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The Los Angeles Lakers season ended on a high note as the team beat the Denver Nuggets with a score of 146-141 in overtime. They had their first two-game winning streak since January with the win. However, the positive feelings didn’t last long.
Head coach Frank Vogel has been on the hot seat for months but the Lakers stuck with him due to limited options to replace him. As the season went on, it became clear that his future with the team was in danger. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the team has officially decided to fire Vogel and will be informing him of the decision.
The writing was on the wall for Vogel when the Lakers got eliminated from playoff contention. The team was one of the favorites to win the championship this season and couldn’t even make the play-in tournament. Vogel is just two seasons removed from a championship win and could’ve won another one last season if Anthony Davis didn’t get hurt against the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. That said, somebody had to take the fall for this disaster of a season and Vogel was the most obvious option.
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Vogel Response to Reports of Firing
The timing of the news of Vogel’s firing wasn’t ideal. It dropped right after the Lakers’ game against the Nuggets ended. Due to the timing, the coach had a postgame press conference to do after the game with reporters having the knowledge of his firing. Naturally, Vogel wasn’t thrilled to talk about the report.
“I haven’t been told s***, and I’m going to enjoy tonight’s game … We’ll deal with tomorrow tomorrow,” Vogel said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
It’s not an ideal situation to put a coach in, especially one who helped the franchise win a championship not long ago. Vogel’s side of the story will likely become more apparent in the coming months but he’ll no longer be representing the Lakers going forward.
Did Vogel Deserve to Be Fired?
After a season this disappointing, it’s clear that big changes need to be made in Los Angeles. It’s not fair to blame Vogel for all the team’s issues this season. Vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka gave the coach an impossible task this season. The Lakers’ roster construction was poor and the defensive-minded Vogal had very little talent on that side of the court. The coach never seemed to land on a starting lineup or rotation that worked. Now, there are things he could’ve done better. DeAndre Jordan and Kent Bazemore had no business starting games and the beginning of the season. Also, his non-confrontational nature isn’t right for a team with so many strong personalities.
However, the Lakers might not be able to find a better coach. It’s not an appealing job right now as the roster is bad and there are no obvious fixes in sight. It was going to be difficult to keep Vogel after this season but he isn’t solely to blame for this debacle.
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