“Just someone that got out of the insane asylum”: Darvin Ham scythes down on tanking suggestions to avoid Nuggets

After the Lakers beat the Pelicans on Tuesday night with a 110-106 score at the Smoothie King Center, Darvin Ham came out of the blocks quickly to put away wild theories. Following the game, the Lakers HC was asked for his opinion about a strange notion that was circulating around the NBA world.

The suggestion was that the Lakers should have purposely lost to the Pelicans tonight to avoid the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. After hearing the suggested plot, Darvin Ham commented, “Just someone that got out of the insane asylum,” which was met with a chorus of laughter in the media room.

One of the most vocal backers of this theory was ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, who even before the game pleaded with the Lakers not to win the game.

On ESPN’s “Greeny Progressive,” the anchor had said, “Don’t win tonight(x2), cause then you walk into a buzz saw. Ever seen a movie ‘Fargo’ where Steve Buchemi winds up in a wood chippers? That’s what going to Denver to play the Nuggets is, just the end of your season immediately.”

Quite clearly, Darvin Ham never even considered it as he seems more than ready to face the reigning NBA champions on Saturday.

Darvin Ham looking forward to Nuggets challenge

When asked about the Lakers’ next opponents, the Nuggets, Darvin Ham had a positive and confident answer. Talking to the media, he said, “It’s back to 0-0. Obviously, they’ve had a ton of success against our ball club but, there’s always a new day. My staff and I, we’ve been putting the groundwork together for that gameplan and we’ll get together tomorrow.”

“The guys will have a day off but we’ll start the work process of building out the gameplan and go out there and give it our best shot. That’s all we can do,” Darvin Ham said.

That’s not it. In a locker room footage surfaced after the game, the 50-year-old was seen saying, “We want all the smoke and we ain’t ducking no fades,” reiterating his confidence in the Lakers artillery.

Despite the murmurs of internal conflict with LeBron James, Darvin Ham has guided the Lakers to the play-off with a strong late-season push. LeBron James’ 23, D’Angelo Russell’s 21 and Anthony Davis’ 20-point performances against the Pelicans are a welcome boost for the LA franchise ahead of the April 20 fixture. This might be the last chance for LeBron in Lakers colors to get one up over the Nuggets who boast a 3-0 record this season against Darvin Ham’s men.