Lakers News: Fans Demand Darvin Ham Make Rotation Change

Last night, your Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, in Memphis, for only the second time in their ongoing best-of-seven first round playoff series. Despite the 116-99 blowout defeat, LA still leads 3-2.

A big reason for the team's failure last night was what happened to LA when starting center Anthony Davis sat.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had been weirdly using non-centers to play small ball five minutes in AD's absence, from Rui Hachimura to Jarred Vanderbilt to LeBron James, despite having one legitimate rim-protecting seven-footer just riding pine on the end of the bench this entire series.

Finally on Wednesday, Ham at least gave backup power forward/center Wenyen Gabriel a look, and although the 6'9" big man is not a rim protector, it was nice to see him playing non-garbage time minutes.

That rim protector, Mo Bamba, was sorely missed, especially when Ham subbed out Davis after LA had clawed its way to within a point late in the third quarter, from being down by double digits. The Grizzlies immediately went on a 19-2 run, and the Lakers never recovered.

There's no question what needs to happen anymore -- Mo Bamba needs actual rotation burn.

The fans agree:

I also don't understand why he doesn't at least give Mo Bamba garbage time. If he could just give us 12 minutes of rim protection and rebounding a night when we sit Anthony Davis, it'd shore up our biggest weakness. Gotta at least try it, right?
— Tony Tost (@tonytost) April 27, 2023

So many of them agree:

Darvin Ham took out AD when we was down 1 point and he didn’t even put Mo Bamba at all where he at least could’ve box out for rebounds and alter some shots but our coach has CTE and is a moron pic.twitter.com/B9kS7oabdG
— 🅿️ainSzn (@cjsweet567) April 27, 2023

Even pros like Sam Quinn of CBS concur:

I continue to wish Mo Bamba would get a look over Wenyen Gabriel if the Lakers want to use a backup center.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) April 27, 2023

As does noted Mo Bamba fan Kevin O'Connor:

Gotta get Mo Bamba in there for the non AD minutes
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 27, 2023

Let's make this happen.

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