Welcome to this League Uncut in the world of twenty four hour NBA news. This is you, Chris Haynes. It's so time, part's time, It's so time. This League Uncut is underway and on fire. This should be a good one.
Good one, just a good one.
We might need to reach out to our friend Tim Kitsrow, the voice of NBA JAM to maybe amend that, because this is a great one. Our visit with Lakers coach Darvin Ham, who sat with Chris Haynes and I for an hour at Caesar's Palace, the iconic Caesar's Palace, a live interview with Darvin Ham, and he was tremendous and open book on so many different subjects. We decided this
had to be a two part episode. Enjoy Now listen into part two, where we talk about all kinds of subjects, including Darvin Ham's plans for Austin Reeves now that Austin Reeves is back with the Lakers on a lucrative contract extension. Big plans for Austin Reeves that Darvin Ham explains and reveals, and also he addresses the Lakers rivalry with the so called Laker Daddy. Nuggets coach Mike Malone. That's all here now on this edition of This League Uncut Live from Las Vegas.
I'm really lucky on my substack.
I have a huge community of Laker fans who are readers of my substack, and so they sent me a zillion questions to ask you. I'm not gonna ask you a zillion, but I gotta ask at least a couple so they don't get mad at me. And this one is from Kobe Boyd, who we call the green Room Mamba.
That's a long story. I'm not gonna explain that whole thing.
But if I don't ask you for a full breakdown of your plans for Austin Reeves and what his future holds, I will I will never be forgiven.
I'm putting it on record right now. Aust Reeves will be an All Star at some point soon. I think what you saw him being invited to to be a part of the World Cup team, it's the first step in that direction. Everything you saw him do last year. The kid is a flat out competitor, one of the greatest human beings you can ever be around. Always fun, keeps things simple, but yet works at his craft. It's fearless in the biggest of moments, and my plan is
to continue to feature him. He's our starting to guard. I think there's a lot more levels he's going to get to before it's all set and done, and he'll be all starting a world champion with me in the room with him.
Chu go, and then I'll take this back.
Last time we saw each other in person, it was the last game you lost against when you got got swept by the Denver Nuggets and Stein. This is behind the scenes, so this is probably two hours after the game. I got some news right after that game Lebron that he was considering retirement, and I didn't I didn't publish the story.
I saw d Ham.
I was like, I gotta go tell d Ham before I published it. That's just out of respect, No, just out of respect.
I don't want you know.
I know he probably didn't care that. You know, he's probably mad. He was with his family at the time. But I pulled d Ham.
To the side.
I was like, d I just want to let you know so you're not cut off guard. Momentarily, I'm about to publish that Lebron is considering retirement, And I said, did you know anything about that, he said hell no, hell.
You know he said, okay, well, well thank you that he would all just start taking.
Pictures of the film. Appreciate.
But have you have you spoken to Lebron?
Most people didn't think he'll really get to that point, but it's just for me. What it showed me was that he's finally thinking in that direction, like the time is like we're the time is limited that we're going to you know.
See That's that's the way I took it.
But have you spoke to Lebron this summer and you know, moving forward about what the plans are.
Man, me and the King communicate often, and like I like I said it, you know, publicly, he has every right to feel how he wants to feel. He's done nothing but heavy lifting throughout his career. I mean, you're talking about somebody with the type of expectations that were placed on him coming out of high school to where he is now and the guy that's not only met the expectations but exceeded them and even recreated the narrati
of how special he is. And yeah, I'm talking about not just heavy lifting for his team trying to win, have his individual success, but heavy lifting for the league where he's taking the league, the NBA as a whole globally, you know, just one of those ones in the generator, once in the generation type players. I just I just felt like, you know, he needed all the time, whatever time he needs, and he gets the chance and gets he has the right to do what he feels his
right for Lebron James and his family. Like he's more than earned that, and so whatever he's ready, whenever he's ready to get back to basketball, he decides he don't want to do it no more, and he's totally earned that. I appreciate him again for what he did for me in my first year being in that seat, and the support he gave me, and the compliance and again allowing himself to be coached, giving me the feedback stepping up
as a leader. We don't get that far without the impact that he made for us as a coaching staff and for his teammates and the performances he put forth. And so you know, he, in my opinion, he gets he earned the right to do whatever he wants to do and our respective decision either way, whatever he decides that the final decision will be. I would anticipate though that we hadn't seen the last of the world. We got some unfinished business that he and I talked about.
