There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers right now. After a mightily disappointing 2021-22 season, they have revamped their bench and been involved in trade talks for star point guard Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets. They have also overhauled their coaching staff, with Frank Vogel going out the door and Darvin Ham coming in.
Ham's appointment as the Lakers‘ new coach has made fans excited for the upcoming season. Vogel was unable to figure out how to make the trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook work last season. Westbrook may ultimately not be with the team by the time the season starts, but if he is, Ham sounds committed to making sure Westbrook is able to put together a nice bounce back season.
Ham isn't going to be able to turn the Lakers around on his own, and he has been assembling a coaching staff that is poised to help him in his cause. However, one person who isn't going to be joining Ham's staff is former NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace. There were rumors that Wallace had agreed to join Ham in Los Angeles, but now it doesn't seem as if that is in the cards.
“After further conversations, former NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace will no longer join new Lakers coach Darvin Ham's staff, sources said,” per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Wallace was a member of Penny Hardaway's Memphis Tigers coaching staff this past season and seemed prepared to go to Hollywood.
This is a tough blow for Ham and his coaching staff, but he should be able to overcome it. Wallace's NBA experience certainly would have been a helpful to have in the locker room. But Ham already has a solid coaching staff to support him, and he will have to move on and begin figuring out how to change L.A.'s fortunes without Wallace onboard.
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