In the wake of the LA Lakers’ first-round exit from the 2024 playoffs, there has been a surge of speculation surrounding the possible dismissal of coach Darvin Ham. Discussing these rumors, Stephen A. Smith scorned those calling for coach Ham’s removal, emphasizing that he might’ve steered the Purple and Gold past the Denver Nuggets if he had better players at his disposal.

The 56-year-old analyst further asserted that if Darvin is to be held accountable, then General Manager Rob Pelinka should also shoulder the blame for trading away key players from their 2020 championship triumph, only to shake off the camaraderie within the team for several seasons to come.

“Here’s what I’m appalled by – who the fu** says its time to get rid of Darvin Ham? How you gonna blame him? That’s some straight bullsh*t. Let’s just get it out of the way right now… Darvin Ham is a coach… he’s lost to one team – the Denver Nuggets. I’m sorry they shame in that game. They’re the reigning defending champions. They got the best player in the world Nikola Jokic,” Smith said. “Kentavious Caldwell Pope helped the Los Angeles Lakers win a championship before you foolishly led him walk out of the door along with Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso.”

Smith points out the hypocrisy of not blaming Rob Pelinka

Stephen A. clarified his stance by asserting that he does not support firing either Ham or Pelinka from the franchise. However, he urged Lakers Nation to recognize that if they believe there are better coaching candidates than Darvin, they should also acknowledge the existence of superior general managers who could replace Pelinka, as the majority of his decisions have been questionable or unsuccessful.

“If you wanna talk about replacing coaches with a better coach, how about replacing Pelinka with Bob Myers who won four rings in Golden State,” Smith added. “If we’re gonna talk about Rob Pelinka being gone, why aren’t we talkin’ about Rob Pelinka?”

Are the Lakers already looking beyond Coach Ham?

Throughout the 2023-24 campaign, Ham has faced repeated criticism for his reluctance to call timeouts when the players appear fatigued or confused on the court. This has often allowed opposing teams to gain momentum and dominate the Lakers, disrupting the flow of the game. Additionally, marquee players like Anthony Davis and LeBron James have shown disinterest in the plays Ham draws during clutch moments.

In light of these factors, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha revealed how he has already started hearing ‘different names’ for potential candidates who can replace Darvin, who can be on his way out by next week.

“The latest I’ve heard is the plan is still to move on from Darvin at some point, likely by the end of the week, potentially as early as tomorrow – then the head coaching search will start,” Buha said. “I’ve already started to hear some names from different people.”

At this point, it’s safe to say that blame games are almost customary every time the Purple and Gold fall short of a championship. The intriguing aspect will be to keep an eye on who gets the axe.