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The Los Angeles Lakers decided to fire head coach Darvin Ham after two seasons. The Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, their second straight year of losing to Denver, despite having championship hopes going into this season.
The Lakers went into this season preaching consistency and togetherness after a strong first season, but it just didn’t materialise. Although injuries to several rotation players may have contributed to some of that, Ham also made a number of dubious rotational choices. It didn’t go over too well to bench important players and take too long to settle on a starting lineup.
Ham’s inability to respond appropriately during the playoffs against the Nuggets would also play a part in the Lakers’ decision to fire him.
Since the decision has been taken, everyone is focusing on who will take his position, and Mike Budenholzer, the former head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, is the most decorated candidate.
Budenholzer led the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks for ten years as head coach of the NBA after serving as Gregg Popovich’s assistant for seventeen years with the San Antonio Spurs. In all except one of his seasons as head coach, he guided his team to the postseason, and in 2021, he guided the Bucks to the NBA Championship. In the process, he won the 2015 and 2019 NBA Coach of the Year awards.
Following their stunning first-round playoff loss at the hands of the Miami Heat in 2023, the Bucks made the decision to cut ways with Budenholzer, and he did not coach anyplace this past season. The Lakers have historically hired a coach after taking a year off; they did so with Frank Vogel in 2019 and that season resulted in a title in 2020.Given that Ham was a longtime assistant to Budenholzer, there may be some doubt about the former Lakers coach taking over for Ham. The Lakers might want to exercise caution when following up with Ham’s mentor, Budenholzer, as they both taught him a lot and are still close.
The advantages of Lakers candidate Mike Budenholzer
Budenholzer is an expert defensive tactician with a wealth of experience. In six of his ten years as head coach, his teams have been among the top six in terms of defensive efficiency. Furthermore, his performance in the regular season is undeniable because he has the 11th-highest win percentage among coaches with at least five years of experience in NBA history.
Having spent so much time under Popovich’s tutelage, he has a solid foundation and a track record of success with a variety of teams. His tenure with the Bucks demonstrated his ability to win and bring out the best in superstars, while his tenure with the Hawks demonstrated his ability to elevate a team’s performance above.
It’s possible that Budenholzer learned some new techniques from outside observers during his year off, which will help him become an even more effective coach.
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