Ham says he's `aligned' with team brass despite skid
LOS ANGELES >> In light of the Lakers' recent skid and a report that there's a growing disconnect between him and the players, coach Darvin Ham reaffirmed ahead of Friday night's home game against the Memphis Grizzlies that he feels “aligned” with the organization's lead decision-makers.
The Lakers went into Friday's game with a sub-.500 record (17-18) for the first time since mid-November after Wednesday's sloppy 11096 loss to the Miami Heat, which kicked off a five-game homestand and 11 of 12 games in Los Angeles after a road-heavy stretch.
The defeat was the Lakers' third in a row and ninth in 12 games since winning the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.
The Athletic reported Thursday morning that there's a “deepening disconnect” between Ham and the locker room, especially in light of the team's constantly changing rotations and lineups — some because of injury, others with the hopes of trying to figure out groups that will fit together well on the court.
“It comes with the territory,” Ham said of the criticisms. “I'm solid. My governor, Jeanie Buss, the boss lady, our president, Robert Pelinka — we're all aligned. As long as they're not saying it, I guess I'm good.
“Which I know how they feel about me and the situation we're currently in. So, we're all on the same page. My two captains (LeBron James and Anthony Davis), I communicate with them. Our communication has been at a high level.”
While not directly referencing The Athletic's report, which cited six sources “with direct knowledge of the situation,” Ham was critical of sources speaking to the publication on the condition of remaining anonymous. The Athletic stated that the people spoke with the publication “on condition of anonymity so that they could speak freely on the matter.”
“The one thing that's crazy is that it reminds me of when I used to watch `60 Minutes' with my father in the '80s,” Ham said. “And one particular show they were talking about La Cosa Nostra and the mafia and these guys were starting to go to trial and their star witness shows up with a black potato sack over his head and shades. And due to fear, the name can't really be released.
“This seems to be the standard of reporting now for (the) NBA. People on the internet and whatever. And not all reporters — I don't want to disrespect anybody in the room — but when you say the source is anonymous by choice and they don't want to put their name on something but they want to give you the information and then you take the information and now everybody gets a chance to dissect it and spread it all out in their own way, it's kind of disingenuous.
“And I wish we would get to a place where people are firm enough to stand on what they're saying and then maybe we can have real dialogue and get to it.”
Ham added that he welcomed critiques, understanding that it's part of the job.
“I don't mind people critiquing the job I'm doing,” he said. “All I'm going to do is keep my head down and continue to do my job until I can't do it anymore. Just be solid with what you're putting out there and please don't intertwine it with personal attacks either.
“That's what it is, that's what I signed up for when I decided to become a coach. And I've been around some great guys who have handled it well and some coaches that haven't handled it so well. But me? I'm solid. I've been through a ton of `ish' in my life and this is a walk in the park. Trust me.”
Ham also offered self-criticism when asked whether there are things he's tweaked in his process over the last month during the team's skid.
“You try to just look internally to see what I could be doing better,” he said. “For me, it's the film and really being efficient with that, being efficient with when we're able to step on the floor and really pinpointing the things that we need to work on, just being sharper.
“And I've always invited feedback and participation from my staff members, really hearing their voices, along with mine. Obviously, I have to make the final decision on things from a coaching standpoint, but really, everyone's seen. Just taking in what everyone is seeing.”
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, who was an assistant coach on the same staff as Ham when he was with Atlanta (2013-18) and for a season with Milwaukee (2018-19), said Ham is “built to accept any challenge that's thrown his way.”
“Obviously, he's a brother to me,” Jenkins said. “He's put this team in a great position last season taking them to the Western Conference finals, winning the In-Season Tournament, which I think was a big thing that he got the guys fired up to take on that inaugural event. Every team has its ups and downs, but this guy is built to take on any challenge no matter what's coming internally, externally, all that stuff. This guy loves this game, he puts into his players, pours into his staff. This is a guy you want having your back every single day.”