Hear me out.
LeBron should become the player-coach. I am being serious because he has always been the de facto coach on all his teams, so why not give it a shot and see what happens.
I don’t think the Lakers’ slow start is Vogel’s fault.
He didn’t put this roster together, and he can’t be blamed for Anthony Davis being so fragile. In the end, the Lakers might just have to be happy with the one ring they got in the bubble when everything came together for them. There are some very strong teams in the West who have no fear of them, and at the moment, it doesn’t look like they will be contending for the title.
The Athletic points out how close the Lakers were to firing Vogel.
By the time the Lakers and Jazz tipped off on Monday night, sources said, Vogel was coaching for his job after he narrowly avoided being fired in the wake of the 37-point loss in Denver 48 hours earlier. Had a scene like that repeated itself against the Jazz, many believed it would have been Vogel’s last game.
Vogel, who coached the Lakers to a championship in 2020 and whose contract runs through the 2022-23 campaign, is being evaluated on a game-to-game basis and remains at risk of being fired soon if the progress doesn’t continue, sources said. It’s unclear how much Monday’s win relieved the pressure that surrounds him.
With the Lakers (22-22) now seventh in the West and the midway point of the season behind them, sources say the organization’s decision-makers are closely monitoring the key question of whether Vogel still has command of the locker room.
Stanley Johnson saved Vogel’s job, but unless the Lakers go on an extended winning streak, it appears he will be shown the door.
Flip the pages for the Lakers fans reacting to Vogel almost being let go.