Darvin Ham took a playin Lakers team to the Western Conference finals last year and lost to the eventual champions who happen to have the best player on the planet and soon to be 3 time MVP. This year they have the misfortune to face the defending champs in the first round where they lead for the majority of the series except for when it counted at the end of the games. And now Ham is outta there.
Point being, I don’t see why a first time coach like Lee in particular would even find that job attractive. The Lakers have a championship or bust mentality but they’re old, injury prone and the roster is not near as good as the best in the league. They are a a playin team in the west. They won’t have any patience for anything less than a championship and the coach will always be the scapegoat to any failures as long as Lebron is there. I could see JJ not caring about all that but if I were Lee I’d rather go somewhere I’d have a longer leash, more control (Lebron is in charge with the Lakers) and time to build something.
Your statements are also an argument for hiring Darvin.
While I like your argument, I think there is a answer to your question - its the Lakers. They are the most prestigious and glamorous team in the league. There you get the same smoking hot women that you get in Miami, you get all the power/respect that comes w winning in NY and you get Hollywood fawning over you.
That was my take too. He’s done well, in about as challenging an environment as can be faced.
The Darvin Hams of this world might be our best shot at a good HC. Someone with experience, and good results, in a tough environment whose downfall was ultimately not meeting unrealistic expectations.
I’m sure he’s just preparing himself to get the offer he wants from the Hornets. So cool that he’s going to be taking a discount to work with this club
Earlier this month, Harding was interviewed for the Hornets’ head-coaching position after leading Stockton to the best record in the G League and advancing to the Western Conference finals. (Last week the Hornets hired the Celtics’ lead assistant coach Charles Lee for the role.) “I’d love to be a head coach in the NBA,” says Harding, who played in the WNBA for nine years and was the 2024 G League Coach of the Year. “I want to see how far this is going to go for me.”
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“We do have to constantly prove ourselves,” Harding says. “Being one of the few doing this, it’s just a little bit more difficult and challenging.
