The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Darvin Ham as an assistant coach it was announced today by Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

“I’m very happy to have Darvin join our coaching staff,” said Lakers Head Coach Mike Brown. “ I’ve known Darvin since his rookie year in Denver and have watched him make the transition from player to coach. He has put in the hard work that is necessary to have success at this level and I look forward to having him on our staff.”

Ham joins the Lakers after spending last season serving as the head coach of the New Mexico Thunderbirds of the NBA D-League. Prior to assuming his role as head coach, Ham spent two seasons (2008-2010) as an assistant coach for the Thunderbirds. He joined the coaching ranks after a 12-year playing career, which included eight seasons in the NBA as well as stints overseas and with the NBA D-League.

“I’m truly honored and grateful for Mike Brown, Mitch Kupchak and the entire Lakers organization for presenting me with this amazing opportunity,” said Ham. “I look forward to making my contribution in sustaining the championship tradition that the Lakers have established throughout their history in the NBA. I’m very excited about our staff and players, and am ready to get to work to help bring another championship to this prestigious franchise.”

Ham, who played for Texas Tech from 1993-96, was originally signed as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets in 1996. He played for six different teams (Denver, Indiana, Washington, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Detroit) over his eight-year NBA career, averaging 2.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 417 games. In 2004 he won an NBA Championship as a member of the Pistons. In addition, he spent one season (1998-99) playing for CB Granada in Spain. After his NBA career, Ham played in the Philippines and Puerto Rico before being drafted by the Thunderbirds with the third overall pick in the 2007 NBA D-League Draft. He joined the team as a player/coach and played in 43 games before being traded to the Austin Toros to finish the season. In 2008, Ham returned to the Thunderbirds, joining the coaching staff as an assistant.

In the wake of postponed wedding plans, a dropped domestic-violence charge and reality television show scrutiny, Lakers forward Matt Barnes announced in an emailed statement Monday that he and his fiancée, reality television star Gloria Govan, have mutually parted ways.

“I’d like to address the rumors surrounding mine and Gloria’s relationship,” Barnes’ statement read. “We have reached the difficult decision of ending our relationship and will be going our separate ways at this time. We will work together to raise our sons and wish each other only the best.”

Because Barnes and Govan never married, it remains unclear to what degree they’d share custody of  their 3-year-old twins Carter Kelly and Isiah Michael, and whether they’d divide certain assets, including their Palos Verdes home. It also remains unclear if they’d continue working together with Athletes vs. Cancer, a foundation Barnes founded in 2008 that Govan has said raised $225,000 for local cancer-screening programs. Barnes and Govan could not be reached for further comment.

– Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times Blog

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Knicks guard Roger Mason knows at least one owner who wished the NBA lockout ended with a labor agreement Thursday night: James Dolan.

Mason, vice president of the Players Association, has rubbed shoulders with the Knicks owner countless times this summer and fall in Manhattan hotel board rooms instead of the team’s plush practice facility.

“You can look at it and say the majority of owners don’t want a deal,” Mason told The Post yesterday from his Los Angeles home. “But there are owners eager to get a deal done. At this moment they are overshadowed by a contingent of owners who are trying to get everything they want in a new CBA.”

Asked if Dolan is one of the owners in the minority, Mason said: “Definitely. You feel excitement in the city. I know Dolan sees that, hears that. He’s definitely one of the owners who’s ready to get back to work.

– Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Two-time scoring champion Kevin Durant can still fill up a stat sheet, Chris Paul can still orchestrate a team and LeBron James is still a highlight waiting to happen.

What they haven’t been able to do is find a deal with the NBA that they find acceptable enough to play real games again.

The All-Stars all took part in a charity exhibition game Sunday night in Oklahoma City, with hometown hero Durant recording a triple-double with 42 points, 26 rebounds and 11 assists to lead his team to a 176-171 victory in overtime.

Durant and a star-studded White team including James and Westbrook overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to beat a Blue team that featured Anthony and Paul.

James had three buckets—a pair of layups and a left-handed jam—in a 20-2 fourth-quarter run that put the White team ahead for the first time since the opening period. Durant finished it off with a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 152-143.

