Brooklyn Nets fire Steve Nash: Will the LA Lakers do the same with Darvin Ham?

The start of the NBA season has left some surprises, among them the terrible record of the Brooklyn Nets despite having Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, and a similar dismal performance by the Los Angeles Lakers even with Anthony Davis and LeBron James in their ranks.

The Nets decided to act and parted ways with Steve Nash on Tuesday morning; this was quickly followed by reports that suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka will take his place. Now that the Nets have disposed of the coach that brought them to a 2-5 start, is this a signal that other teams will start cleaning house too?

The removal of Nash puts a little pressure on Los Angeles, who may not yet be ready to cut the Darvin Ham project short despite their current poor standing in the league.

The Lakers are one of the worst teams in the NBA with a 1-5 record, the worst a LeBron James team has had since the superstar’s rookie year. They lost five games in a row before earning their first win against the Denver Nuggets.

The numbers doomed Nash

The numbers don’t lie after seven games played with Nash. The Nets are in the top three teams in defensive rebounding, defensive efficiency and points allowed per game this season.

Brooklyn went 21-43 under Steve Nash, even as they started as home favorites. According to data compiled by ESPN, this is the worst mark by any head coach in the past 30 years (minimum of 50 games).

A warning to Ham

Whether it’s the lackluster performance of Russell Westbrook or the overall lack of offensive support for LA’s superstars that’s to blame, if head coach Ham does not find a way to turn the fortunes of the Lakers around quickly, he just might be next on the chopping block.