There is plenty of blame to go around when discussing the issues going on with the Los Angeles Lakers, but currently, there is a ton of focus on head coach Frank Vogel. As is normally the case in situations like this, the head coach is often the first to go and Vogel certainly seems to be on the hottest of seats at this time.
For his part, Vogel has always maintained that he isn’t bothered by the rumors and will continue to push forward in this season. Additionally, both Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James have recently spoken positively on Vogel and the coaching staff and now a former Laker has come to his defense as well.
In the latest episode of Inside the Green Room, former Lakers guard and 2020 NBA Champion Danny Green, currently of the Philadelphia 76ers, discussed the situation with his former squad and believes that Vogel should remain the head coach in Los Angeles:
“Coach Vogel man, I liked Coach. He was great, and this is one of the reasons why I don’t want to coach. He’s been dealt, I don’t want to say a bad hand, but it’s a situation where it’s hard to figure out, especially with injuries, COVID. He hasn’t had some of his best players in the lineup yet and he’s getting blamed for a lot of things that I don’t think are his fault at all. It doesn’t make any sense. Poor stretches – I mean, hey they do what they do, it’s their business. They make up their mind. They figure out where they want to move to but I think Coach Vogel is a great coach and I think he should be there”
Green would continue on, pointing to some roster construction issues and the simple fact that at the end of the day it’s on the players to execute on the court:
“It’s just tough to figure it out with certain guys. A lot of the guys do a lot of the same things there. So it’s hard to put them in their strengths. You can’t make guys make shots. You can’t make guys not turn the ball over. You can’t make guys play defense. Those are three major things that you need to win a basketball game. It’s a tough deal for him.”
There is no doubt that the Lakers’ issues started with the decisions made by the front office and they have gotten some criticism from some major outlets recently as well. But regardless of where the blame belongs, it will take the collective efforts of Vogel and the Lakers to turn things around.
Vogel feels no added pressure amidst job security rumors
Being the head coach of the Lakers comes with an entirely different level of pressure. But Vogel has always maintained that he doesn’t feel that and these latest rumors are no different.
“On my job performance, none,” Vogel said. “We meet with our front office and talk about the previous night’s game every game all year. It’s been that way for three years and it’s not been different of late.”
“I don’t feel like I’m under siege. It’s not hard to do my job, I’m very focused on the task at hand, I’ve always been that way.
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