Let me be clear. The Lakers, coached by Darvin Ham, lost in the first round to the defending NBA champions, and Ham was no good. Tyronn Lue's Clippers lost in the first round to a mediocre Mavericks team, but Lue is a coaching genius. It seems to me that LeBron, the GFOAT (greatest finger pointer of all time), is looking for an enabler, not a coach. How many more coaches and teammates will James have to throw under the bus before Cowardly Lion Rob Pelinka says enough is enough?
Mark S. Ross
Playa Vista
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I've been working for over 58 years and I've never seen an organization that disrespects the wrong people year after year and stupidly repeats the same mistakes over and over again (with the exception of the organization I work for).
Coaches coach, they don't play, but when players undermine the coach, no matter who they are, it's very difficult to get everyone on the same page. It's so embarrassing to go through the coach like it's toilet paper.
Clean out your Lakers house and sell it quickly. Dr. Bass, I am so sorry that your dream turned into a nightmare.
kelly mark richie
calabasas
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Last week, you filled your letterbox with gibberish and laughably tiny “Sports Report” polls blaming LeBron James for the Lakers' first-round exit.
In fact, James was the biggest reason the Lakers were competitive, and if they had a competent coach they could have beaten the Nuggets and made the playoffs.
Ham's panicked lineup experiments and foolish substitutions were hurdles the players could not overcome despite admirable efforts. The Lakers were right to fire Ham.
Fans who want James gone should root for another team and leave the Lakers to those of us who understand the game.
Ray McCann
torrance
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Why waste time and print space covering the Lakers' coaching search? No search. LeBron will choose his next coach. Just as he decides who the Lakers sign in free agency, who they sign in trade, who they draft (definitely his son), and perhaps the price of beer in the arena next season. In the same way. He makes decisions because team management won't let him for fear of upsetting him and “taking his talent elsewhere.”
bob fanelli
Whittier
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So Durvin Ham lost his job. Reading websites like the LA Times, ESPN, and The Athletic, it appears that players no longer believe in Hamm. At that point, it doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong, fair or unfair. As a coach, if you lose the locker room, you're done. it's over. You cannot put the toothpaste back into the tube. Hamm wasn't a bad coach, but he was no longer the right coach.
michael forest
porter ranch
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If the Lakers should consider hiring Becky Hammon as their next coach, as Bill Plaschke says, to take the bold step of hiring the NBA's first female head coach, It's going to take a smart owner like Jeanie Buss. Given history, the decision will still depend on what general manager LeBron James wants.
Ron Yukelson
San Luis Obispo
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The Lakers need to follow the Chargers' playbook when hiring a coach. In other words, he's a coach with enough fame to get noticed.
Andrew Rubin
Los Angeles
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Hey, did you hear about the new theme song released by Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka? “Who are you going to call? Coach Busters?”
Gary Engstrom
seal beach
