The Lakers megastar LeBron James Was Not Happy With Lakers Coach Darvin Ham During Mid-Season Struggles.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham has not yet displayed any reservations about his job security, but that doesn’t mean that his time has been without challenges.

In fact, according to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, even LeBron James was losing patience with coach Ham near the zenith of their problems this season.

“There was some buzz in NBA circles that James wasn’t happy with head coach Darvin Ham when the team struggled earlier in the season. If the Lakers don’t win a playoff series this year, will James try to make the team chose between him and the coach,” wrote Pincus.

Ham was brought in back in 2022 to help heal relations between Russell Westbrook and the rest of the team. When Russ was traded, Ham led the charge for a Lakers team that made a run to the Western Conference Finals the same season and proved to everyone that the Lakers can never be counted out.

Ham was also at the helm when they won the play-in competition back in December, earning their place in the history books once more.

But now, the Lakers are all business as they travel to the Western Conference play-in once again. Due to lazy and inconsistent play, the Lakers are down to 9th in the West and they face a difficult battle ahead for their post-season life.

And while this late-season drive may have been enough to fend off the firing of Ham, his coaching status may rest on what happens over these next two months and how the Lakers hold up against the best in the West.

At 39 years old, the pressure is on for LeBron James to win a title before he retires and the Lakers are keen to prove that they are the greatest team fit for that quest.

With Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell, they have the backbone of a contender and LeBron can keep their challenger status alive if he returns for another season.

But with so much to lose, the Lakers cannot waste time on the wrong coach and the decision will likely rest on James to either defend or reject the Darvin Ham.

While LeBron has not yet said anything explicitly derogatory about Darvin, he has ignored many of his plays before and there are other indicators that the man may be on the edge of getting replaced.

An early playoff exit this April may be all LeBron needs to give the green-light on a change of coach. The question now is, who is the better choice?

With no apparent choices right now, we can only conjecture who might be on their radar. The latest rumors imply that multiple players wanted the Lakers to replace Ham with assistant Phil Handy, who is widely believed to be next up for a promotion.

But whether it’s Handy, Kenny Atkinson, or some other contender, the Lakers cannot afford to get this one wrong and they must find the perfect person to maximize what’s left of this star-studded core.

By all accounts, Darvin’s future with the organization relies on this summer and how far the Lakers can progress in a skilled and deep Western bracket.