Lakers have been streaky since their Bubble Championship in 2020. And as it has been the norm in the modern NBA, the coaches usually bear the brunt of such turbulent times. If the Lakers fail to make a deep run this season, which, by the looks of it, has started looking improbable, owner Jeanie Buss may start the search for a new head honcho according to Shaq.

In a recent episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the Big Aristotle warned Darvin Ham of his future if the Lakers lose the first round to the Denver Nuggets. “I don’t like talking about coaches. No, I don’t have any idea. However, if the Lakers lose, changes will be made. I know that for a fact. If the Lakers lose changes will be made I know that for a fact. That’s just the way they operate.

“This is a storied franchise, a historical franchise. And we’re used to winning. We’re all about winning, and you know ever since that Bubble Championship has been kind of up and down, so changes will definitely be made,” observed Shaq citing how Lakers have blown hot and cold after winning the championship in 2020.

In the 2021 season, the Lakers lost in the first playoff round to the Suns but failed to qualify for the postseason tournament the next year, leading to the exit of coach Frank Vogel. Last season under Ham, the team reached the Conference Finals before losing to eventual champions Denver Nuggets in a clean sweep.

Back in December, as the Lakers slid into a slump after their in-season tournament victory, some fans directed their ire toward Ham, calling for him to be dismissed. At the time, there was still hope for a better future, given Ham had steered the Lakers from a rocky start to the Western Conference Finals last season. Earlier this year, Shaquille O’Neal suggested why Ham may be losing the locker room.

On his The Big Podcast, the four-time NBA Champion said, “What I know for a fact, in the locker room, résumé is important. You mean to tell me LeBron’s gonna listen to Darvin Ham in the thick of things? I know the answer to that, I’ll let you figure it out. You think AD is gonna listen to Darvin Ham? That’s no disrespect to Darvin Ham, but no championship experience, no playoff experience.” 

According to Shaq, a more accomplished coach might carry a little more weight in the locker room. He added, “So if I’m a guy that’s been there to the title run a lot, why would I listen to a guy that hasn’t been there?” LeBron James has four NBA Championships to his name, while Anthony Davis won the NBA title in his debut season for the Lakers in 2020. On the other hand, Ham hasn’t won the NBA Championship as a head coach but has one under his belt as a player incidentally against the Lakers, while playing for the Detroit Pistons. He also won the title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 as an assistant coach. This season he has managed to salvage a playoff spot despite a rough run of form.

But now, the Lakers are on the brink of playoff collapse. They are blowing double-digit leads and dropped the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. However, despite this, Lakers fans might need to cozy up to the idea of Ham sticking around for another year.

Darvin Ham might stick around for next season

As per Lakers’ insider Anthony Irwin, the Lakers are “very split” on the job Ham has done as a coach. Moreover, he says that even a first-round exit this season might not convince the front office to fire Ham. “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.” 

Of course, nothing is set in stone yet. But there are a few layers to this narrative. For one, Irwin believes that General Manager Rob Pelinka doesn’t want to admit he’s wrong once again. Firing Ham would mean admitting that he hired the wrong person for the job after dismissing a coach who led the Lakers to a championship only four years ago.

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And then again, despite being a young coach, Ham did lead the team to the WC Finals last season after having only a 0.3% chance of making the playoffs at one point. This season, too, the Lakers did enjoy some success with the in-season tournament and withstood injuries to key players throughout the season. Moreover, not all is lost just yet since the Lakers still have a few games to save their season.

Do you think an early playoff exit will force Jeanie Buss to take some strict action about Ham’s future? Let us know in the comments!