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Doc Rivers slammed the LA Lakers for firing now Bucks' assistant Darvin Ham this offseason ahead of LeBron James and Co.'s visit to Milwaukee on Thursday. The Bucks coach doesn't think it made sense, as he viewed Ham's tenure in LA as a success. Rivers cited the Lakers' making the Western Conference finals in Ham's rookie year and winning the NBA In-Season Tournament this past season.
"He took a team to the Western Finals, and then the following year he won the In-Season Tournament, which they say we should have a lot of value on and then they release him, it literally makes no sense," Rivers told reporters on Wednesday.
The 2008 championship-winning coach doubled down on Ham's potential, suggesting that he deserves to be on the sidelines and coach.
"Darvin Ham is a coach, and he should be on the sidelines and I wanted him next to me," Rivers said.
Listen to Rivers' comments on Ham from the 5:04 mark.
The Lakers fired Ham on May 3rd after the team failed to get past the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, losing 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets. The Bucks hired him on June 11 as a top assistant.
LA failed to break into the top six for the third consecutive year and second under Ham, despite making decent additions to bolster the team's growth. He also lost the locker room because of his stubbornness and bias towards players he had coached before. Ham's lack of in-game adjustments and lack of a detail-oriented approach also led to his firing.
Things turned sour publicly towards the end when Darvin Ham openly disagreed with his star player, Anthony Davis, questioning the team's organization and schemes amid their first-round series against Denver.
Lakers players have seemingly taken shots at Darvin Ham since JJ Redick's hiring
The Lakers moved on from Darvin Ham and took a bold approach by signing JJ Redick as his replacement. Redick had never coached at a professional level before, even as an assistant. However, his knowledge of Xs and Os and his confidence were well-documented through his podcasting and broadcasting career.
LeBron James saw it first hand when he produced a podcast with Redick during the 2024 playoffs called 'Mind the Game,' where the duo broke down the game to a tee. Redick seems to have been a hit among the players already.
LeBron, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Max Christie and several others have lauded his detail-oriented approach and the clarity he has provided to all players on the roster about their roles, which seemingly wasn't the case last year.
Players have openly spoken about the stark difference between their approach last year and this year, hailing Redick and his staff's efficiency from all perspectives.
There's a significant difference in how the Lakers have been executing sets and play calls during their first preseason games alone compared to all of last year, showing that JJ Redick's philosophies are already meshing well within the locker room.