So it's it's, uh, we'll see, we'll see, We'll see where he is October third, October second guy ask ask some questions on media day whether or not he's in the gym or not We in Vegas, right, I'll put some money on the fact that he might just be in that gym come October second.
I'm glad that we are getting your a material on July eleventh. So the October second crew we we got, we got a.
Two and a half month head start on that.
Absolutely, we've kept.
You too long. We're only going to do a couple of work. This is awesome, this is fantastic. But will we would do two hours if we could. I mean, you are your openness and willing to tell guys.
Some money over here. Decided to take a nap and try to forget about it. I mean, it's it's it's a cool vot.
We got some stars in the audience. Am and O Hasson is over there right there, Keith Smith is over there. Got a turner man they represented.
Bring out the heavy hitters man.
So Denver has lost Bruce Brown, They've lost Jeff Green. You guys have have made a serious.
If they lose Jamal Murray, they lose Joker. If they didn't lose those two, they really didn't lose a damn thing.
So just for the.
Record, so I guess that's my question.
I mean, they love they lost two of their eight main rotation guys.
That's my long.
Winded way of saying, how Joker decides to retire, go back to service. They called me then, no, no disrespect the Bruce Jeff. But that's what happens, man, when you have a hell of a team, a championship squad. I've seen it as a player, seeing it as a coach, like those high value players, whether starters. Obviously he's not gonna lose your main guys, but those rotation guys are
huge for you. But other people see what the contributions they make and increases value and a lot of times you're not able to keep them in the fold because again their value is get shot through the roof. And when you win at the highest level, at the highest level, like people are gonna be coming for you, man. They want those guys to bring that same pedigree to their individual franchises.
So how much better would you match up with them if you had to play them in a series? Now with the changes you've made, and they've lost a.
Couple guys, we'll see.
I mean, I think with a lot of what they did, they had guys from KCP, the Michael Porter and Aaron Gordon, they had guys Bruce Jeff, they had guys stepping up making plays, making big plays.
And so I mean they know who they are. That's clearly there.
Besides Joe, I think our size that we've added, I think our basketball IQ, the fearlessness of a gay Denton getting you Ruie back, getting Austin back, adding a young explosive prospect like Jackson Hayes getting d Lo back, you know, Cam Reddish, Torrian Prince like. I think we match up extremely well now, and it's up to us and it's our job now to take all of those names and translate it, transition it, I should say, from the paper to the actual court and getting everyone to lock in
and buy into what we're doing. I think Scott's will be a limit. We'll only go as far as our work takes us. Always believe in.
That you mentioned the guys Jackson Hayes still have to defend Joker, like you still have to have a body. I believe Rob Palika said recently that they're they're the search for big man. Do you do you believe that it's critical that you get another big man, somebody with size, just in case you have to see Joker in the future.
I mean, no one man is gonna stop Joker. No, no community of men is gonna stop Joker. You know, his his points of attack are all over the place, whether it's the post, whether it's through the elbows where there's three point line, him play making making plays, whereas teammates. Same with Jamal. I just think we have to be able to fight fire with fire, you know. And the big thing about Denver is you can't make can't turn the ball over. You have to finish at the rim.
You gotta get to the free throw line and make free throws. But you cannot have any what we call again self inflicted wounds. You can't beat yourself like they're they're tough. We'll see because you know their core is young, They're they're set up to make a run for a
plenty more years. So what we hope to do is again all those guys I mentioned getting get them in the gym as quickly as possible and start getting on the same page of being able to get a full training camp well off season open gym training camp, and to start the season off with a unified group that's highly talented, highly skilled, and we've gotten younger and so uh again, being able to fight fire with fire. I think it's no one person you can go find that's
going to stop these guys. You just have a you have to have a fully commit, fully committed arsenal to throw back.
At the World Champs, I wanted to ask this question coach real quick, Mike, Mike Bootholzer got let go by the Bucks. What was your reaction after, you know, not too long ago hoisting up a championship for the organization?
And I guess where's his mindset.
That I mean you're talking about, But it is, you know, obviously disappointed about that, but I think he's in a great place mentally in terms of now you know, having some time to really get back to his family and and and to really you know, lock in with his kids and do different things with its own free time.
