As soon as their 2021-22 season ended, the Los Angeles Lakers made the inevitable move to fire Frank Vogel.
Vogel’s rotations and lineup choices constantly came under fire, but he was also set up to fail after a poorly constructed roster failed to find much cohesion on either side of the floor. With Vogel out, the Lakers will spend the next couple of months looking for a replacement though that seems like a tall task at the moment.
Reports have surfaced that the attractiveness of Los Angeles’ head coaching vacancy has come into question, which should come as no surprise when the dysfunction has steadily come to light in recent weeks.
At this point, it is anyone’s guess who will take the job, but former Laker forward Lamar Odom brought up a familiar name as an option, via TMZ:
“Phil Jackson, I know can coach LeBron with the triangle offense,” Odom said. “I think that would keep [LeBron] around a little longer. Preserve him a little longer.”
“I would love for Phil Jackson to be the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.”
LO told us if the Lakers hired Phil [Jackson] as their next coach, they will win the NBA championship next season.
“If he was to come back and coach the Lakers, I think the Lakers would be the pick — the fan-favorite.”
It is a bold claim for Odom to make and could be rooted in bias considering he and Phil Jackson won two titles together back in 2099 and 2010. Jackson certainly fits the type of hire the franchise typically goes for, but it is unknown at this time whether or not he would even consider a return to the sidelines.
Without any other rumblings of Jackson returning to the Purple and Gold, it is more likely the team looks elsewhere for a head coach. Several names have already been linked, and it will be interesting to see who they ultimately go with.
Anthony Davis plans to meet with LeBron James on finding championship mentality
It is clear after winning the 2020 NBA Championship that the Lakers have lost an edge to them. There have been too many instances where they coast during games, and that has more often than not costed them.
Anthony Davis’ extended absences due to injuries did not help, but it sounds like he understands the mentality has shifted because he plans to meet with LeBron James on trying to find that championship attitude again.
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