Getty Head coach Frank Vogel formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers
Following the report that the Philadelphia 76ers had interviewed Frank Vogel for their vacant head coach position, per John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll explained to Liberty Ballers why he believes Vogel could be the right choice for their next coach.
Faigen compared Vogel’s style to Doc Rivers to explain why he believes the former would fit well with the Sixers.
“I think Vogel would be a pretty good fit for this Sixers team, whether they bring Harden back or not,” Faigen said. “It seems like teams often pivot (in) the complete opposite direction when they fire a coach, so — from afar, at least — going from a hardass excuse-maker like Doc to someone in Vogel who is going to deflect blame from his players, take it on himself, and support them in every way he can would seem like a potential fit, especially when factoring in his defensive aptitude. Media will love interacting with him, players will too, and the vibes will never be better in Philly.”
Vogel won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers as their head coach in 2020 and was fired by the team in 2022 after missing the playoffs.
Daryl Morey & Joel Embiid May Disagree on Nick Nurse
As the Sixers continue to search for their next head coach, NBA Insider Marc Stein reported in a Substack chat that while Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey may like Nick Nurse, Joel Embiid might not.
“I’m having trouble predicting Nurse’s future. He strikes me as Daryl Morey’s preferred choice in Philly. But I’m not so sure he’s Embiid’s preferred choice,” Stein wrote.
Nurse won a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 before he parted ways with the team four years later after the team failed to make the playoffs. While both he and Vogel have a title on their resume, Rivers had one, too, before he agreed to be the Sixers’ next coach.
Kevin Garnett Criticizes Sixers for Firing Doc Rivers
NBA Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett, who won a championship with Rivers with the Boston Celtics in 2008, disagreed with the Sixers’ choice to fire Rivers. Garnett explained why he was surprised by the move, then explained why he thinks the Sixers were wrong.
“Today’s owners really understand management in today’s world, especially in sports, no one wants to wait on anything, and they want instant gratification. If they ain’t in two years, you know, and I felt like what Doc was trying to, at least appear to be, trying to establish some culture there.”
Garnett added that Rivers was getting results, particularly through Embiid’s progress as a player.
“Joel Embiid being MVP this year, taking another step, being responsible playing. I think having a responsibility to himself playing a lot more, at least it came off like that. Man, so I was mad from the perspective of you gotta give culture a chance to be like something on the stove, man. It’s gotta simmer. It’s gotta turn. It’s gotta curate, man. I just feel like management just gave up too soon.”