It's amazing because it's not just with Bud, but you know Manti obviously was ever able to pivot and go to Detroit and Nick Nurse Doc rivers like you're talking about some high, high level coaches with championship pedigree being let go for whatever reason.
It's crazy.
My emotions are, it's like, damn, like you even when you win, it's not good enough. But this is what we sign up for, so you can't. You know, you just got to keep putting your best foot forward every each and every time you get a chance to wake up and and and and be that league guy for your team, and you just again, you got to make sure you're doing everything possible to not just put yourself, but you're into group in the position to be successful.
And if someone decides that get into the pinnacle or whatever and winning, is that not good enough? And it's just not good enough and but someone will appreciate that work. And as you saw, a couple of those guys were able to pivot into different jobs. But yeah, you look at it like damn, they fired them, and then you turn around and they get Minnie Williams eighty million dollars. So that's also inspiring.
All of all that's good.
Dudes, Like, oh wow, go ahead, but we got the same agent too. Wow. Shout out to Spenser Breacher c AA in the building.
What point in your life did you know you want to do this? Like twenty it's almost twenty years since the Pistons championship. Had I stopped you in the hall at the Palace of Auburn Hills and said, if you want to coach someday, Like, what would you have said at that point in your life?
Come with me, Mark, We're gonna take this drug test.
So when was it?
When was there want to?
You know?
Actually?
And I remember running into you at the MAVs games when I used to do a little work with Fox Sports Southwest after it was then known, and then you know, doing some stuff with the NBA.
TV producers.
Put me audience.
So that was a lot of fun. But one thing I realized is like one, how much I missed the game and two didn't feel like I was necessary necessarily close enough to the competition. It's one thing, like to analyze the game from that from a neutral perspective, but I'm one. I want to be able to pick a side, and so outside of playing, coaching to me, was the next best option and spending four beautiful years in the G League was known as the D League then in Albuquerque,
New Mexico. And it's funny because the part owners of the team, the Thunderbirds, who eventually became the majority owners, Sam and Jackie Brickman, their son Alex breaking the you know, Perennial All Star for the Houston Astros. I've known him since he was twelve thirteen years old. He and I have an incredibly He's like a little brother than.
Me, man.
So it's crazy the different blessings that comes from those different situations. And not only me being able to extend, ascend, you know, to to this position I'm in now, but just the competition, man, the spirit of competitiveness, I can't get enough of. It's like, that's why, you know, everybody's like this. The Lakers may be overwhelming for certain people. Being in the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, I embrace all of it like it's it's a total blessing.
It's a challenge that we're in the process of figuring out. You know, we went from being an I only want
to say a laughing stop. But getting us back to that credibility as being a top of the food chain team in this league and with plenty plenty more room to grow and and we're going to grow from everything we went through last year and to be able to hit the ground running this year and proper form, proper order with the guys we've added, guys were able to bring back, and if Bron decides not to retire, will be even stronger and better along with Anthony.
So we're looking forward to it. That's the competition mark as a.
Player, though you didn't have these aspirations like you all happened.
Aganically, like literally me doing different radio shows and you know before it was podcast with doing the radio shows and then doing little TV spots.
And I'm like, man, I.
Really missed the game, Like I'm searching in my mind how to get more involved in coaching? Was it and it just feels like a natural fit to me, Like I love it.
I'm not overwhelmed or.
Yeah, that's thing like seeing you now, I can't imagine you not coaching, but like you know, I always wonder like a you.
Know, it's fun then.
You know we all like I started kind of when you started, So it's like, yeah, to watch guys you cover then become coaches, Like it's always yeah, who.
Have thought Sam to Sell would be a coach?
Right, And he's been doing it so long.
Now, IQ, and he's another guy. Just I can't wait for him to get an opportunity because feel handy Chris Jent, like, it's some damn good coaches who are more than capable of running their own team. And just knowing all these guys for the decades that I've known them in their IQ and just I just think it's a natural fit. And now these guys they you know, no disrespect. People have to come into this thing in their own way, right.
But I think what these players do if you've been a part of a team, if you played in this game and you know how to articulate that well is everything's just not well. I played and I used to average thirty. So you should listen to me. No, if you actually studied the game, you understand how all pieces fit. You know you're not just a star player coach, You're
the coach of an entire group. I just thank God to go into it, man, because these guys really need I think we're in the system now where everything that's happening out in society. These guys need strong leadership in the locker room on all levels, not just a basketball level, but even a social level. These guys need leadership, and they need guys that they can that can help them navigate, you know, through through their journey and make the best
possible decisions for themselves and their families. And I think, being a guy that's done it and been around the great players I've been around playing with coach, I just come with a humility.
