We already knew that All-Star player LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers would miss tonight’s nationally televised TNT game against the Golden State Warriors due to a peroneal tendinopathy in his left ankle, but it now looks like LA might be missing their coach as well.
According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers are hoping head coach Darvin Ham, who was absent from a team practice on Wednesday due to a private matter, will be able to lead the team on Thursday at the Chase Center.
Longtime Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy, who has been mentioned by Vegas oddsmakers as a possible Ham replacement should Ham be unavailable, seems like the best option as a backup on that particular day.
With a 30-26 record for the year, the Lakers are presently the ninth seed in the Western Conference. Golden State, ranked tenth, is 27-26; some of the club’s games were postponed by the NBA due to assistant coach Dejan Milojević’s unexpected death during a team dinner. Both teams, who were rivals in the Western Conference semifinals a year ago, are now fighting for survival in the play-in round. The Warriors and Lakers are playing for position as the postseason draws near, so this game is crucial for both teams.
I hope that Ham gets over whatever personal troubles he may be going through soon!