According to NBA insider Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, LeBron James “wasn’t happy” with head coach Darvin Ham when the Los Angeles Lakers struggled earlier this season.
The Lakers went 6-8 in December and 7-8 in January before turning things around in February by going 9-3.
Los Angeles is 45-35. The team will be in the play-in tournament for the third time in four years.
If the Lakers finish the regular season in the ninth or 10th spot, they will need to win two play-in games in a row to make the 2024 playoffs as the eighth seed.
If Los Angeles is the seventh or eighth seed, the squad will need to win one play-in game to qualify for the 2024 postseason.
The Lakers would be the seventh seed if they win the 7-8 play-in game. If they lose the 7-8 play-in game, they will play the winner of the 9-10 play-in game to decide who the eighth seed is.
The Lakers are eighth in the NBA in points per game, 23rd in points per game allowed and 19th in net rating.
LeBron is averaging 25.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists this season while shooting 53.8% from the field, 41.2% from beyond the arc and 74.7% from the free-throw line. He’s still an elite basketball player despite being the oldest player (39) in the NBA.
LeBron has a player option for next season. A source told Hoops Wire that Lakers players wanted assistant coach Phil Handy to replace Ham earlier this season.
However, Los Angeles owner Jeanie Buss is a fan of Ham and she has never thought about firing him as coach, the source said.
Handy won the 2016 title with LeBron on the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron, arguably the best player in NBA history, has ignored Ham in many huddles this season and communicated with Handy instead on what the Lakers should run, the source said.
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