HoopsHype.com Rumors

Preferring a small staff to the one he inherited from previous coach Mike Brown, current Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni will not retain assistants Chuck Person and Bernie Bickerstaff for the 2013-14 season. Fellow 2012-13 assistant Eddie Jordan recently accepted the head coaching job at Rutgers University, leaving three assistants on D’Antoni’s staff: Steve Clifford, Darvin Ham and Mike’s brother Dan D’Antoni. Lakers.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Chuck Person, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni, Bernie Bickerstaff, Darvin Ham, Eddie Jordan, Dan D'Antoni, Steve Clifford 

Mike Bresnahan: Dan D'Antoni, Steve Clifford, Darvin Ham and Phil Handy still on Lakers' coaching staff. Alvin Gentry would be logical hire as well. Twitter @Mike_Bresnahan

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Darvin Ham, Alvin Gentry, Dan D'Antoni, Steve Clifford, Phil Handy 

Dave McMenamin: Part of Brown's leftover staff is expected to be retained by D'Antoni. D.Ham & P.Handy - player development guys - would be logical to keep Twitter @mcten

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni, Darvin Ham 

Ham, 38, and Bynum can be seen jostling under the basket before every game, Ham sticking his arm into Bynum's back as if it's a crowbar, cajoling Bynum to stay centered in the post as a ball boy feeds the 24-year-old down low. "He has touch, but the balance, that's the thing we work on day in and day out," said Ham, who was a 6-foot-7, 245-pound power forward in the NBA. "He won't find his body in awkward positions. He'll be used to me being heavy on him." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Andrew Bynum, Darvin Ham 

Bynum didn't shoot well in the Lakers' 90-82 victory over Memphis, scoring 15 points and making five of 14 attempts, but he looked balanced as he ripped through smaller Grizzlies center Marreese Speights to establish position and loft a hook shot. He also looked sprightly, taking a lob from Derek Fisher and dunking it. Kwame Brown probably took credit for the play. "Some of the things we did were to give [Bynum] ultra-confidence in his body," Ham said of the workouts. "He's welcomed them. It's a lot of balance, a lot of agility, foot quickness. We want him to have active hands and active feet. Getting low, bending his knees, having his chest up, the right width between his feet." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Andrew Bynum, Darvin Ham 

Ham's first NBA stop as a player was with the Denver Nuggets, when a young Mike Brown was in the Nuggets' basketball-operations office. Ham was also on the Detroit team that beat the Lakers for the 2004 NBA championship. Ham even held the unusual position of player-coach for the New Mexico Thunderbirds of the NBA Development League in the 2007-08 season. When Ham interviewed for the job with the Lakers, Brown told him to help expand Bynum's game. Bynum has been on a roll, averaging 18.8 points and 15.7 rebounds through six games. "He's come out of the cage like a bull," Ham said. "It's a testament to the work he puts in. That kid works hard. He's hungry." Bynum was out of breath after his pregame workout Sunday with Ham, offering only a few words as he strode to the locker room, dripping sweat. "He sure is helping," Bynum said between heaves. Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Andrew Bynum, Coaching, Darvin Ham 

Dave McMenamin: Kobe told me that asst coach Darvin Ham talked to him about going up against him in the '96 dunk contest. Kobe had completely forgot. Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Darvin Ham, Kobe Bryant 

Tas Melas: Darvin Ham is auctioning off his 2004 Pistons championship ring - let's go in on it guys: http://www.lelands.com/Auctio… Twitter

Detroit Pistons, Darvin Ham 

Mike Trudell: We got to know new LAL asst. Darvin Ham, including the story of how he got shot as a 14-year-old: http://on.nba.com/t28I50 Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Darvin Ham 

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Darvin Ham to join new coach Mike Brown's staff, the team announced Monday. "I'm very happy to have Darvin join our coaching staff," Brown said in a statement released by the team. "I've known Darvin since his rookie year in Denver and have watched him make the transition from player to coach. He has put in the hard work that is necessary to have success at this level and I look forward to having him on our staff." ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles, Mike Brown, Darvin Ham 

Darvin Ham, an 8-year NBA veteran and most recently the head coach of the D-League's New Mexico Thunderbirds, is joining the Lakers as the newest addition to Mike Brown's coaching staff. NBA.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike Brown, Darvin Ham 

Mike Trudell: Darvin Ham's 1st connect to Mike Brown: Ham made the Nuggets as an undrafted free agent in '96, when Brown was in DEN's opts dept. Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike Brown, Darvin Ham 

With the NBA lockout preventing Lakers Coach Mike Brown from contacting his players, he has spent most of the off-season familiarizing himself with his coaching staff. That process will evolve, as he plans to add a fifth assistant. Though Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears reported via Twitter that Darvin Ham, a former NBA player and D-League coach, is expected to be named a Lakers assistant, team spokesman John Black said Thursday that "we don't have anything finalized yet." "We've interviewed and talked to him," Black said of Ham. "But he's on a small, small list of assistant coaches Coach Brown is considering." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike Brown, Darvin Ham 

Marc J. Spears: Ex-NBA player Darvin Ham expected to be named a @Lakers assistant coach soon,sources say. Ham was head coach of NBDL Albuquerque last season Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Darvin Ham 

Former NBA player Darvin Ham is expected to be announced as the next head coach of the NBA Development League's New Mexico Thunderbirds at a press conference this morning. Ham will be the fourth head coach in the team's six-year history, following in the footsteps of John Coffino, Jeff Ruland and Michael Cooper. FanHouse.com

Scott Schroeder: You'll probably be hearing news about Darvin Ham today, FYI. Twitter