Frank Vogel is just a pawn amid Los Angeles Lakers struggles

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The Lakers have a lot of problems – and Frank Vogel is not one of them. (Photo of Ashley … [+] Landis-Pool / Getty Images)

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Despite the Los Angeles Lakers’ tough start to the season, expectations have not changed – this is still a team that should win a championship.

And despite their dismal start, head coach Frank Vogel isn’t to blame for all of this team’s problems.

Lately, the third-year Lakers head coach has become a pawn to blame the irrelevance of this team. Some question Vogel’s job security, most notably being Stephen A. Smith of ESPN. In fact, Smith believes Vogel won’t even last until the All-Star hiatus in February if the Lakers’ struggles continue.

“I expect the Lakers to fire Frank Vogel,” Smith said during the Dec. 3 edition of NBA Countdown. “I am not advocating it by any stretch of the imagination. I love Frank Vogel. Frank Vogel has been a top-notch defensive spirit in the NBA. I think he’s a champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, he’s delivered it before, and I think he deserves the opportunity to keep pushing forward.

“And if you ask me the question, if this continues. Again, that’s the caveat, not at this time, but if this continues Frank Vogel, in my opinion, won’t be the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers during the all-star break, ” Smith concluded.

The Lakers have a lot of problems – and Vogel is not one of them.

As Smith mentions, the Lakers just won a title a little over a year ago. In the toughest season in NBA history, Los Angeles won a title in the bubble amid a pandemic more than a year after the start of the 2019-20 season.

Blame should be placed on those making the decisions about staff – in other words, managing director Rob Pelinka and team owner Jeanie Buss – for removing key elements from that team’s previous roster for the glitz and glamor of a big name Russell Westbrook. which simply does not fit.

The Lakers won the championship with a stingy defense (fourth in points allowed per game) in 2019-2020 with role players who could play in defense and play around a star-studded duo in LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The defense was even better (second in the NBA in points allowed per game) in 2020-21. If the Lakers had James and Davis in good health for the duration of the season, they likely would have threatened another title race. They were 28-13 when James was injured in March – the second-best record in the Western Conference – putting him on the sidelines for 20 games.

This was a roster that just needed a bit of tweaking – add in a few 3-point shooters and a ball keeper to take the pressure off James. It is not a complicated formula.

Instead, the Lakers blew it all up to add an ineffective point guard lacking in defensive skills with an inflated salary of over $ 44 million. That’s why the Lakers have had to fill more than half of their roster with aging minimum wage veterans.

The Lakers are now 13-12 after their 117-102 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. In what was arguably their most complete game of the season, Los Angeles showed the potential of what they should look like with their star trio.

Among their “big three” of James, Westbrook and Anthony Davis, the Lakers scored 71 points on 29 of 48 shots from the field (60.4%) with a combined plus / minus rating of plus-46. Additionally, Westbrook (24 points and 11 assists) and Davis (17 points and 16 rebounds) scored double-doubles in the victory.

Although this is against a mediocre Celtics team – minus Jaylen Brown – Boston has the same record as the Lakers at 13-12. In order for the Lakers to reach their goal, they must learn to beat teams that are even slightly above average – something they ultimately accomplished against the Celtics.

It was only their fourth win of the season against a team with a record winning record.

If there’s one bright spot in the Lakers’ season so far, it’s the fact that they’re 8-5 with James in the lineup. Remember, the quadruple MVP has not played more than three consecutive games this season. It gives the Lakers a glimmer of hope.

But if this team doesn’t completely change the situation – and there’s a good chance they won’t – don’t blame Vogel.

The fault of the organization. Blame it on Pelinka. Blame it on Buss.

This franchise has managed to win a title and has seen some success recently largely thanks to the arrival of James. But let’s not forget that since the 2012-13 season, this organization has been a disaster.

Outside of the championship season, the Lakers haven’t won a playoff series since the 2012-13 season. They’ve done silly blockbusters year after year. The latest (the Westbrook Acquisition) is no different.

There are a lot of issues with the Lakers. But the head coach is not one of them.

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