The Los Angeles Lakers have fired head coach Frank Vogel after three seasons the orginazation announced Monday. This comes after one of the most disappointing years in the franchise’s history.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Frank both on and off the court,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “Frank is a great coach and a good man. We will forever be grateful to him for his work in guiding us to the 2019-20 NBA championship. This is an incredibly difficult decision to make, but one we feel is necessary at this point. All of us here wish Frank and his wonderful family all the best for the future.”
The Lakers finished with an unacceptable 33-49 record and missed the 10-team Western Conference playoffs entirely. With future Hall of Famers like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and many experienced complimentary players, it was expected that they would compete for a title.
The Lakers have not dismissed any of Vogel’s assistant coaches at this time, according to sources.
Vogel was the 27th coach in Laker history, and the only one since Phil Jackson to capture a championship. During his tenure, Vogel compiled a 127-98 (.564) winning percentage and led the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship, in the Orlando bubble during the height of the pandemic, in the 2019-20 season.
Continuity was a constant struggle for Vogel and the Lakers this season, due to injuries to two of their super stars, James and Davis and a roster construction issues that included limited shooting and athleticism.
The Lakers were the only team that failed to have a single five-man rotation log 100 minutes together, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The Lakers were only able to have their “Big Three”, James, Davis and Westbrook on the hardwood for 21 games. On the rare occasions that took place, they had a record of 11-10.
Los Angeles completed the season in the bottom 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, ranking 21st in defensive rating after finishing first in 2020-21 and third in 2019-20.
The Lakers went only 6 and 18 after the All-Star break, with only the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers finishing with worst records during that period of time.
ESPN reported Vogel’s imminent firing immediately after the Lakers finished the season by beating Denver in overtime Sunday night. During an awkward postgame news conference, Vogel admitted he had not yet been told of the club’s decision before it was leaked to ESPN. It was a dismal, embarrassing end to a tenure that began tremendously for Vogel, the former coach at Orlando and Indiana.
With the Lakers and Vogel separating, they are now on the market for a new head coach. One name that has come up so far is Toronto Raptors’ Nick Nurse, according to the Athletic. Nurse is in his fourth season as Toronto head coach and he led the team to an NBA title in 2019.
Another prominent name that has surfaced is University of Michigan’s coach Juwan Howard. He played in the NBA from 1994-2013. Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder have also been mentioned as potential replacements for Vogel.
