Darvin Ham has great quote about workloads during playoffs

Nov 30, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham at a press conference during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James and Anthony Davis were banged up for a lot of the regular season, and that has led to questions about how much rest the Los Angeles Lakers stars will need during the playoffs. It does not sound like Darvin Ham plans on giving either player much.

Prior to Game 1 of the Lakers’ opening-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, Ham was asked if there will be any restrictions on either Davis or James. He had a great response.

Darvin Ham on if there are any restrictions on LeBron and AD workload-wise in the playoffs: “I love being alive, so there will be zero restrictions on LeBron and AD.”

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 16, 2023

“I love being alive, so there will be zero restrictions on LeBron and AD,” Ham said.

That comment could actually be interpreted in a couple of ways. For starters, Ham probably likes being “alive” in the playoffs. L.A.’s best chance of maintaining that status is to have both of their best players on the floor as much as possible.

Of course, what Ham actually meant is that he doesn’t want someone to kill him if LeBron and/or Davis are riding the pine and the Lakers struggle. James is 38 and Davis has battled numerous injuries during his career, but the postseason is not the time for load management.

Davis had an injury scare during Game 1, but fortunately he was able to quickly return.