Darvin Ham Press Conference Reaction On Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis & More

The Los Angeles Lakers have officially introduced Darvin Ham as the next Lakers head coach on Monday. So, we’re breaking down the Darvin Ham press conference on this edition of the Lakers Report! The Darvin Ham presser touched on a variety of Lakers rumors entering the offseason, notably around the future of Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and LeBron James. While a Russell Westbrook trade felt inevitable, Darvin Ham spoke as though he would be back next season, adding more fuel to the Lakers trade rumors. Rasheed Wallace could also wind up making Lakers news as the first of Ham’s Lakers assistants to be hired. That’s all coming up as Chase gives his thoughts on the Darvin Ham Lakers press conference!

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What’s your confidence level in Darvin Ham? Scale it from 1-10 right now!

The Darvin Ham press conference had plenty of highlights - let’s break down some of them here on the show:

#1: Darvin Ham and Rob Pelinka both spoke to the excitement of turning the page on a new era of Lakers basketball:

Rob Pelinka:
“It’s easy to be grateful when you find a candidate that you feel is the ideal fit for what the franchise is looking for, and that’s what Coach Ham represents to us … I’m just incredibly proud to be able to sit next to him for what he stands for, as a man, as a coach, as a dad, as a husband, and to arm together to lead this franchise to the next chapter.”

Darvin Ham:
“Knowing that this is the team and the franchise that gave me my start, albeit it was Mike Brown that hired me, the Buss family had to sign off on it. The fact that I got my start here, this place will always be special to me.”

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#2: Russell Westbrook trade out the window? Lakers trade rumors have focused heavily on Russ this offseason, but Darvin Ham spoke like a man who thinks he’ll have Westbrook on his roster next season:

“Don’t get it messed up - Russ is one of the best players our league has ever seen, and there’s still a ton left in that tank. I don’t know why people tend to try to write him off. I’m going to approach him like I do every player I’ve ever encountered.”

Will the Lakers trade Russell Westbrook? Type ‘T’ for Trade or ‘K’ for Keep

#3: Anthony Davis: Lakers trade rumors have also started to surround AD given his health struggles the last 2 seasons, and Ham knows he needs his star forward at 100% next season:

“I think he’s the key. He’s the key. We’ve all seen what can happen when he’s healthy, when he’s playing at a high level, he’s in a good rhythm - we saw it in the bubble. His skill set, his size, his versatility, his defensive acumen, his relentless, his ability to give multiple efforts defensively, it’s key. It’s going to be the foundation of the type of standard we set in the Darvin Ham era. It’s going to be built on that defense, and he’s going to be the main piece, the centerpiece of it.”

Do you trust AD to stay healthy? Type ‘Y’ for Yes, Type ‘N’ for No

#4: Rasheed Wallace joining the Lakers coaching staff next season? Lakers rumors popped up in the morning before the Darvin Ham press conference, but he’s not officially one of the Lakers assistant coaches:

“That’s an active situation that’s fluid. We’re still working through that … He’s definitely a candidate that we’ll take a look at, but we’re working through that.”

Would you like the Rasheed Wallace hire? Type ‘L’ for Like, Type ‘D’ for Don’t Like