The Los Angeles Lakers’ In-Season Tournament championship and the good vibes that came with it, a 14-9 record and a promising outlook for the remainder of the season, seem like ages ago.

In fact, it hasn’t even been a month.

The Lakers are 17-18, going 3-9 since beating Indiana in the IST final. And frustration has set in.

After the Lakers’ 110-96 loss at home to the Miami Heat (without Jimmy Butler), Anthony Davis bemoaned the lack of execution, LeBron James didn’t speak with reporters (a rarity for him) and The Athletic reported there is internal frustration with Lakers coach Darvin Ham and a “disconnect between Ham and that Lakers locker room right now” regarding rotations and starting lineup changes.

The Lakers have dropped from a virtual four-way tie for third place in the Western Conference to a virtual tie for 10th place.

Just competing for a play-in game spot was, and is not, the goal, not after reaching the conference finals last season followed by an offseason of well-regarded moves.

It’s not working right now. Ham has pointed to injuries, but the Lakers still have James, Davis and Austin Reaves, and every team deals with injuries.

So, what’s the problem?

In the past 12 games, the Lakers rank No. 24 in offense, scoring 112.8 points per 100 possessions – a considerable gap from Boston’s league-best 126.9 – and they are No. 18 in defense, allowing 118.2 points per 100 possessions. A negative net rating doesn’t yield many victories.

Even with James and Davis – two elite offensive players – the Lakers have never been great offensively. They were 11th in 2019-20 – the season they won the title – and were 19th last season. In today’s NBA – with games well into the 100s (six teams scored at least 130 Wednesday without overtime) – a team needs to put up points.

The Lakers don’t do enough of that – they rank 24th in 3-point shooting percentage (.351) and 28th in 3s made per game (10.7), and against a good 3-point shooting team – like the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics or Sacramento Kings – it’s almost a 15-point difference in three-pointers in a game.

Also in previous seasons, Los Angeles relied on defense – 12th overall last season and No. 2 post-All-Star break in its final 23 games. The Lakers were No. 3 in 2019-2020. They don’t have that same defense this season.

James turned 39 on Dec. 30, and he is still posting All-Star stats. The Lakers have a solid defense with him on the court but are still below the league average offensively. Same with James and Davis on the court together. And the Lakers really struggle offensively when James and Davis are on the bench.

Ham has adjusted his starting lineups and rotations, but it’s not producing victories. The Lakers have had nine different starting lineups, and Ham has switched the starters in seven of the past eight games.

Injuries have played a part. Gabe Vincent, one of the Lakers’ key offseason acquisitions, has played in just five games and is out for at least seven weeks after undergoing knee surgery. D’Angelo Russell missed Wednesday’s game with a bruised tailbone, and Cam Reddish has been in and out of the rotation with groin and knee issues.

Last season, the Lakers made a strong push after the All-Star break just to secure a spot in the play-in game format and then reached the conference finals. But the West is better this season – including the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans, all of whom finished behind the Lakers last season but are ahead of them this season.

Yes, the Lakers could consider a coaching change, but Ham is not even 1½ seasons into the job, and there is not an assistant on the bench with NBA head coaching experience.

Ham needs to find answers with the offense, defense and rotations, and Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and his staff need to evaluate the trade market for potential help ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

Even with 47 games remaining, urgency is required.

‘Black Monday’ has traditionally served as a day of reckoning throughout the NFL, with teams issuing final verdicts on embattled head coaches one day after the regular season ends. Not every franchise, however, is patient enough to wait that long to deliver a ruling.

The Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers head into their Week 18 matchups Sunday having fired their respective head coaches. Elsewhere, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has publicly stated that Robert Saleh will be back for another season.

Still, there are more organizations with unresolved leadership issues, all of which need to be resolved at some point in the near future.

Here’s our last NFL coach hot seat rankings for the 2023 season, with each coach getting a rating from one to five on how dire things look.

1. Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders

With a new ownership group led by Josh Harris coming in, Rivera entered his fourth season in Washington acknowledging he was on the hot seat. He now wraps it up having already fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio amid a league-worst seven-game losing streak in a 4-12 campaign.

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While there has been no official word on Rivera’s status, his tenure has appeared to be on borrowed time since at least the trade deadline, when the team seemingly acknowledged that competing this season wasn’t in the cards as it dealt away standout defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young. Dumping Del Rio was the organization’s response to the Thanksgiving debacle against Dallas, but a defense still prone to giving up big plays has allowed up 35 points per game since Rivera took over play-calling duties. Meanwhile, Sam Howell has devolved from a once-promising second-year passer to a struggling signal-caller who looks likely to be replaced as the team continues to rise in the draft order.

