The Lakers lost a disappointing game on Wednesday in Houston, one that could end up being quite costly in the standings when all is said and done. It was certainly bad enough that the disappointment and anger about it from Lakers fans was still palpable. Many left comments about Darvin Ham's work in that game (starting Rui Hachimura instead of Wenyen Gabriel, for example) or the fact that the Lakers, despite knowing Anthony Davis wouldn't play and that Gabriel was their only available big with Mo Bamba injured, didn't bother to sign another center to have on hand. A little size couldn't have hurt, given how bad the rim protection was on Wednesday night. So how confident should Lakers fans be with Ham right now? On the one hand, with better players, lo and behold, suddenly the team is winning a lot more. And while he shoudn't get all the credit, it's unfair only to pin losses on Ham, but never give him credit for success. The pressure on Ham to be excellent has remained consistent, even as the team has improved because the entire season has been free of margin for error. Big picture, it's easy to feel encouraged by what the Lakers have done since the deadline. This is a team that clearly is much better than it was, even without the opportunity to play with LeBron for any meaningful stretch of time. So it was encouraging then to see reporting from Jovan Buha (The Athletic) that the Lakers are leaning now to running it back this summer, rather than making a big play for a high priced star free agent. (That would be Kyrie Irving, because he's really the only one.) There are eleventybillion reasons this is the better path forward. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: Viewers weigh in on Darvin Ham's performance on Wednesday and for the season. SEGMENT 2: Just how good or bad has Ham been? Is his performance any different than you'd expect from a first time head coach? SEGMENT 3: Will the Lakers go for Kyrie, or run it back? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. Ibotta Right now, Ibotta is offering our listeners $5 just for trying Ibotta by using the code Locked when you register. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app. Ultimate Pro Basketball GM To download the game just visit probasketballgm.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store. PrizePicks First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDON BetterHelp This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at Betterhelp.com/LockedOnNBA and get on your way to being your best self. FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices