Getty Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham huddles with his players during a playoff bout with the Golden State Warriors.
The 2023 NBA Playoffs are long over and neither the Golden State Warriors nor the Los Angeles Lakers were successful in their Finals bid. However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still some residual saltiness from the teams’ second-round matchup.
Particularly in the case of Lakers coach Darvin Ham, who’s still miffed that Dubs play-caller Steve Kerr and his crew complained about some perceived flopping in the series (which L.A. won 4-2).
As he sees it, Kerr was engaging in the same sort of gamesmanship that Golden State’s coach had accused his team of when they were matched up.
“When you try to paint a narrative, I think it’s like playing chess, playing poker, whatever you want to call it,” Ham said while guesting on the July 11 episode of #thisleague UNCUT with reporters Chris Haynes and Marc Stein.
“Guys are trying to give themselves any and every chance, every possible way, to come out on top of a situation and be victorious. Me? I never blame the officiating.”
Ham Seemingly Takes His Criticism of Kerr, Warriors to the Next Level
Although Ham prefaced all of his commentary on the matter by saying he has “nothing but the utmost respect” for Kerr and Co., he further distanced himself from the strategy of working the officials through the press as he continued to speak on what transpired.
“When I’m hearing different sound bites and I’m seeing the game within the game being played in the media and all that, I don’t f*** with it, I don’t want nothing to do with it,” Ham said.
Ham — who has had to battle for much of what he has gotten in pro hoops — also made it clear that he has no intention of opting for easier routes and/or shortcuts in such a way. He then closed with what could be considered another veiled shot at the Warriors.
And given his previous statements on the flopping controversy, it’s perhaps unsurprising that he feels as he does (regardless of whether it’s right or wrong).
“I’m sorry, excuse my language, but nothing came easy for me, in terms of crossing the Ts and dotting the Is and within my career whether I was a player or coaching. You just mentioned, I went through 10 interviews. Nothing has ever come easy for me, and I want it that way …
“By the grace of God, I’m sitting here in this position I’m in, working for the franchise I’m working for, and I’ll be damned if I let someone else try to manipulate the way we approach our game, the competitiveness in which we come with, like we’re trying to disguise and try to pull the wool over someone’s eyes.”
B/R Posits Warriors’ Biggest Need
Although the Warriors have made some big moves since free agency opened on June 30, they still have at least one major area that needs addressing per the folks at Bleacher Report.
In a piece aiming to identify each NBA club’s biggest hole after free agency, B/R’s Zach Buckley landed on perimeter athleticism and served up the following commentary:
There were times this past postseason (especially in the opening round against the Sacramento Kings) in which the Warriors appeared like they were stuck in the mud. They were often a step (or more) behind the offense, and they lacked the vertical lift and explosiveness needed to correct those mistakes.
Adding [Dario Saric] and Chris Paul does nothing to address that deficiency. Spending the No. 19 pick on Brandin Podziemski probably didn’t either.