In a podcast interview, James talked about a game against the Los Angeles Clippers in which he defied coach Darvin Ham’s gameplan. He said, “We had switching built in versus Kawhi and versus James [Harden] and whatever the case may be, and I vetoed it in the second half.”
James went on to say, “I am more familiar with T-Lue than any other player who has played with T-Lue, and I am aware that he also plays target ball. It got to the point where I realized switching anybody onto Kawhi would not help us win the game again. It would be prudent for me to prepare for the Wizards. Thus, I vetoed it.”
James’ decision to act in this way is not shocking. After all, he has publicly disapproved of Ham’s coaching choices, according to rumors that have been circulating for months. Actually, rumors have it that James has been undermining Ham for a some now. It appears that their recent episode is merely one more instance of their conflict.
There is definitely some friction between Ham and James. There has been criticism of the coach’s decision-making skills, and it is clear that James doesn’t always agree with him. This begs the issue of whether they can work things out before they play in the NBA playoffs in 2024.
James and Ham will surely be in the spotlight as the playoffs draw near. Will they be able to cooperate and coordinate their approaches for the good of the group? Though given their past, it seems doubtful that they would be able to quickly come to an understanding. Only time will tell. The wise money is that when they make their way into the crucial playoffs, their divergent approaches to making decisions can still cause problems.