Man, That's me. That's not an act.
It's just how I was raised and just how I decide to approach it again, factual based, no elaborated stories, no manufactured you know situations or I told him and I told him though, I just try to look at the game, look at my team, try to see how the ways we can get better and and be humble and and and be strong and consistent at the same time.
My last question, starn Sarb, how long? What's the two part question? How long does it take you to get over the exit of the playoffs in the Western Conference finals? And then what are the expectations with the new moves that you made off see what are the expectations for next season.
Well, it's hard, I mean, because you know, having won and having been that team that finished second, not just third or four, like, it's only one team that's gonna be happy out of all thirty at the end of the year.
Bro, it's only one.
And but the thing I think, the credibility and us being able to turn the corner and get the Lakers back to their proper position again being talked about the last one of the last four teams standing, I think it's great. And my expectations is for us to come and work hard every day and most certainly put another banner up. I'm not in this just to win games, get to the second or third round and celebrate that.
I want it all.
You know, I've been I know what it looks like standing up there looking down on the other side. I know I've gotten to do that twice, and so uh, I expect to do it again and again. We're gonna go as far as our work takes us, and believe me, we're gonna have championship work happens.
I promise you that they don't put divisional championship banners up up in the rafters at all for the Lakers.
Not at Crypto. Hell not, you've been in our facility. Ever looked in the Genie's window. Yeah, I see trophies up there. I see y'all don't plas around.
That always gets to me when I know how the franchise probably ain't won a championship, but they put these division banners up there, and I'm like, come.
On, now, some people need positive rement. We know what we in this for.
We ain't sure.
My sign off question is a little bit more of a personal one because my I want to I want to test your memory here, because I don't trust my own memory anymore. I make so many I use. My memory used to be one of my When you say legendary things, there's a fine line between legendary and washed. I had the privilege, I believe, of covering your very first NBA exhibition game in Hawaii. Oh yeah, I was right on the baseline, a young Denver Nuggets rookie, the
rim busting Darvin Ham. And again I tried to look this up, but of course it's not nineteen ninety six. October nineteen ninety six is not that look uppable, so I couldn't find it. But in my memory, I was the baseline seats were the media where we were right near the Laker bench. You threw down a great dunk early, and you had the Laker bench ooing and eyeing at your throwdown. But I distinctly remember we were this so close to the Laker bench.
We could hear this.
Nick van X, who of course you know, has to talk some smack, said something to the effect of, now let's see that jumper. And I don't if I'm going to be polite, I don't think your first jumper went great.
I don't remember it exactly, but I jump shot went Do you remember do you remember do you remember? Am I inventing this? Or do you remember? Do you remember any.
Of this closest only that I met through my travels within the game. And Nick and I still really really cool man, that's my dude. But nah, man, I mean back then you were given a simple menu like and you know, player development like you had. You didn't have as many coaches back then as you have now. And you if you were good at I'm like my coach, the great Dick Matter, he told me this, I need to do four things.
Jump fella, and you be all right.
You always have a job compete your ass off, run hard, rebound, defend and finish. That's what he told me in that order. Compete your ass off, defend, rebound, and run and finish. And I was all right, And when I was able to do that, you know, and not really trying to. I always play with shooters, right the one's looking for Darvin hand to be casting up threes. If I'm playing with ray Allen, Sam Pacel and Glenn Robertson shot out the big dog. Just talk with yesterday for a good long time here.
And I caught up.
But it just that's what Ramon says.
Yeah, man, You're like, if you want Draymond taking threes, you're out there with Clay step And it's not about whether he can make it the one night. It's like, what what do you bring to the table, what's gonna bring? What are you gonna bring that's gonna give us balance?
And Draymond is proven that like Hall of Fame career like, and being from my city, I'm like, I look, man, he's the best ever do it, one of the best to ever do it out of Michigan for sure, Like in terms of just being a highly competitive, winning basketball player and that's all I wanted to do, is like I wasn't. I never was caught up in the cosmetics of the game. I saw a lot of guys that were way more skill than I was that didn't come close to having a career I had, And because I
didn't need the ball, I could make things happen. It's funny me and Ray Allam was laughing at Joker one time when I was a player in Milwaukee with him. I think Ray might have thirty six when I had eight points. They showed six of my eight points on the highlight stuff. All dunks they show, they showed four points of his thirty six.
