Lakers News: Darvin Ham 'Going to Be Honest as a Coach,' Says Chauncey Billups

A former teammate of Darvin Ham has offered his assessment of what the 48-year-old will offer the Los Angeles Lakers as their new head coach. 

Speaking to Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, Chauncey Billups noted Ham is "going to be honest as a coach" in Los Angeles. 

“He’s ready for this job," Billups added. "He’s the right guy for this Lakers job."

Billups, currently the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, played with Ham for two seasons from 2003-05 with the Detroit Pistons. They won an NBA championship during the 2003-04 season by defeating the Lakers 4-1 in the Finals. 

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Ham played against LeBron James four times when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers during that two-season span. 

James expressed his excitement about Ham joining the Lakers as their new head coach. 

Los Angeles hasn't officially announced Ham's hiring, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday he has agreed to a four-year deal to replace Frank Vogel. 

The Lakers will be looking for a quick rebound after this season's disappointing 33-49 record. They missed the playoffs for the second time in four seasons with James on their roster. Vogel, who was hired in May 2019, was fired on April 11 after going 127-98 and winning an NBA title during the 2019-20 season. 

This will mark Ham's first stint as a head coach in the NBA. He previously worked as an assistant with the Lakers from 2011-13 on Mike Brown's coaching staff. 

Since the 2013-14 season, Ham has been an assistant for Mike Budenholzer. He spent five seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before joining Budenholzer with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018. 

Ham won an NBA title as an assistant coach with the Bucks during the 2020-21 season.