Did Darvin Ham cost LeBron James his last real chance at another NBA title?

The date is 31 January, less than two months removed from the Los Angeles Lakers' inaugural NBA Cup championship, and the Lakers are nosediving precipitously, racking up loss after loss in late December and into January. In a competitive Western Conference, being sub-.500, even by a game or two, simply will not get the job done for a championship hopeful. No one knows this better than foe of father time himself, LeBron: that night, after yet another demoralizing loss, he tweets out, simply, an hourglass. Is it the Lakers' front office, who are no doubt aware of his player option looming in the coming offseason?