Today, Darvin Ham is known as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, a job that comes with a lot of attention…and headaches.
But he used to be a basketball player in his own right, spending eight years in the league and playing for Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons.
Ham made a lot of friends during his time in the NBA.
Four-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace, a former teammate of Lakers coach Darvin Ham when they were in Detroit, was a guest at practice today pic.twitter.com/umIy8CWmTh
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 28, 2022
One of those friends and peers, Ben Wallace, was spotted at the Lakers’ workout the other day.
While some people might not remember Ham’s time in the NBA, most people recall Wallace’s.
During his 16 years in the NBA, he was a four-time All-Star, two-time rebounding champion, block champ, Defensive Player of the Year four times, and he also won a championship with the Pistons in 2004.
Today, he’s a Hall of Famer and easily one of the best defenders in the history of the league.
Was there any chance that Wallace was imparting some of that wisdom to this struggling Lakers team?
Blocked By Ben
If Ham is smart, he begged Wallace to talk to some of the men on his team and teach them about great defense.
The Lakers have some powerful players but their defense has been lacking for a few seasons.
That was painfully clear in the last season when the Lakers were slow, confused, and one of the worst defenders in the NBA.
There is hope that Ham’s hiring will help with that.
But perhaps Wallace can talk about blocking and rebounds.
In a perfect world for Lakers fans, he would have a sit-down chat with Anthony Davis about having a strong frontcourt presence.
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