Lakers coach Darvin Ham's job is in danger, according to a report from The Athletic.
The report from Shams Charania and Jovan Buha on Thursday indicated that Ham is losing the locker room and there are major questions about the head coach's standing. This is according to six sources with direct knowledge of the situation, the reporters wrote.
"Those sources have described the disjointedness between the coach and team has stemmed from the extreme rotation and starting lineup adjustments recently from Ham, leading to a fluctuating rhythm for several players across the roster," the story says.
The Lakers have fallen below .500 and have gone 3-9 since winning the In-Season Tournament in December.
In an attempt to alleviate the problem, Ham trotted out his 10th starting lineup of the season this week, including his third in three games.
One particular lineup for a Dec. 23 game against the Thunder that sent D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves to the bench was a point of contention among Lakers brass, the story says. The Lakers started a funky lineup of LeBron James, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis that night, leaving James as the only ballhandler among the group.
The Lakers have fallen precipitously in the futures market amid this turmoil. LA is just the eighth-best favorite to win it all now at FanDuel at +2000. And they're sixth-best favorites to win the Western Conference at +1200.
This is Ham's second season at the helm of perhaps the most important franchise in the NBA. The Lakers made the Western Conference Finals during his first season before being swept by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
