There is a bit of drama swirling around the Los Angeles Lakers as of late. After losing their ninth out of their past 12 games on Wednesday, to a shorthanded Miami Heat team no less, reports came out about the rumored disconnect between head coach Darvin Ham and the rest of the Lakers locker room. This has then fueled a ton of speculation as to who could replace Ham if the team decides to cut him loose.

One of the most popular suggestions has been the reinstatement of Doc Rivers from the commentary booth to the sidelines. Rivers, as a veteran head coach, could be someone who commands the respect of the locker room, helping the Lakers rally back into the playoff hunt. However, it's more likely that the Lakers look towards an internal option should they decide to replace Ham.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, “it’s Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy who is more often brought up” by people “closer to the situation” as a more realistic option to replace Darvin Ham as the team's head coach.

Handy has an incredible working relationship with LeBron James, which may be the most important factor swaying this preference to elevate the longtime assistant coach should Ham be axed. The 52-year old assistant coach worked in the same position from 2013 to 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning a championship with them in 2016. He then moved to the Toronto Raptors bench for the 2018-19 season, winning a ring as well.

Phil Handy, prior to returning to the Lakers bench during the 2019-20 season (where he won yet another championship), already had previous experience working for the Purple and Gold. He worked in player development from 2011 to 2013; clearly, Handy has paid his dues as one of the most experienced assistant coaches in the entire association. The question now is, will the Lakers want to shake things up in the imminent future?

The answer to that appears to be a resounding no, although things could change if the situation continues to go sideways for Darvin Ham and the Lakers. Winning is a panacea that washes away all the ill effects of losing, and Ham better get that prescription real quick before things get out of hand for him and his team.