The players have to do a better job

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif .– LeBron James said he and his teammates need to play better when asked what the scrutiny of Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel is.

“I think criticism comes with work, you know? Frank is a strong-minded guy. He has a great coaching staff. And we, his players, have to do a better job to come out and produce on the pitch. “James said. after Monday practice. “We’re a team and an organization that doesn’t care about adversity, that doesn’t care about people saying things about us, obviously, because it comes with the territory.”

LA is 12-12, which would make him the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and play-in tournament if the season ended today.

For a roster filled with future Hall of Fame members, playing for an organization that has made no secret of its championship aspirations for this season, from the front office to the locker room, the .500 simply won’t be enough – even if the team went through a myriad of injuries early in the season.

James said the stature that players like him, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo have achieved in the game has made them immune to the backlash that inevitably occurs when expectations – right or wrong – are not met. not satisfied. .

“We have a lot of guys on this team who have been bulletin board material for quite a long time, so that doesn’t really bother us,” James said. “Everything we do stays in-house when it comes to how we prepare and how we prepare for our next opponent and how we prepare to improve. Frank doesn’t care and we don’t care about that either. that people say. “

Just 14 months ago, Vogel guided the Lakers to the championship to cap his first season as a franchise coach.

He’s 106-61 (.635) since arriving in LA, the sixth-best winning percentage of any coach in Lakers history with at least 100 games on the sidelines. His record-breaking playoff winning percentage, 18-9 (.667), places him third behind only Pat Riley (.685) and Paul Westhead (.684), and ahead of Phil Jackson (.652), who is fourth.

“There’s going to be some criticism with this job,” said Vogel, who is on his third opportunity as a head coach, after six seasons with the Indiana Pacers and two with the Orlando Magic. “It’s something we’re all used to. And I’ve been a coach for 10 years, I’ve seen it all.”

Vogel said the Lakers scene only amplified the noise.

“Is it more national? Yes, it’s more national. Is there a bigger fan base in that market in LA? Yes, there is,” Vogel said. “But it’s there for every head coach, and it’s something I don’t know about. So it just comes with the job.”

Vogel is the eighth coach in James’ 19-year career, after Paul Silas, Brendan Malone and Mike Brown in Cleveland; Erik Spoelstra in Miami; David Blatt and Tyronn Lue on his second stint with the Cavaliers; and Luke Walton in LA

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