What do you think about the Laker team now?

You follow the box scores of the games every day?

Just the Lakers.

You're kidding.

That is really a compliment.

I was pleased to see you smile at the top bar show because once the game starts, you have a game face.

You don't smile much out there.

I don't think you have to do things for money anymore. Correct. What's up, Laker fans? Welcome to the Laker Film Room podcast, brought to by the Blue Rye Podcast Network. I'm Pete, joined by Darius and Mike. And the Lakers have hired the 28th coach in team history with Darvin Ham coming to the squad. We were talking a little bit about the coaching search.

Obviously, on this pod, we don't get quite as deep into all the candidates as whatnot with

Mike and I's situation. But we talked about it a little bit as they were reportedly entering

the last round of talks and interviews. And Ham just felt like the right guy. He's somebody that I try with assistant coaches that become head coaches to not make too many inferences on the basketball in X's and O's pieces. But I do try to hear them talk. And then what do other people say about them? And Darwin Ham seems to be quite respected by a number of different people from a number of different corners of the basketball universe. I was skimming the NBA archives recently and they were relaying a story where Kobe was talking about how much he helped with his post game because Ham was a physical athletic player. and I am pretty sure he probably has the best

dunk highlight tape of any head coach in the NBA right now. But I don't know, Dee, he's felt

like the right guy that kind of emerged throughout this process. And so I'd love to talk a little

bit about the process that led us to here. And then just what's your initial reaction to the

hiring of Darwinban Ham?

I'm excited that they're hiring Ham, honestly. We talked a lot about how the candidates weren't

necessarily the sexy names. And in a way, like, I'm happy for that, actually. Like, I'm happy

that there wasn't this dargazing, like, oh, well, we've got our pick of all of these, like, dudes who have a lot of cachet around the league and who do you really want?

It's just like, yeah, I don't need Glenn Rivers, right?

Like, former championship headwinning coach.

Like, I'm good with that.

I like the idea of having some new blood. I like the idea of

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