Darvin Ham letting go of several notable names on Lakers staff

Apr. 7, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Darvin Ham against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Lakers 125-105. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Darvin Ham is immediately kicking off a reign of terror with the Los Angeles Lakers … sort of.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that the new Lakers head coach Ham has informed several notable assistant coaches on the team that they will not be retained. Namely, David Fizdale, Mike Penberthy, and John Lucas III are being let go. But Ham is reportedly keeping assistants Phil Handy and Quinton Crawford from predecessor Frank Vogel’s staff.

The first-year head coach Ham was previously reported to have been given full autonomy to choose his coaching staff in L.A. But this week’s decisions still come as a surprise. Fizdale was the Lakers’ top assistant this year and had some past history with LeBron James on the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, Penberthy had been the Lakers shooting coach these last several years and won an NBA title with them as a player back during the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant era. Lucas III, the son of longtime NBA coach John Lucas II, was also a respected up-and-coming assistant.

It makes sense that Ham would want a few spots open to bring in his own guys. But this is just the latest sign that Ham is not playing around as he takes over in Tinseltown.