Ham likes player-development emphasis of Hawks
OK, Darvin Ham, you can keep your summer job.
The Hawks assistant joked earlier this week that his position as coach of the Las Vegas Summer League entry was in jeopardy after an 0-3 start. However, the Hawks have reeled off two consecutive wins since the start of the single-elimination portion of the tournament. The team has advanced to the quarterfinals and will play the Rockets at 6 p.m. ET Saturday.
“It’s been great,” Ham said this week. “You get a feel for what (coach Mike Budenholzer) has to go through day in and day out, game in and game out with the preparation, keeping the staff organized, watching film. It’s definitely been a learning experience, a fun one, too. I know that (were) 0-3, but at the end of the day this is about trying to improve game to game. I’ve enjoyed this experience very, very much.”
The Hawks entered tournament play seeded 22nd of 24 teams. They defeated the Warriors on Wednesday and avenged an earlier drubbing from the Trail Blazers on Thursday.
Ham joined the Hawks last season as an assistant under first-year coach Budenholzer and primarily works with the team’s big men. He was tabbed to coach the summer-league team after Quin Snyder left to become the head coach of the Jazz. Ham said he wouldn’t call himself the Hawks’ new top assistant.
Ham acknowledged that he listened when the Jazz inquired about him joining the staff in Utah. However, moving on was never a serious consideration.
“Not really,” Ham said. “You have to listen. You have to be respectful and listen when people have things for you, but at the end of the day, like I’ve said, I want to see this through.
“I enjoy working with Bud. I want to continue to learn and grow under him. I like our team. I like the additions we’ve made. I like our draft picks. I’m very confident in our program and where it is headed.”
Ham, an eight-year NBA veteran who played one season for the Hawks in 2002-03, was an assistant with the Lakers for two seasons before joining the Hawks. He also served as head coach and assistant with the New Mexico Thunderbirds of the NBA Development League.
The direction of the franchise is the main reason Ham said he is content with his position with the Hawks.
“The focus on player development, the focus on growing from within, the details, not making things too complicated, being consistent, the three mantras of competing, defending and sharing the ball, really the selflessness that we try to create within our culture is different from any place else I have ever been,” Ham said.
“The fact that we have very good players, we don’t have a bona fide mega star, but we have really good players who like to play with each other and who like to share and see each other do well, for me that is the ideal situation for any coach.”
About the Author
Chris Vivlamore is the sports editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has served as reporter and editor at the AJC since 2003.
