Laker News: Rasheed Wallace Not Expected to Join Darvin Ham's Staff
New Lakers head coach Darvin Ham quickly constructed his coaching staff after securing the LA job. Ham plucked Chris Jent from the Hawks and whisked Jordan Ott from the Nets. Although Ham cut loose a trio of Vogel assistants, David Fizdale, Mike Penberthy, and John Lucas III in June, Phil Handy remains on the coaching staff. However, it appears that that after months of speculation, former All-Star Rasheed Wallace will in fact not join Ham's staff.
On the day of Ham's introductory press conference, reports surfaced that Wallace was going to join the Lakers coaching staff. This week, The Athletic's Shams Charania, who was one of the insiders who had initially reported that Wallace was expected to be Laker bound, wrote that Rasheed is no longer a candidate for an assistant coaching job with LA.
"After further conversations, former NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace will no longer join new Lakers coach Darvin Ham’s staff, sources said. Wallace served as an assistant under Penny Hardaway at the University of Memphis last season."
Ham and Wallace were former teammates on the Detroit Pistons 2004 championship team that defeated the heavily favored Shaq and Kobe in a gentlemen's sweep.
The Pistons acquired Wallace mid-season after he got traded from the Blazers to the Hawks. Wallace played one game for Atlanta before landing in Detroit in a massive three-team deal.
In the playoffs that year, Wallace averaged 13.0 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game to help the Pistons win their first championship since 1989.
