Skip Bayless Blames Darvin Ham For LeBron James Walking Away Without Talking to Reporters After a Humbling Lakers Loss: “They Are Tuning Him Out”
April 22, 2023, Los Angeles, California, USA: Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and forward LeBron James (6) watch during an NBA, Basketball Herren, USA basketball playoffs round one game 3 against the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles USA – ZUMAc68_ 20230422_zaf_c68_073 Copyright: xRingoxChiux
Speaking after the LA Lakers’ latest loss, this time against the Miami Heat, Skip Bayless suggested that time may be running out for head coach Darvin Ham. The Lakers have gone 2-8 in their last 10 games and appear to have especially lost the plot in recent days. After the matchup against the Heat, LeBron James refused to talk to the media, choosing to simply return to the locker room.
According to Bayless, that, alongside the recent happenings, is evidence of the fact that the team has started tuning Ham out. Speaking on a recent episode of Undisputed, Bayless speculated that Ham will soon, if not already, find himself on the hot seat. Bayless claimed that this is despite the big moments they have already had this season.
“Is Darvin Ham starting to slip on to the hot seat? Because it’s always the coach. Even though they have had big moments this year, they won the In-Season tournament. They crushed Indiana, Indiana has now beaten Milwaukee 4 out of 5 times,” he said, before talking about how Tyrese Haliburton had outplayed Damian Lillard in each of those clashes.
Bayless then spoke about the recent victory over the OKC Thunder, games he only recently suggested could represent the ‘light at the end of the tunnel,’ for the franchise.
However, even for Bayless, the recent events mean that the Lakers’ roster might be tuning the coach out.
“I like Darvin, I stil think he is a very good coach. But right now, to your point, they are tuning him out, what he is saying, is not registering with them. They are not responding,” he claimed.
Of course, something similar was claimed by Shams Charania, who believes that the disconnect between the coach and his players has only worsened, in recent weeks. Hence, both Bayless and Charania think that the Lakers are not on the same page with their coach, and things are sure to only get worse if the results do not change.
The last thing a team wants is a rift between them and their coach. If there does exist such a thing, it needs to be addressed by the team management. Looking at the condition of the team right now, it seems rather possible that soon they will lose far behind in their race to the playoffs.
The LA Lakers are now on a 3-game losing streak
The Lakers’ loss to the Heat means that they have now lost three games in a row, and have a 17-18 record. For that to be true about the In-Season champions is simply bizarre.
The recent loss of plot has also resulted in the players and the coach singing different tunes in recent pressers, with Ham blaming the struggles on the injury issues. However, both Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis claimed the roster had more than enough quality to win games.
On the other hand, fans will have their eyes bleeding simply because of the way the LA Clippers have turned things around, in recent weeks. After a disastrous start, alongside Harden, they have risen to 4th in the table and are looking fearsome for anyone to take. For the time being, it appears as though Los Angeles is destined to have only one successful NBA team, any given week.