The Los Angeles Lakers are far from a terrible basketball team right now. They are 22-22 and are coming off a big win over the Utah Jazz. However, there are major issues with the team’s front office right now. There have been leaks galore in recent days, including one that head coach Frank Vogel could be fired any day now, per Bill Oram and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Dan Woike and Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times are now reporting that Vogel is safe for now but dropped some very concerning information with how the team is operating:
According to people with knowledge of the situation, Pelinka, the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, and Kurt Rambis, the team’s senior basketball advisor, met with Vogel and assistant coach David Fizdale after last week’s loss to the Sacramento Kings to discuss ways to turn things around. It was the third time the group had met in recent days.
The Lakers then lost on Saturday to the Denver Nuggets by 37 points, their worst defeat of the season, putting more heat on Vogel.
Rambis then attended the Lakers’ pregame coaches meeting Monday at Crypto.com Arena for the first time this season, after previously only attending meetings virtually. Rambis advocated for the Lakers to use larger lineups with Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
This is far from the first time that Rambis has inserted himself in team affairs. Back in 2019, one executive referred to him as the “shadow president” of the Lakers, per Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. What exactly qualifies Rambis to run the most popular team in the NBA? Nobody knows and fans are not happy to hear his name pop up again.
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Fans Go After Rambis
The fact that Rambis is advocating for the Lakers to play DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard more will quickly make him lose credibility with fans. While Howard has a decent plus-11 plus/minus when he’s on the court, Jordan has an abysmal minus-76 when he plays, per Stat Muse. There is absolutely no reason to give Jordan any more minutes. In fact, the Lakers have been trying to trade him, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Needless to say, fans do not believe that Rambis should be the man calling the shots in Los Angeles.
Kurt Rambis hasn’t proven that he can adequately run a 2K season with trade rejections turned off and here he is telling a championship-level head coach how to do his job. With all due respect, please go away.
Kurt Rambis might be the least competent basketball mind in the history of the sport but has managed to have influence for 30 years
Just an incredible grift. Hall of fame griftage.
Kurt Rambis is 72-173 as a coach. He has no place telling Frank Vogel what to do.
Where Do Lakers Go From Here?
This whole situation does not bode well for the Lakers right now. They’re already struggling on the court and there’s no trade or Hall of Fame coach coming to save them right now. With front office drama coming to the forefront, this season is starting to feel a lot like LeBron James‘ first year with the team where Magic Johnson surprisingly resigned from his position as president of basketball operations.
There’s clearly a disconnect growing between the coaching staff and the front office. The Lakers still have the talent to go on a run once Anthony Davis returns from injury but these leaks are becoming a major distraction. If owner Jeanie Buss can’t get her house in order, things could get really ugly for Los Angeles.
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Fans Rip Lakers Advisor After Getting Exposed in Leak: ‘Please Go Away’