The worse kept secret in the NBA was the job security, or lack thereof , of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel. Considering the expectations, assigned by some of the more optimistic or delusional Laker or LeBron fans, the 2021-22 season was an abject failure and a disappointment of the highest order. Say what you will about the 2013 Lakers, at least that team made the playoffs ( unfortunately it cost the basketball world the last vestiges of the real Kobe Bryant on NBA hardwoods). Anytime a high profile organization fails ,but especially in the spectacularly epic fashion manner in which the Lakers have, changes will invariably be made. As often happens in the Association, the coach is the easiest to remove from any failing equation, so it came as no surprise that the hammer fell on Frank Vogel. While as a coach, he is certainly not without his faults but to cast the majority of the blame for the dumpster fire that was the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers largely at the feet of Vogel ( and Russell Westbrook) is lazy and inaccurate.
Merely removing Frank Vogel from the first coaching chair will not be the panacea that some Lakers fans think and hope it will be. Vogel, for all of his shortcomings, was not the one who put this highly flawed roster chock full of NBA senior citizens together. The blame for that must fall at the feet of Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka and even Lebron James. For those who advocated for Vogel being broken off earlier fail to comprehend is that even if the Lakers had done so after 30 games that would not have made them younger, better shooters, or even a competent defensive ball club. Those are all issues that extenuates from the team personnel that was assembled.
Even how the Lakers went about relieving Vogel of his duties was ,for an organization that is supposed to have the cache of the Lakers, absolutely embarrassing and an indictment on how far this once prestigious franchise has fallen. Twitter should absolutely not the way a coach should find out they have been fired, nor a player they have been traded, but considering how the Lakers treated the legendary Jerry West, this level of cowardly incompetence comes as little surprise. Are the Lakers that inept to not think their level of organization inadequacy is not on display for the world to see? Why would any current coach or free agents ( if they actually had the cap space) want to step into this failure-fostering maelstrom?
I have my share of issue with one Charles Wade Barkley but he encapsulated the purple and gold’s foolishness in this brief rant.
