Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel believes he has the support of LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers overhauled multiple parts of their organization this offseason. The roster has a bunch of new faces and a front office without Magic Johnson put it together. The coaching staff also has some new faces.
Luke Walton and the Lakers parted ways shortly after the season. The head coaching search was a long, difficult one as the team’s first options all declined or went elsewhere. Monty Williams agreed to be head coach of the Phoenix Suns and Tyronne Lue declined after not liking the offer that was presented to him.
While he was the organization’s third option, at best, they may have fallen into a great situation with Frank Vogel.
Vogel was excellent with the Indiana Pacers, leading them to the postseason the first four seasons he was their head coach. However, the biggest obstacle standing in their way was LeBron James.
James’ dominance over the Eastern Conference directly impacted Vogel and the Pacers. James led teams eliminated Vogel’s Pacers three straight seasons, the last two of which were both in the Eastern Conference Finals.
More from Lake Show Life
- Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
- Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
- Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
- Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
- Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated
Vogel believes those battles against James is part of the reason that he supports him as head coach from the start.
"“I did feel support right from the start from LeBron,” Vogel said. “He’s always shown me a great deal of respect dating back to our battles when I was in Indiana and competing with the Heat in the conference finals, and coaching him in the All-Star Game. He’s always shown me a great deal of respect, so I felt like there would be a lot of support, and there was immediately and that’s continued on through up to this point. Hopefully we can work together to build something special.”"
Getting on the same page with James is imperative for a head coach. We have seen what happens when he doesn’t fully support the head coach. Mike Brown lost that support at the end of James’ first tenure in Cleveland, David Blatt was let go midway through his second season with the Cavaliers and James tried to get Eric Spoelstra fired in Miami as well.
James eventually worked things out with Spoelstra and it resulted in two NBA titles. He won his other with Lue, who replaced Blatt. If the Lakers are going to find the success James had in Miami and his second tenure with the Cavaliers, Vogel getting his support is of the utmost importance.
Vogel is in a tough spot with the Lakers. He has an assistant, Jason Kidd, that the organization wanted on the staff, one of the reasons Lue was reluctant to accept a deal. However, if the Lakers are winning, those doubters and outside concerns will quiet down.
It will be easier said than done in what is shaping up as a season-long gauntlet in a loaded Western Conference.