Things are getting tense between Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and head coach Darvin Ham.
The Lakers currently sit with a mediocre record of 22-22 and are proud owners of a rip-roaring one-game winning streak. So, no, things are not nearly up to par for LeBron James and the high standard he sets, which almost automatically sends the majority of the roster and head coach into a general state of unease.
Despite handily toppling the Blazers on Sunday night, life in "LakerLand" still appears to be trending in the wrong direction — considering that LeBron took the rare liberty of subbing himself out of the game after head coach Darvin Ham failed to do so.
Take a gander at the following clip to see how it went down:
LeBron took a foul to take himself out and then called a timeout because Darvin Ham wouldn't do it himself, can't make it up lol pic.twitter.com/kx3lbKrb9U
— LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) January 22, 2024
To recap, James initially took an intentional foul in order to stop play and understandably take a deserved seat on the bench with about six minutes left and a very comfortable 23-point Lakers lead. But, apparently, that wasn't enough, so King James went full alpha mode and took a timeout to ensure his seat on the bench.
Some might call this a passive-aggressive move, but it's really not. This is just straight aggressive, and more or less starkly reminded Ham about who's really driving the bus. And notice that at the 7-second mark in the above video, James makes the timeout signal again after passing Ham. While we're not exactly in the business of reading minds, James doing such a thing for his teammates and fans to see certainly feels like expressing an outward form of frustration with his head coach.
To be fair to James, after taking the intentional foul, it should have been more than enough for a neon lightbulb to beam directly above Ham's head. The 39-year-old was putting in serious work out there — finishing with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists — and his minutes must be preserved at every opportunity that presents itself.
Look no further than these savage battle wounds:
LeBron James scratched up real bad pic.twitter.com/fa9g6PXBQC
— ?NBA?Fan? (@Klutch_23) January 22, 2024
Naturally, all of this has led Laker Nation into thinking that Ham's days are numbered in Los Angeles. But judging by social media, it seems to be the general consensus of what many fans want anyway every time this team takes the court. Since we have already passed the official halfway point of the season, everything is likely on the table in order to make a playoff push.
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 8. The firing-your-head-coach deadline is considered day-to-day.
LeBron's Lakers go "on the road" to face the Clippers on Tuesday night. If they get their doors blown off, Ham's seat will be feeling extra hot, and Laker fans will be feeling extra spicy.
Yes, we've seen this movie before, but it's absolutely a re-watchable drama. Get your popcorn ready.
