After a rough and controversial run, the Lakers ended their season with something they’ve been chasing for the past six months: a win.
With Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James watching from the sidelines, the Purple and Gold somehow came out on top despite stepping onto the court tonight with a whole lot more questions than anything else.
Mere minutes after the buzzer sounded, Adrian Wojnarowski dropped the bombshell that much of Lakers Nation has been waiting for. Apparently, Frank Vogel has coached his final game for the organization.
Frank Vogel has coached his final game for the Lakers, a decision thatโs expected to be shared with him as soon as Monday, sources tell ESPN. Lakersโ search expected to be lengthy and expansive with no clear initial frontrunner.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2022
It seems like the Lakers are wasting no time getting their team back on track. With Vogel gone by the end of the week, they can start looking for his replacement immediately. Already, a few names have been pitched.
For the fans, they are just happy the nightmare has finally come to an end.
The official #Lakeshow Twitter Coach Carter send off: pic.twitter.com/8CQMnebW3Q
— The Pettiest Laker Fan ๐คซ (@ThePettiestLA) April 11, 2022
The Lakers season is (FINALLY) officially over.
— Giaimo ๐ค (@cmgiaimo6) April 11, 2022
last day of the Lakers season ๐ญ๐๐ฝ pic.twitter.com/8Hr2PfmGXg
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) April 10, 2022
Perfect reaction to a Lakers season that will NEVER end. ๐
pic.twitter.com/LtINjWbOR3
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 11, 2022
THESE MFS HAD A BETTER RECORD THAN THE 2022 LAKERS pic.twitter.com/03S5NseSgN
— ๐พ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐๏ธ (@ClipsLegacy) April 11, 2022
https://twitter.com/karlton_banx/status/1513369262991192064
The lakers season is finally over https://t.co/UaF6W6nmqY
— brodie szn ๐จ๏ธ (@russgoat4) April 11, 2022
The Lakers in Game 82 once the season is completely irrelevant: pic.twitter.com/OtoknAp78m
— Dimers (@DimersCom) April 11, 2022
THESE MFS PLAYING HARD FOR THE LAST GAME WHERE TF WAS THIS AT THE ENTIRE SEASON LAKERS #LALvsDEN
— Brianna๐ (@CutieBri25) April 11, 2022
You know things are bad when fans are relieved they don’t have to watch any more games. It’s harsh, but that’s just the kind of season it has been for the Lakers.
But where did it all go wrong?
On paper, a team of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard is certainly flawed, but not nearly as bad as they were all season long.
Obviously, the front office is done with Vogel and they see his leadership as part of the problem. But a lot of people are also blaming Russell Westbrook, who has struggled to fit in since his arrival.
If you ask AD, the issue is actually about everyone failing to sacrifice and adjust to each other.
“Everybody had to make sacrifices,” Davis said. “It was tough for him [Westbrook] to adjust to that. It was tough for me to adjust to that when I first got here playing with somebody of Bron’s caliber, because I was used to ‘OK, here, get the ball to AD, and we’ll figure it out.’ And Bron’s used to having the ball in his hands, and so is Russ. So when you try to get out of each other’s way, it takes time. And we didn’t have a lot of time because either I was out or he, Bron, was out. And so a lot of blame isn’t directed toward Russ, and he got a lot of it this year from the fans and media.”
Needless to say, the world expected better from the Lakers. After winning the title in 2020, we saw what they could be when everything worked out in their favor.
Unfortunately, that’s not what they have been over the last two years. And after ending this season at 32-49, it’s clear something needs to change.
Frank Vogel, it seems, will be the first domino to fall.
