While the Lakers Aren't Planning To Fire Darvin Ham, A possible Replacement Has Been Talked

The NBA world was shaken by the recent The Athletic's article that has the Los Angeles Lakers locker room been distant from coach Darvin Ham, especially after the extreme team rotation and the constant starting lineups changed, including some of the last without any guards as D'Angelo Russell was sent to the bench.

Jovan Buha also said Darvin Ham's seat was starting to get warm in the sense that the team could be contemplating firing him if things continue to go south for the group in the Western Conference standings. But a new report by Sam Amick says a Lakers high-ranked reportedly pushed back that idea.

“Yet as we’re reminded every year, there’s a significant difference between the mood around a coach souring and the power brokers above him actually deciding to make a change,” wrote Sam Amick. “With that in mind, a high-ranking Lakers source pushed back against the idea Ham is on the verge of being fired. Still, serious pressure from within is clearly being applied on Ham, and there’s no better way for him to relieve it than by winning his way out in the days and weeks to come.”

Amick Also added that despite not wanting to fire Ham, the team has a replacement in mind. “When you talk to people closer to the situation, it's Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy who is more often brought up as a possible pick. But again, we're not there quite yet.”

Things have gone south after the Lakers won the IST

The Lakers were five games over .500 when they defeated the Indiana Pacers to win the first NBA In-Season Tournament on Dec. 9. Since then they are 3-9, with the latest defeat a 110-96 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Now, a three-game losing streak has dropped the Lakers below .500 with a 17-18 record heading into their game Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies. In addition, they are in the midst of a stretch of just two wins in their past 10 games.