After Yesterday The Athetic broke out that the Los Angeles Lakers may be considering a coach change, today the Los Angeles Times revealed that the Lakers have no plans to fire Frank Vogel - in fact, it only depends on who you believe.
Is Vogel really the Lakers' most pressing issue? Or does he seem to be the easiest problem to solve?
It should come as no surprise that Frank Vogel's position is in jeopardy. Previous media B/R has repeatedly said that if the Lakers are in trouble, Vogel may become a scapegoat.
In any case, although the team won the NBA championship in 2020, the Lakers only gave Vogel a one-year contract extension, which is a black and white fact — if the team really trusts the coach, it will usually offer a long-term contract after such success.
But, to be honest, even if Vogel is fired, even if the Lakers have a completely healthy lineup, can a top-up head coach bring success to the Lakers this season?
I'm sure you already know the answer.
As one NBA source put it, if Vogel wasn't the culprit, "it's harder to fire a player." "So whose fault is the Lakers' dilemma this season?
Everyone is to blame. Management, James, almost everyone — including Vogel.
But the past is over. As the proverb goes: When you're in a hole, you have to stop digging.
At the heart of the problem is that given the player roster and the scarcity of options in the trading market, this season may not be recovered.
Can the change of coach help the Lakers improve enough to compete with the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets?
It's a huge chasm.
The response of the league
There is no need to ask for opinions within the league about Vogel's possible dismissal. Multiple NBA sources contacted B/R to ask why the Lakers fired Vogel.
"I don't understand how this could be Vogel's fault," said a former Western Conference executive. "It's rubbish. Without him, they could be a high-picked lotto team. ”
An Eastern Conference executive added, "That doesn't solve anything." ”
Lakers rivals believe the main problem centers on the Lakers' decision to trade Russell Westbrook with the team's depth. At the time, it was hard to find anyone other than management in Los Angeles who liked the decision.
Rivals believe the Lakers aren't meeting what they hope to achieve because Westbrook will take $91.3 million next season (assuming he chooses the $47.1 million player option), which largely eliminates the possibility of a trade. They also lost the 22nd overall pick (indiana Pacers chose Isaiah Jackson) and lost Alex Caruso over salary issues.
The lack of depth has hurt the Lakers' ability to withstand injuries, losing many games as multiple players entered health and safety protocols. Anthony Davis and Kendrick Nunn remain sidelined with knee injuries. Both LeBron James and Tarren Horton Tucker were also absent for some time at the start of the season.
Vogel is one of the best defensive coaches in the league, but the team wasn't formed according to his wishes. He is not considered a groundbreaking offensive-minded coach, but a season ago he also led the team to win championships with excellent defense and mediocre offense.
In 44 games, the Lakers ranked 24th in offensive efficiency, with 108.3 points per 100 possessions. Defensive Efficiency (109.8) ranks higher, at 18th, but that's a far cry from the league's highest defensive efficiency last season. In the end their net efficiency was -1.5 (23rd overall) – a miracle that this team still has a 50% win rate.
Accusations against Vogel
To be clear, Vogel hasn't adapted well to the new squad. Before discovering how much the Lakers' small lineup could play a role, he stuck with DeAndre Jordan's traditional big lineup for too long, especially with James as a center.
On the defensive end, Vogel used the traditional center to delay shots more rather than the more aggressive direct change. On the offensive end, he's struggled to find a way to help non-shooters like Horton Tucker and Westbrook. The team's execution on both offensive and defensive ends has been sloppy and inconsistent.
"A 10-day player [Stanley Johnson] and a lost rookie [Austin Reeves] were the reasons the Lakers won, and that's an indictment," said a Western Conference executive. "The Lakers don't need more Stanley or Austin. The others on the list need to play as hard as Stanley and Austin. ”
How much of this is Vogel's fault is a subjective question. Does he have a problem? Probably not. But can he offer a solution? Maybe not either.
The Lakers may need a more imaginative offensive coach to make the most of this lineup.
Blame management?
If Westbrook's transfer is fundamentally flawed, who is to blame?
Rob Pelinka is the team's vice president and general manager of basketball operations. The decision ended up on his resume.
But sources also said James was a key supporter of the acquisition of Westbrook. If he and his agent, Klutch Sports' Rich Paul, put a lot of pressure on the team to get it done, should he be held accountable?
He really should.
Pelinka's team and agent were responsible for making the calls. He then reports it all to senior decision makers on the team led by Jenny Bass and Linda Lambis, Kurt Lambis and Tim Harris. Pelinka showed off a list to choose from, but like most of his contemporaries, he didn't insist on opposing the boss's whim.
So who do we blame? Maybe everyone.
Fans may accuse Vogel of insisting on Jordan Jr. as a starter for a long time, but in fact Kurt Lambis is also "advocating for the Lakers to use a more traditional strategy." For now, According to the Los Angeles Times, Rob Pelinka and Kurt Lambis have power — so much so that Rambis himself attends coaching meetings. He reportedly advocated building more big lineups with Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan in the fivesome. This season's lineup with Jordan as the center has a net rating of -10.4 and Howard 's +2.5. Center's LeBron +2.3. All of these sample sizes are relatively small because the Lakers haven't had a stable lineup throughout the season, in large part due to injuries and COVID.D.
Once the Lakers are fully healthy, Westbrook's arrival could still prove to be the right choice. That may seem unlikely, but the NBA championship won't be decided in January either.
Can changing coaches help unlock the potential of the team?
The Lakers have former Knicks and Grizzlies coach David Fitzdale sitting on the bench next to Vogel, who is LeBron's favorite man in Miami. However, the 71-134 career coach led the team to a record of only 1 win and 5 losses when Vogel was out of the game due to COVID - will this be an upgrade?
Is there another coach who doesn't have a job right now who can immediately upgrade the Lakers' coaching staff? Bringing back Mike D'Antoni? Hiring Terry Stotts? Steve Clifford?
Did the Lakers not even know they could get a top coach? Keep in mind that Tyrone lu was the Lakers' first offerer for the job, but he didn't want the only three-year contract and didn't like Jason Kidd as an assistant — Vogel accepted the terms.
An honorary coach would demand money, a certain level of security and power within the team — would the Lakers provide that?