This 3x NBA Champion Could Replace Darvin Ham After Lakers’ Disappointing Season, As per Kendrick Perkins

Published 04/30/2024, 9:43 AM EDT

From players to coach, the embarrassing ousting of the LA Lakers has raised questions for everyone. Considering the state it has been in, especially since the last two seasons, the franchise will now want to start afresh. And this could very well mean an end to coach Darvin Ham’s run with the Lakers. Meanwhile, amid the ongoing speculations, ex-Boston Celtics star Kendrick Perkins has suggested a replacement for Ham if the Lakers are actually looking for one.

“If the Lakers do decide to move on from Ham! They don’t need to go out searching when they have a 3 time NBA Champion sit right there on the bench! Btw his name is Phil Handy!!! Goodnight and Carry the hell on…” Perkins posted on ‘X’. The NBA fans had mixed reactions on the post as some supported the suggestion, while some believe that the problem lies with the roster.

If the Lakers do decide to move on from Ham! They don’t need to go out searching when they have a 3 time NBA Champion sit right there on the bench! Btw his name is Phil Handy!!! Goodnight and Carry the hell on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) April 30, 2024

Meanwhile, one X user suggested that Handy should rather continue as assistant coach for now. It is worth mentioning that Handy has so far claimed 3 NBA championships as an assistant coach. This suggestion by Kendrick Perkins comes after the Lakers’ continued disappointing performance since the last two seasons. Notably, although the Lakers reached conference finals in the 2022-23 season, they suffered a clean sweep at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

This season too, the Lakers were on the verge of a clean sweep but somehow saved it, winning Game 4. However, the series ended for the team with a 4-1 loss. We cannot ignore that both these instances happened after Ham took over as the Head coach. And with him saying “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” the speculations of him leaving the Lakers have even turned stronger. So maybe Kendrick Perkins’ suggestion has some sense to it after all.

Phil Handy as the head coach for the LA Lakers?

It is worth mentioning that failed consecutive playoffs aside; Lakers did no wonders in the regular season either. The team had to go through play-in tournaments both seasons to make their way to playoffs. The winning percentage of the team during the regular season further testifies this. While this year Lakers have a winning percentage of just 57.3, last season it was even lower at 52.4.

So the Lakers for once can consider moving to an assistant coach next who has had more achievements than Ham. Notably, Ham won one NBA championship as an assistant coach for Milwaukee Bucks. On the other hand, Handy has won 3 NBA championships so far as an assistant coach with Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, and LA Lakers respectively. Now it is to be seen what the Lakers’ next move will be and whether they pay any heed to Kendrick Perkins’ suggestion.

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Written by:

Khelendra is an NBA writer at Essentially Sports, where he brings insightful analysis and engaging content to basketball enthusiasts worldwide. With a passion for the game cultivated from his own experiences as a basketball player, he has represented his school team in numerous tournaments, honing both skills and an intimate understanding of the sport. Khelendra holds a PG Diploma in Digital Media from a reputed university, providing him with a solid foundation in multimedia storytelling and digital content creation.

Edited by:

Caroline Joseph