DON'T BENCH DLO!

Let's face it: Darvin Harm has a poor track record when it comes to making the right decisions about whether or not D'Angelo Russell should be benched. While Ham finally said the right thing after the Los Angeles Lakers game one playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets, you know Ham secretly can't wait to send DLo to the Pines.

“DLo is a huge reason why we’re here in the first place,” Ham said after Game 1. “I’m not gonna bail out on my player just because he’s missing the shots he normally makes.”

“I mean, I can’t be mad,” Russell said of his Game 1 struggles. “I don’t recall the last time I got 20 shots. So for me to get 20 good looks — not 20 ‘good,’ probably five or six of them were questionable. I know what I’m capable of. So, honestly, I’m excited. I’m excited about that."

“I just feel like sometimes the ball just don’t fall. I was locked in on the details and the little things just to try to stay on the floor defensively and things like that. And you look up, your shots aren’t falling. So, no love lost. Can’t be upset about that one. Be ready for the next one.”

What's Anthony Davis Have To SAY
“Just get ready for Game 2,” Davis said. “We can’t do anything about this. But you can do something about Game 2. We know what D-Lo brings to our team. Offensively, he can score, shoot the ball extremely well. Just got to do it. It’s not a regular season game where we have time. We’re down 0-1.”

THE UNDERRATED OPINION:
The Lakers were always going to have a tough time taking down the Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, but if they have a chance, DLo needs to be in the lineup throughout the series.

As for Darvin Ham, he has scapegoated Russell for the Lakers' issues on one too many occasions, and it's just a matter of time before it happens again. I guess it's a good thing he didn’t do that publicly after game one, but you know he’s thinking about it.