Let me get this straight. The Lakers coached by Darvin Ham are eliminated in the first round by the current NBA champions and Ham is a bum. The Clippers, led by Tyronn Lue, are eliminated in the first round by a mediocre Mavericks team and Lue is a technical genius. It seems to me that LeBron, the GFOAT (Greatest Finger Pointer of All Time) is looking for a facilitator, not a coach. How many coaches and teammates will James have to throw under the bus before the cowardly lion, Rob Pelinka, says enough is enough?
Marcos S. Roth
Praia Vista
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I’ve been in business for over 58 years and I’ve never seen an organization disrespect the wrong people every year and stupidly make the same mistakes over and over again (except the one I work for).
The coach trains and doesn’t play, but when you have a player, regardless of who it is, harming the coach it’s very difficult to get everyone on the same page. Passing through coaches like toilet paper is a disgrace!
Clean out the Lakers house and sell it soon. I’m sorry, Dr. Buss, that your dream turned into this nightmare.
Kelly Mark Ritchie
Calabasas
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You filled your letters column last week with clueless expressions and a tiny, laughable “Sports Report” poll blaming LeBron James for the Lakers’ first-round exit.
In fact, James is the biggest reason the Lakers were competitive, and if they had been coached competently, they could have defeated the Nuggets and would now be advancing in the playoffs.
Ham’s panicked lineup experimentation and foolish substitutions were obstacles the players were unable to overcome despite their commendable efforts. The Lakers were right to fire Ham.
As for the fans who want James gone, please root for another team and leave the Lakers to those of us who understand the game!
Ray McKown
Torrance
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Why waste time and print space covering the Lakers’ coaching research? There is no research. LeBron will choose the next coach. Just as he will decide who the Lakers sign or trade as free agents, who they draft (undoubtedly his son) and probably how much the beer in the arena will cost next season. He calls the shots because the team’s management is too afraid not to let him, for fear he might be offended and “take his talents elsewhere.”
Bob Fanelli
Whittier
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Then Darvin Ham lost his job. When reading sites like LA Times, ESPN and Athletic, it seems that the players no longer believed in Ham. At this point it’s not about right or wrong, fair or unfair. When a coach loses the locker room, it’s all over. He finished. You cannot put toothpaste back into the tube. Ham is not a bad coach, but he was no longer the right coach.
michael forrest
Porter Ranch
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If, as Bill Plaschke says, the Lakers consider hiring Becky Hammon as their next coach, it will take an enlightened owner like Jeanie Buss to take such a bold step as hiring the first female coach in the NBA. With history as a guide, the decision will still depend on what general manager LeBron James wants.
Ron Yukelson
Saint Louis Obispo
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The Lakers need to follow the Chargers’ playbook when hiring a coach: a coach with enough prestige to draw attention.
André Rubin
Los Angeles
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Hey, did you hear about the new theme song that Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka released? “Who are you going to call – Coach Busters?”
Gary Engstrom
Focas Beach
Clippers are lost
Broderick Turner’s article on the Clippers’ season ending in disappointment “once again” says it all. I was a passionate Clippers fan when Donald Sterling was the owner and the team was a perennial underdog. Not much was expected, but the games were fun to watch. Now the team is lost. Paying big money to aging stars who struggle to play together. One day they are good, the next day they are not. Hard to watch, especially when compared to the fast, coordinated teams in the West.
André Simões
Santa Barbara
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The Clippers have talented players and a passionate owner who really wants to win a title. They have a coach considered one of the best in the NBA. However, once again, they were unable to advance in the playoffs because they could not count on their stars. Kawhi Leonard succumbed to injury again, leaving him unavailable when they needed him most. The team has a long-term contract with him, but cannot wait for him to recover from his injuries. He’s just a very expensive frustration. Paul George is not “Playoff P”, presenting a weak offensive output in games that really count and a blasé attitude. Russell Westbrook seemed to disappear in the last series.
Stop thinking this crew will take us to the promised land. It’s a mirage.
TR Jahns
He found
Give Ohtani a raise
Stats geeks can debate advanced metrics like on-base-plus-slugging percentage, launch angle, and exit velocity, but all I know is that at $700 million, Shohei Ohtani is extremely underpaid.
Steve Ross
Carmelo
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