Even after an uplifting win against one of the top-4 seeds in the Western Conference on Monday night, nobody not named LeBron James or Anthony Davis is safe on the Los Angeles Lakers. The Purple and Gold are going through a rough patch since the start of the season and fans want to see big changes before it’s too late to even aspire to the playoffs.
Some have gone after Russell Westbrook, others have blasted Talen Horton-Tucker, while the rest have attacked the veterans. Somebody who’s getting more attention by the day is Frank Vogel, who’s been unable to find a way for the Lakers to turn things around and compete in a difficult Western Conference.
The former Indiana Pacers coach is trying to save his job now following an embarrassing loss against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. According to Sam Amick and Bill Oram of The Athletic, the 48-year-old’s job is on the line right now. If he didn’t win against the difficult Jazz, the Lakers would have been looking for a new head coach right now.
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.
This game was a breath of fresh air for the Lakers. Russell Westbrook made one of the best dunks of the year over Rudy Gobert, earning a lot of good comments from fans after his performance. The Lakers looked good as a unit and Vogel showed he can do good things with this squad.
Vogel won a championship with this team just two seasons ago. He must find consistency to take the Lakers to the top spots again. The front office is expected to make some changes on the roster, but if this situation doesn’t get a major improvement, the coaching staff will have the same fate.