Hot seat rating: 5. Rivera turns 62 on Sunday, when the Commanders close out the season against the Cowboys. Maybe he gets a reprieve for his birthday, but his sendoff has seemed inevitable for some time.

2. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots

We’re on to … a once-unfathomable split? Belichick has been deflecting questions about his job security throughout the season, but after Sunday’s tilt against the New York Jets – in which New England will put its league-best 15-game win streak against its AFC East rival on the line – it will be time for the coach and owner Robert Kraft to tackle the future of the franchise.

As the worst season of Belichick’s career winds down, it’s readily evident that major changes are necessary in New England. Armed with what should be a sizable amount of cap space for a free-agency spending spree as well as a potential top-five pick that could be used on a prized quarterback prospect, the Patriots are facing decisions that could define the team’s outlook for the foreseeable future. Does Kraft trust Belichick, 71, to handle that given this season’s results and his rampant roster missteps? If not, how confident is he in his ability to install a new regime that can chart a course distinct from the one set by the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach? No easy answers here.

Hot seat rating: 3½. There are too many variables here to be confident in any particular outcome. But given the complexities, it seems like a solid bet that if a change is made, it likely will be a mutual parting and more delicate decision than the outright firings seen elsewhere.

3. Arthur Smith, Atlanta Falcons

Arthur Blank didn’t issue a mandate entering Year 3 of Smith’s run leading the Falcons, but the owner said in August he expected Atlanta ‘to win more games than we’ve won the past couple years.’ Fast-forward to this week, where the Falcons are facing a third consecutive 7-10 mark if the team falls to the Saints on Sunday.

Smith’s distinct offensive approach has been downright inscrutable this season for a unit that ranks 26th in scoring (19 points per game). He has refused to consistently feed top 10 picks in wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. Running back Bijan Robinson, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, has been limited to a relatively traditional backfield timeshare despite widespread expectations of him becoming an offensive centerpiece as an all-purpose threat. And Smith’s ill-fated backing of Desmond Ridder – whom the coach defended against criticism from fans and media by attributing the ridicule to ‘toxic groupthink’ – ended with him benching the second-year quarterback twice this season, including for the stretch run.

Hot seat rating: 2½. Blank told Georgia Public Broadcasting on Dec. 20 that he was ‘committed to Smith’ but wanted to ‘let the season play out and go from there.’ That’s enough flexibility for this to go either way. Smith’s idiosyncratic tactics and demeanor have left him vulnerable to heavy scrutiny. But it’s clear that Blank would prefer to stand pat if possible, especially given that the beginning of Smith’s time with the franchise involved a good deal of cap clean-up.

4. Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears

In September, the Bears couldn’t seem to go more than a few days between controversies, from defensive coordinator Alan Williams’ resignation to $100,000 worth of equipment being stolen from Soldier Field. The flare-up that seemed to really ignite trouble amid an 0-4 start, however, was quarterback Justin Fields’ suggestion that coaching could be partly to blame for his troubles with overthinking. Fields quickly backpedaled, but for a regime that already faced questions about how it had developed the 2021 first-round pick, the damage was done.

Now, however, things look starkly different for both Fields and Eberflus. Since the signal-caller returned from a dislocated thumb that sidelined him for four games, the Bears are 4-2. Fields, who hasn’t been afforded much consistency or support from his surrounding cast, was met with chants of ‘we want Fields’ during the Bears’ 37-17 romp of the Falcons on Sunday. With the Bears having clinched the No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft thanks to last year’s trade with the Carolina Panthers, the signal-caller’s future with the franchise is unclear. But Eberflus certainly seems to be on more solid ground.

Hot seat rating: 2. A midseason defensive turnaround with Eberflus handling play-calling certainly boosts the coach’s case to remain. Team president Kevin Warren – who arrived last January with Eberflus already in place – could always opt for a full overhaul, especially if the organization is inclined to move on from Fields and take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick. But the arrow is firmly pointing up for Eberflus, and some short-term stability would likely be welcomed.

5. Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints

When Derek Carr agreed to a four-year contract with New Orleans in March, the veteran-laden Saints looked to have an extremely favorable pathway to the NFC South crown. Despite the division remaining up for grabs with no team boasting a winning record heading into the final weekend, Allen’s crew has been undone by many of its big-ticket players – including Carr – underachieving. A 3-1 finish to the season has kept the Saints’ playoff hopes alive, but the run has also highlighted potential that went unrealized for most of the season.

Still, the franchise’s leadership has stayed committed to its vision of clawing into the postseason with its current core, eschewing a rebuild as its cap issues compound. It’s unlikely any massive changes are coming to the roster given the financial limitations, so there might be little choice but to run things back for another year.

Hot seat ranking: 1½. Maybe there’s a change somewhere within Allen’s coaching staff, with offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. under fire after two turbulent years as play-caller. But the real time for change would be 2025, the first point at which the team can move on from Carr – who has a no-trade clause – without incurring a massive cap hit.