Harden answered with back-to-back 3-pointers before Beasley’s fast-break dunk during a string of eight straight Blue points, and Harden hit another 3 from the top of the key for a 159-158 lead with 54.3 seconds left.

Durant answered with a 3 from the left wing with 30.4 seconds left, and Anthony’s layup with 13.1 seconds remaining sent it to overtime tied at 161.

Durant missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the game went to overtime. James put the White team ahead to stay with back-to-back jumpers early in the extra period.

Paul was the playmaker early on, dishing out 13 assists in the first quarter — more than one per minute. He zoomed past Durant for a layup, set up a pair of dunks by Beasley and just kept orchestrating the Blue offense. His last assist of the quarter came on a bounce pass that skipped high into the air for a James Harden alley-oop dunk, and then he finished off the period with a 3-pointer from the top of the key as the buzzer sounded.

– Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

In a game featuring Durant, LeBron, Melo, Westbrook and Paul, would you believe me if I told you that Michael Beasley was the game’s top scorer? Be-Easy, as Rawls called him throughout the night, dropped a game-high 56 points and did it on an absurdly-efficient 25-for-35 from the field. But here’s something to keep in mind: Beasley did almost all of that during the first three quarters, when the game was an up-and-down, no-defense affair. When the game got serious in the final 11 minutes (including overtime), Beasley, who was on the floor, didn’t score, much less shoot.

The preferred shot of choice in this game? The 3. Of the 278 field goal attempts, 82 came from behind the 3-point arc (the Blue team finished 14-for-41 from 3, while the White was 13-for-41). The best shooter was Carmelo, who went 5-for-9 from deep. The biggest chuckers, though? Durant (7-for-17 from 3) and Harden (6-for-17) who went a combined 13-34 from deep.

Chris Paul had 25 assists for the game. While that number alone might impress you, consider this: He had 13 — yes, 13 — in the first eight minutes of the game. And they weren’t just easy alley-oops or drop-offs to Melo for a dunk. CP3 busted out an array of maneuvers and no-look passes to pile up his assists.

– Reported by Royce young of ESPN TrueHoop

KEVIN DURANT CHARITY GAME VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

AND

Josh Howard announced that he will host an all-star charity basketball game in Dallas, Texas featuring an all-star cast of professional basketball players. The Josh Howard Celebrity All-Star Basketball Game Presented by Free Move Texas will be held Saturday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m., at the P.C. Cobb Center, at the city’s fair grounds.

On November 11 it was announced that Howard has added Kevin Durant to the lineup. Dallas-area fans will be treated to basketball at its best in the charity game featuring Josh Howard, Kevin Durant, John Wall, LaMarcus Aldridge and many others at the P.C. Cobb Center and via live web-stream on TheBasketballChannel.net. Tip-off is 6 p.m. Central Time / 7 p.m. Eastern Time.

Team White: Josh Howard, John Wall, Reggie Evans, Marquis Daniels, Quinton Ross, DeSagana Diop, Anthony Randolph, Damon Jones, Jeremy Evans and Kevin Durant. Coach is Jason Terry.

Team Blue: LaMarcus Aldridge, Andray Blatche, Hamady N’diaye, Nick Young, Corey Brewer, Damion James, Isaiah Thomas, Jarrett Jack, Jason Maxiell and Damien Wilkins. Coach is Trevor Booker.

Tickets for The Josh Howard Celebrity All-Star Basketball Game Presented by Free Move Texas are available at www.JoshHowardFoundation.com,The Fade Shop and Ten Sports Grill. Ticket prices are: $15 in advance, $25 on-site and $50 for floor seats.

The Josh Howard Celebrity All-Star Basketball Game in Dallas, Texas will benefit The Josh Howard Foundation: all money will be used to continue its mission. During the past six months Howard has hosted multiple events in Dallas, Texas, Winston-Salem, N.C. and Mauldin, S.C. to fundraise, and has supported an equal number of charity events hosted by other professional basketball players.

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