So it was like, figure, hey, dark to your point about development, I remember back in high school and during practice you were six three year higher, I mean six three or taller.
You were in the post, and during practice they would separate you.
They would have the guards on once one half of the court had the bigs working on posts. But now today's development, everybody's doing ball handling drills, and so it wasn't to your point about the way you came up, It wasn't that you couldn't never do that.
It's just that.
Wasn't it wasn't required.
It wasn't required exactly.
I mean, that's that's the biggest thing. Now we're trying
to extract as much as you can. A lot of the growth that you see with a lot of franchises, it comes from within, you know, these guys, getting these guys, because these guys are coming in now eighteen nineteen, twenty years old, long, long, long gone are the days of guys being in college for two three four years and having that polished, you know, and those guys are still highly valuable too, but now they're more looked bad as failures because they decide to stay in school so long.
But coming in now we have a strong, strong, you don't have a player development element to your program, and you're missing the mark and you're really not setting yourself up to succeed because that's a big major part of it of how you know, bringing value to your franchise.
And so I'm just excited that again the G League back D League background and understanding that part of it, and of coaches field handed Christian gent the guys I got with me that really excel and that's the one that one of the areas that they excel, and it's making gods better.
I would get a shout out real quick, what's up to Aaron Goodwin over there? He's been the news late good and he's been the news like.
A mover and shake of all movers and shake you hey, good.
Y'all. Look look him up the news lately.
Responsible for a bunch of hundred million dollar contracts and not two hundred million.
Man, he's not done.
We have absolutely overstated our welcome with you. We are so grateful for all this time. This is really going to be the last, last, last, because we we've kept you a half hour longer than I said.
We were going to.
It's somewhat your fault because you're giving us gold here.
Gold.
Yeah, you are not purple and gold is just gold.
I appreciate.
So last week some great dunkers that I've interviewed in the past, they didn't like talking about their dunking. Yeah, obviously the rim you broke in college.
Has you know that story has.
Followed you your whole career. Is that a source of pride or are you? Is it you not like talking about that? Where do you stand on when people bring that up?
It was great?
Man? I'm happy, Uh, I'm happy. They were able to look at me and say that was him. You know he did that and again in that moment, being in a tournament tournament playing against you know, basically the Lakers of college basketball in terms of the North Carolina Tar Hills, like in a tournament game, it's great.
I mean I.
Was just as shocked as anyone. But if you look at my walk off when I faked it pretty good like I meant for it to happen, but uh nah. And to have Vince Carter on the floor too at that, like that's all right, one of the most dynamic aerial uh players that we've ever seen in basketball period. Uh be out there to witness that firsthand. It was a great moment, man, for our little old school out of West Texas, Texas Tech and kind of put us on
the map. And it was a statement victory and uh something I will always cherish and it's always fun talking about it.
I'm glad I didn't want to I didn't want to end on. I didn't want to end on a note that you didn't want to talk about.
Yeah, that's good, hold on, I forgot all that self righteous stuff these guys do, man, they need.
To knock it off, Mike Malone did a lot of celebrating.
Oh wow, bring up money like the Lakers Daddy, right, that's what they call him. That the Lakers Daddy. That's what they called him. Now the Lakers Daddy.
I guess you could talk, you would.
We were a championship, bless so this sh it ain't over, God, bless you.
So we knew this was going to be good. But good doesn't even good does not even describe it. This is the best show we've ever had. Coach Ham, I appreciate you, incredible your.
Time that you've given us here today, and to.
Do this in front of an audience is the first time Chris and I have ever done this face to face. We always do it remotely, So thank you for helping us make a little history.
No doubt.
Congrats on a great debut season as the Lakers head coach, and wishing you great success in the future.
I appreciate you, Mark, I appreciate you too. Chris and I love to do it again whenever you guys need me. I'm honored and thankful you guys to invite me to your platform and put your seat belts on. Baby, we've got to turn.
Up everybody, please give them aroundable plause. Please, thank you.
Guys, and that'll do it for us. See you next time. This League, uncutage and My Heart Radio production
The same that marks time.