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Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: Is Frank Vogel’s job security still stable?

By Ronald Agers

ORLANDO, FL - APRIL 26: Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is seen on the sideline during a game against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on April 26, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - APRIL 26: Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is seen on the sideline during a game against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on April 26, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /
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Steve Clifford had the same defensive philosophies as Frank Vogel! Defense first and figure out the offense…well whenever!

Orlando brought in Steve Clifford ahead of the 2018-19 season after his release from the Charlotte Hornets. Clifford led the team to 42-40 and 33-40 records in his first two seasons with the Magic, both good enough to land Orlando in the playoffs.

During his tenure with Charlotte and Orlando, the two teams had four postseason berths in his eight years running both teams. Here’s the issue, no team was in any danger of being a championship contender. Despite having veteran talent and a couple of All-Stars, most playoffs performances ended in first round defeats.

Why? Clifford’s teams had no real offensive structure and had to grind it out on the defensive end to win close games. Does this sound familiar?

This works just fine in the regular season when you have bottom feeders like Minnesota, Sacramento and other perennial bad teams who can’t score. The playoffs allow better teams to exploit that weakness.

By the time Orlando traded away their high-profile players such as Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic at the trading deadline, their defense was still strong (Look they almost beat the Lakers twice!), but they couldn’t score at crucial times and lost.

Frank Vogel comparison:

Stop for a second and think back on how many times you heard the tired old line…“The Los Angeles Lakers are the number one rated defense in the NBA”?  Announcers carried that to the season finale in Game 6.

Until, one of the top rated offenses in the NBA featuring Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul and Devin Booker barbecued them and exposed their weaknesses.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1400663397939642372

On offense, the Lakers struggled without an offensive scheme other than rolling the ball to LeBron James to be the “playmaker”.

Lake Show Life has been all over Dennis Schroder for his contract situation. But there really hasn’t been any criticism about how he ran the Lakers offense. Why?

The Los Angeles Lakers depend on LeBron to make all of the decisions.

Frank Vogel’s lack of offensive acumen could get him fired. When LeBron went down with his ankle issues, the offense plummeted. Talent is needed, but structure and multiple schemes are more important.

The Los Angeles Lakers struggled with injuries this season but Rob Pelinka gave Frank Vogel enough to work with to get at least to the second round. Remember, the Lakers were 21-6 with the same roster right? Vogel mismanaged the roster after the buyout market closed. Read on to see how and who Lake Show Life compares him to.

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