When the Lakers posted a record of 2 wins for 10 losses, we didn’t give much of our skin… And yet, Darvin Ham is still on the Lakers bench, and he even led them to the conference final. It’s almost a feat when you remember that these same Lakers were 13th in February, and that they played almost all of March without LeBron James! It is for this reason that the rookie coach finds it difficult to be disappointed after this “sweep” and that he asks his players to appreciate the progress made.
“I just told them to take the time to reflect on what they had been through. I thanked them again for the season, for supporting me, for the communication, for giving a chance to function by joining the project, and then for making everyone focus on improving the situation “ explained the former Bucks assistant. “Mentally and emotionally, I have the best job in the world. I thank God everyday. It’s hard to be really upset. I’m extremely disappointed, but I would be really distraught and upset if we hadn’t walked off the field without a fight. Nobody wants to be swept away. Do not mistake yourself. Nobody, especially not me, the locker room, everyone in this room, nobody wants to be eliminated like that. But what makes me happy is that we fought every night. We’ve been competitive every game in this series. I just told the guys to take stock of what it means, how it feels right now, what we’ve been through for a whole season and what we had to do to get here. . »
A project is underway
Then you have to think about what’s next. We don’t know if LeBron will be there, but the foundation is good. The Lakers have found three good youngsters in Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt. The team won without LeBron in March, and there’s no need to change course.
“Now let’s study the process” continues Darvin Ham, addressing his players. “Try to strengthen yourself, whether it’s game-wise or body-wise, and understand what we’re trying to do to move forward and restore a winning culture here. We went from a start to the season where no one thought of us, to an end of the season where we find ourselves in the top 4, that’s very important. Next year will be expectations, as there should be within this franchise, and what it means for the NBA and for the sports world as a whole. »
For the Lakers coach, this road to the Finals is a common goal for everyone in the franchise. Everyone must pull in the same direction.
“You know, every individual, every player, every coach, every manager, every employee… We have to figure out how to take that momentum and bring it to an even higher level until we are the ones who are about to play the Finals. I didn’t come here to have more wins than losses, to make a first round of the playoffs or to make a run for the playoffs. I came to win. I was blessed, blessed to know victory at every level, and at the highest level, over and over again, and that’s why I’m focusing on that. It’s my aim. »
