Lakers coach Frank Vogel's job in serious jeopardy despite Jazz win
Published: January 18, 2021 US time
Publisher: the Athletic
Article author: Bill Oram
Article translated by de Gaulle
LeBron James promised through social media that the Lakers would play better; "Magic" Johnson expressed his hope through social media that the team he had played for would play harder on the court. By beating the Jazz, the Lakers seem to have used the overall action to let James fulfill his promise and allow the "Magician" to temporarily calm the anger in his heart.
But the problems the Lakers face will not disappear because of this victory. And behind the scenes of the team, there seems to be a more turbulent wave coming towards them. According to sources inside the team, the coaching position of Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is being hit like never before.
The most important reason for this situation is that the Lakers in Denver suffered a 37-point fiasco. According to sources, after that game, Vogel was almost fired directly by the team. Management did not make such a decision in the end, but let Vogel continue to coach the next game against the Jazz. Vogel himself was well aware of his situation at the time, so he hoped that through this battle, he could continue to stay in the Lakers' coaching position. But considering the gap between the jazz and the Lakers, many people at that time felt that that game was Vogel's last game to coach the Lakers.
However, Vogel, who led the Lakers to the championship in 2020, through the adjustment of the scene and the efforts of the Lakers players, finally won the game and ended the previous losing streak. However, such a long-lost victory only bought Vogel some extra time and did not completely change his situation in the team. According to sources, the management is currently taking a "per-game observation" approach to Vogel, and if the Lakers can't continue their performance against the Jazz in the next game, he may still be sacked by the team at any time.
After winning the game against the Jazz, the Lakers' record was 22-22, and the winning percentage temporarily returned to 50%, ranking 7th in the West. Since the beginning of the season, the Performance and Ranking of the Lakers have not been satisfactory. At this point in time, one of the questions that the decision-makers in the team's management are paying close attention to is whether Vogel can still control the emotions of the players well and the atmosphere in the dressing room.
In the NBA world, the head coach's job in leading the team's daily training and managing the relationship between the locker room players outside of the game is also an important topic. Many head coaches, even if the team's performance is still reasonable, will also be fired because they have lost control of the locker room.
For Vogel, a 37-point loss to the Nuggets almost pushed him to the edge of an out-of-control cliff. However, the Lakers generals pulled him back with their excellent performances in the battle against the Jazz. Wei Shao's powerful dunk against Gobert in the game gave the team great excitement and encouragement. Role players such as Bradley, Reeves and Stanley Johnson have also used their performances to collectively help the Lakers win this crucial victory.
After the game, Vogel praised his disciples. He specifically mentioned the players' efforts on the defensive end. In this game, the Lakers only let the Jazz score 95 points, which is the league's current highest average of points per game, and the second lowest single-game score this season. "That's always what I've asked of the players," Vogel said, "and we haven't shown it on the pitch in the last few games, which has disappointed us all." Our coaching staff has been constantly asking and coaching the players to improve their defense, and now it is finally on the pitch. ”
But as mentioned earlier, the victory over the Jazz didn't relieve Vogel much of the pressure. Although the Lakers have been suffering from injuries since the beginning of the season, coupled with the invasion of the new crown epidemic, the Lakers have not gathered all the players until now under the action of various elements. Despite one kind or another of objective factors, the core personnel of the Lakers team - from the boss Jenny Bass, to the general manager Pelinka, to the main james, these people believe that the Lakers' current performance and performance are still not up to standard, and there is a considerable distance from the standard line in their minds.
Under such circumstances, the pressure Vogel will face when he leads the team next is still very large. And next, the Lakers' schedule is also relatively difficult. After playing the Pacers at home, the Lakers will start a journey of 6 consecutive road trips, challenging the Magic, Heat, Nets, 76ers, Hornets and Hawks teams, in addition to the first and last two games, the middle 4 opponents are very difficult to deal with. After this journey, the Lakers will face the Bucks, Warriors and jazz in full recuperation before the All-Star Weekend holiday in mid-February.
In fact, the question of whether Vogel's position is stable has been repeatedly mentioned since the beginning of this season. Because before the start of the season, although the Lakers renewed the contract with the championship coach in advance, they only renewed the contract for 1 year, that is, until the end of the 2022-23 season. Such a contract extension is not common in professional sports circles, and it is also for a coach who has led the team to a championship. This in itself shows that the Lakers management still does not fully trust and recognize Vogel.
After the start of the new season, the Lakers led by Vogel really began to have various problems. Wei Shao was unable to integrate into the team for a long time, and the team's offensive and defensive level also retreated across the board. After beating the Jazz, the Lakers' defensive efficiency ranked only 18th in the league, and their offensive efficiency was only ranked 24th. For a long time, the Lakers could not beat the team with a winning percentage of more than 50%. Although the management has a certain responsibility for these results, Vogel and his coaching staff are equally to blame.
This pressure from the pitch, the team's record and the team's top brass has been all around Vogel and his team in recent months. According to sources, the person putting pressure on the coaching staff is the Lakers' current basketball director, Cott Lambis. The player, who has been playing for the Lakers since his time, returned to the team in 2017 and became a "think tank" that Jenny Bass trusts very much, and is one of the most influential executives in the Lakers management today.
Lambis has been saying that if the Lakers' results don't improve for a long time, then Vogel and his coaching staff are in danger of being fired. Originally, Vogel almost lost his coaching position at the end of December last year, but Vogel triggered the league's health and safety agreement on December 19, local time, and 6 games could not be coached in person. This sudden situation also gave Vogel's Lakers coaching career "continuation" to a certain extent.
In the six games that Vogel did not coach, acting head coach Fitzdale led the team to only win 1 win and 5 losses. After Vogel returned, the Lakers immediately got 3 straight wins. However, the good times did not last long, and the Lakers have since lost to the Grizzlies, Kings and Nuggets. Especially in the road game against the Nuggets, the Lakers trailed by as many as 42 points at most. Such a scene made the Lakers management move again to replace Vogel's thoughts.
The team was not satisfied with Vogel, and Vogel's own heart was not full of struggles. "I don't know how this loss is different from other losses," Vogel said after that game with the Nuggets, "the loss to the Grizzlies was disappointing, and the loss to the Kings was disappointing." Now we lose 125 or 130 points in a game, which is uncomfortable for a coach who is good at defense and proud of defense. Therefore, every defeat is not easy to accept, but we still have to maintain the integrity and unity of the team, believe in each other, and continue to work with glory. ”
Winning the next game, whether it is for the Lakers' current journey or for Vogel's coaching position, can not play a reversal role. Vogel also knows that once the team plays an ugly scene in the next difficult schedule, he may still be swept out, but despite this, Vogel still takes a longer-term view for the time being, still emphasizing that the NBA season is a "marathon".
"Our team is doing a good job at the moment, do you know what I mean?" Vogel said, "We are still trying to prepare every player for the game and trying to teach every player what we are stressing over and over again. So, believe in the actions we're taking. If such beliefs are maintained, progress and ascension will occur. ”
The battle with the Jazz somewhat confirmed Vogel's point of view. But how much time is left for Vogel to prove himself, I am afraid that he does not have a definite answer in his own mind.