Bradley Beal opened up on the viral moment of him slapping away the hand of head coach Frank Vogel when he reached out for a high-five during the Suns Game 4 loss to the Timberwolves. Beal has made it clear that it wasn’t a result of bad blood with Vogel.
“I slapped him, yeah? I was just frustrated with fouls and I knew I was coming out, it was nothing against coach. Damn, I’m sorry, that probably did look bad. I was more frustrated with myself and foul trouble. I knew I was coming out of the game and he was being smart. It was nothing towards coach. There’s nothing there.”
https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1785035832824565904
Beal quite directly took accountability for that situation without throwing any subliminal to Vogel, so this seems like a genuine response. It’s hard to gauge the feelings of the Suns players toward their head coach right now. The team is reportedly considering firing Vogel but will take some time in their recently-started offseason to evaluate all coaching candidates.
Vogel was given a five-year, $31 million contract last summer, so it will lead to a massive financial cost for Phoenix to void his contract and then hire a new top candidate as well.
Frank Vogel Has Lost The Suns Locker Room
Almost minutes after the Phoenix Suns’ elimination from the 2024 Playoffs was confirmed, The Athletic dropped an elaborate story giving readers a peek into the dysfunction that has permeated throughout the Suns locker room this season.
One of the key facts of the story was what happened between Vogel and his locker room in April during a game against the Clippers where the Suns fell 35-4 in the first quarter. Vogel yelled at his players, who didn’t buy it, showing signs that they had lost faith in their coach.
“After his Phoenix Suns had fallen into a 35-4 hole en route to a loss to the LA Clippers on April 9, the head coach yelled so much that his voice could be heard outside the locker room. There was only one problem. On this night, Suns players weren’t buying it. The outburst seemed forced and out of character in their eyes.”
One player reportedly almost started laughing during the outburst, while everyone else rolled their eyes.
“It continued at the next day’s shootaround in Los Angeles, Vogel tearing into the Suns before that night’s road win over the Clippers. Vogel’s eruption left players rolling their eyes, sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic. One player even told The Athletic he had to keep from laughing.”
This is not a great indicator for Vogel if he intends to maintain his job in Phoenix. He’s reportedly trusted by Mat Ishbia, who everyone knows is the final decision-maker for the franchise. If Ishbia continues to put faith in Vogel, he will likely get another crack at making this team a contender next season.
The roster will need to be tweaked to give Vogel the personnel he needs to form a system, which would mostly be a rim-protecting center and a point guard that can set the table for the offensive talents on this roster.
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