The New Orleans Pelicans have been looking for their next head coach after firing Willie Green early this week following a subpar start. A few days after Green's exit, a former LA Lakers head coach emerged as one of the leading candidates for the Pelicans' job.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Darvin Ham, who coached the Lakers for two seasons, is among the "names to watch" for the head coaching role for the Pelicans.
NBA fans quickly roasted the Pelicans franchise for considering Ham, as his reputation took a hit after his seasons with the Lakers.
Others suggested that the Pelicans should just be scrapped and be relocated to other cities such as Seattle.
Ham has been the lead assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks since leaving the Lakers in 2024.
Ham was picked up by the Lakers in 2022, starting a tumultuous run with the team that included a Western Conference Finals trip in 2023, but lost to the eventual champions Denver Nuggets.
They again lost to the Nuggets in the following year in the first round.
With the Bucks, Ham won his second NBA Cup title. He has an undefeated record of 14-0 in the in-season tournament dating back to his days as the Lakers' head coach.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans have been sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, tallying a 2-11 record in the first 13 games.
Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars explained why the franchise fired former head coach Willie Green. According to Dumars, he did not see a vision for the team amid their rough start in the season.
"It really wasn't the won-lost record as the ultimate determining factor. That was not it," Dumars said. "I was very clear from the very beginning, there was no mandate that you have to win a certain amount of games. There wasn't even a mandate that, 'Oh, you have to make the play-in or the playoffs.'"
"We have to establish who we're going to be here in New Orleans going forward, and I just did not see that happening. And that was more than anything else what's the determining factor here."
The Pelicans will next face the defending champions OKC Thunder, on Monday, Nov. 17 as they look to pull an upset and end their slump.