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was released from prison on parole early Friday morning and was believed to be at his uncle’s mansion after authorities secretly moved the world-famous double-amputee athlete who killed his girlfriend at an undisclosed time to avoid the glare of news crews waiting outside the jail.

South Africa’s Department of Corrections announced in a two-sentence statement at around 8:30 a.m. that Pistorius had been released and was “now at home.” It gave no more details other than to confirm Pistorius’ new status as “a parolee.”

Pistorius, 37, served nearly nine years of his murder sentence of 13 years and five months for the fatal shooting of model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013. He became eligible for early release from prison having served at least half his sentence and was approved for parole in November.

Department of Corrections spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told The Associated Press that Pistorius was processed according to procedure: taken from the Atteridgeville Correctional Center prison in the South African capital, Pretoria, to a parole office before being released to his family. Nxumalo declined to say what time Pistorius was released and where he was.

“I can only tell you he was released this morning,” Nxumalo said.

Pistorius was expected to initially live at his uncle’s home in an upscale Pretoria suburb after his release. A police van was outside that house and a police officer was seen coming out later Friday. The officer declined to comment to reporters. Three black private security vehicles were also parked in front of the mansion.

The Department of Corrections said ahead of Pistorius’ release that it would not publicize his parole time and he was not going to be “paraded” so as to keep him away from the media that has trailed him since he shot Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet door at his Pretoria villa more than a decade ago.

Steenkamp’s mother, June Steenkamp, said in a statement that she had accepted Pistorius’ parole as part of South African law.

“Has there been justice for Reeva? Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back,” June Steenkamp said. “We who remain behind are the ones serving a life sentence.”

“With the release of Oscar Pistorius on parole, my only desire is that I will be allowed to live my last years in peace with my focus remaining on the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation, to continue Reeva’s legacy.”

The Department of Corrections has emphasized that the champion Paralympic sprinter’s release — like every other offender on parole — does not mean that he has served his time.

Some of Pistorius’ parole conditions include restrictions on when he’s allowed to leave his home, a ban on consuming alcohol, and orders that he must attend programs on anger management and on violence against women. He must also perform community service.

Pistorius will also have to regularly meet with parole officials and will be subjected to unannounced visits by authorities. He is not allowed to leave the Waterkloof district without permission and is banned from speaking to the media until the end of his sentence. He could be sent back to jail if he is in breach of any of his parole conditions.

South Africa does not use tags or bracelets on paroled offenders so Pistorius will not wear any monitoring device, Department of Corrections officials said. But he will be constantly monitored by a department official and will have to inform the official of any major changes in his life, such as if he wants to get a job or move to another house.

Pistorius has maintained that he shot 29-year-old Steenkamp by mistake. He testified that he believed Steenkamp was a dangerous intruder hiding in his bathroom and shot four times through the door with his licensed 9 mm pistol in self-defense.

Prosecutors said he killed his girlfriend intentionally during a late-night argument.

Steenkamp’s family did not oppose his parole application in November, although June Steenkamp said in a victim statement submitted to the parole board then that she didn’t believe Pistorius had been fully rehabilitated and was still lying about the killing.

Before the killing, Pistorius was seen as an inspiring role model after having had both of his legs amputated below the knee as a baby because of a congenital condition. He became a champion sprinter on his carbon-fiber running blades and made history by competing at the 2012 London Olympics.

His murder trial destroyed his image. He was accused of being prone to angry outbursts and acting recklessly with guns, while witnesses testified about various altercations he had with others, including an argument in which he allegedly threatened to break a man’s legs.

Pistorius was first convicted of culpable homicide — a charge comparable to manslaughter — and sentenced to five years in prison for killing Steenkamp. After appeals by prosecutors, he was ultimately found guilty of murder and had his sentence increased, although that judgment by the Supreme Court of Appeal still didn’t definitively rule that he knew it was Steenkamp behind the bathroom door.

Pistorius was first sent to prison in 2014, released on house arrest in 2015 during an appeal, and then sent back to prison in 2016. He was initially incarcerated at the maximum security Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in Pretoria but was moved to Atteridgeville early in his sentence because it’s better suited to holding disabled prisoners.

Reaction to Pistorius’ parole has been muted in South Africa, a stark contrast to the first days and months after Steenkamp’s killing, which sparked angry protests outside of Pistorius’ court hearings calling for him to receive a long prison sentence. There is no death penalty in South Africa.

“He has ticked all the necessary boxes,” said Themba Masango, secretary general of Not In My Name International, a group that campaigns against violence against women. “And we can only wish and hope Oscar Pistorius will come out a better human being.”

“We tend to forget that there is a possibility where somebody can be rehabilitated.”