Even though the L.A. Lakers were swept four games in a row by Denver in the NBA Western Conference finals, first-year Coach Darvin Ham emerges as a winner simply for getting them there.
He will be back next season, regardless of whether LeBron James returns.
Ham widely was praised by commentators — from Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson on the game telecasts to Charles Barkley and company in the studios — for getting the most out of a squad that lost a number of good players as the price for acquiring King James and the erratic No. 2 star, Anthony Davis.
This was at the same time as a number of Ham’s peers, including Doc Rivers with Philly and Mike Budenholzer, head coach for the 2021 Milwaukee championship while Darvin was an assistant, were savaged by the media pundits and summarily fired.
If tradition continues, with owners and general managers blaming their coaches rather than themselves, Coach Ham eventually will be dismissed in Los Angeles, but now he has achieved the credentials to be employed elsewhere if/when the Lakers see fit to let him go. Many NBA coaches, like Rivers (Hawks, Celtics, Clippers, Sixers) end up with service to multiple franchises.
The scenario now is that Darvin Ham, age 49, probably can remain as an NBA coach for as long as he desires. And based on his straight-forward and savvy responses in interviews and press conferences, our Saginaw High alum also could find ESPN and TNT time if he wishes to take a break from the pressure-packed coaching grind.
The Bucks Giannis Antetokoumpo summarized his former mentor: “He gives it to you straight.” Old-fashioned still has its place.
