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A dejected Austin Reaves only had a single word in mind to describe the Los Angeles Lakers locker room vibe following their 110-96 loss on January 3 to a Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat team.
“[Expletive]. We’re losing,” Reaves told reporters point-blank. “Anytime you lose, the vibe should be off, you know? If I went in there and the vibe wasn’t off after the rough stretch that we’ve had, then I’d be concerned.”
The disconnect between the players and coach Darvin Ham, which The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jovan Buha reported on January 4, was in full display in their contrasting postgame interviews.
Contrasting Views From Lakers
Ham again pointed to the team’s health as the culprit behind their lack of connectivity on the court against the Heat culture missing their top star.
The Lakers played without reserves D’Angelo Russell (tailbone contusion), Rui Hachimura (calf strain) and ex-Heat point guard Gabe Vincent (knee surgery).
“I think the multiple [rotation players] are more impactful than if you lose one of your big dogs, you’re going to figure out how to try and manage without them,” Ham told reporters. “And when your key rotation players – this guy misses three or four. This guy misses three or four. And they’re happening one right after another, that’s what makes it difficult.”
“It’s tough man but that’s why we get paid,” Ham said. “We’ve got to figure it out. I’m disappointed, but I’ll be damned if I get discouraged.”
Reaves contradicted Ham’s view.
“We can’t use that as an excuse,” Reaves told reporters. “Regardless of what the lineup is, what change is, whatever happens, we got to be better as a team and go win games. We’re more than talented enough to win games.”
Reaves added they have enough depth and skill to overcome the team’s injuries.
“We got to figure it out,” he said.
Reaves returned to the starting lineup and scored 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting with eight assists and five rebounds — his best showing since the In-Season Tournament championship game. But it wasn’t enough.
Darvin Ham on Hot Seat
Ham’s seat is warming up based on The Athletic report that revealed the cracks within the walls of the storied franchise, which reached the Western Conference Finals with virtually the same core.
“There’s currently a deepening disconnect between Darvin Ham and the Lakers locker room, six sources with direct knowledge of the situation say, raising questions about the head coach’s standing,” Charania and Buha wrote.
“The people spoke with The Athletic on condition of anonymity so that they could speak freely on the matter. Those sources have described that the disjointedness between the coach and team has stemmed from the extreme rotation and starting lineup adjustments recently from Ham, leading to a fluctuating rhythm for several players across the roster.”
Ham rolled out his 10th starting lineup this season against the Heat with Reaves, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish,LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It backfired once again as their new starting lineup was minus-3.
LeBron James Shuns Postgame Interview
The biggest sign that there may be trouble in the Lakers Land was James shunning media interviews after the loss.
“LeBron James left without speaking to reporters tonight,” Buha reported on X, formerly Twitter following the Lakers loss.
The 39-year-old James was held to only 12 points on 6-of-18 shooting as he missed all of his six 3-point attempts. He had nine assists though to lead the Lakers.
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