Per Shams Charaina, there is a "growing disconnect" between the Lakers roster and coach Darvin Ham over the latter's lineup choices. "There’s currently a deepening disconnect between Darvin Ham and the Lakers locker room, six sources with direct knowledge of the situation say, raising questions about the head coach’s standing. The people spoke with The Athletic on condition of anonymity so that they could speak freely on the matter. Those sources have described that 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," Charaina and Jovan Buah wrote for The Athletic.
The Lakers fell to 2-8 in their last 10 games as Ham started Anthony Davis, LeBron, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, and Austin Reaves against a Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat. However, Ham deflected any direct criticism after the loss. "It's a little bit of everything right now. We're not executing. That team played harder than us tonight, executed better than us tonight, more physical than us tonight. We got outworked tonight, so it's a bit of everything right now," Ham said.
LeBron Blasts NBA For Missing "Obvious" Three
Meanwhile, the Lakers have simply been unable to catch a break for the past month or so. LeBron put the NBA on blast after a seemingly game-tying three-point was ruled as a two-pointer against the Timberwolves on December 30. Trailing 107-104, LeBron hit what he thought was a game-tying three. However, the bucket was ruled as a two and the Lakers would go on to lose 108-106 after Anthony Edwards drew a game-sealing foul. "What the hell do we got replay for? What do we have replay for if even the replay gets it wrong? It's just like, who is a part of the replay center? Like, do we got robots in there making Teslas? Like, what's going on?" LeBron lamented, discussing the NBA's replay system.
Furthermore, LeBron argued it was an obvious three. "I mean, it's obvious it's a 3. My foot was behind the line. You can see the space between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. You can clearly see the wood on the floor, the space in between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. Stevie Wonder can see that, champ," LeBron continued. However, the floor chief disputed LeBron's claims after the game. "The play was ruled a 2-point field goal on the floor during live play. After video review, there wasn't clear and conclusive evidence to overturn it from a 2 to a 3, and that's why it stood as a 2-point field goal," Tony Brothers said.
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