In this dramatic NBA world, the story of the Phoenix Suns is like a blockbuster full of reversals and suspense, and the protagonist is of course Durant, but today's focus is on the $31 million contract, which is their new head coach, Frank Vogel. Well, you heard it right, it's the same Vogel who came to Phoenix with high hopes and the responsibility of "goodbye sun, shock champion". However, as it turned out, their expectations seemed to have been disappointed, and quite completely.
Let's talk about the current state of the sun. With a 31-22 record, it's 5th in the West, which sounds good, but don't forget, this is a team that "if you don't win, you lose." With a five-win gap to fourth place in the West, and fewer than 30 games left in the regular season, the Suns' dream of home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs is basically dashed. To make matters worse, they are only 0.5 wins away from the play-off zone, and the situation is not good at all.
Then, there's the topic of Vogel. The highly-anticipated head coach, with a $31 million contract, is seen as a key figure for the Suns Shock Championship. As we all know, the Suns have a lot of problems, from the overlapping functions of the Big Three, the lack of role players to the lack of defensive resources, these are indisputable facts. But Vogel's arrival was supposed to bring a glimmer of light to the sun. Especially with his coaching philosophy, which is believed to lead the team to build a complete defensive system, there are high hopes for the Suns.
It's a pity that hope is hope, and reality is reality. Vogel's performance can be described as "a big gap". On the offensive end, he didn't show any special means, and basically relied on the individual ability of the Big Three to solve problems. And on the defensive end, his strong point, he didn't see any results, and he couldn't establish an effective defensive system for the Suns. What's even more criticized is that his troop arrangement and on-the-spot command are often unpredictable, and sometimes even seem a little confused.
For example, in the game where Curry was killed, Vogel's lineup was full of questions. At critical moments, he did not make the most reasonable personnel adjustments and defensive arrangements, and the result naturally made the Suns suffer a big loss. This can't help but make people wonder, is Vogel's 31 million a little wrongly spent?
So, back to our topic: "31 million, goodbye Suns!" Rip off the fig leaf, you can't lead Durant to a championship." It's not just a description of the Suns' current woes, it's more of a satire of the Vogel deal. Despite a superstar like Durant, the Suns still struggle to break through, and the dream of a championship seems to be getting more and more distant.
So, the question is: how important is a good coach to the success of the team? Does Vogel's experience prove that even talented players cannot succeed without the right tactical system and the right guidance from the coach?