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Why the Los Angeles Lakers should absolutely not fire Frank Vogel

By Jason Reed

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 06: Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the second half of the NBA preseason game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on October 06, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Lakers 117-105. 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 Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 06: Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the second half of the NBA preseason game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on October 06, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Lakers 117-105. 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 Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

3. The Los Angeles Lakers are not in a place to fire Frank Vogel

You know who fires head coaches during the season? Bad teams who don’t have much of a chance at the NBA Championship. The Los Angeles Lakers are not expecting to be a bad team and still want to contend for an NBA Championship.

Thus, firing Vogel should not be an option. The team is simply going to have to stick it out and hope they figure it out this year for the reasons already mentioned in the article. If they want to fire him after the season then fine, go right ahead. Firing him during the season only decreases the Lakers’ championship chances.

It decreases the chances for the two reasons already outlined but history also shows us that firing a head coach is essentially punting on the NBA Championship. An interim head coach has never won the NBA Championship, with the closest example being Paul Westhead with the 1980 Lakers.

That is a completely different situation, though. That was not a case of someone being fired and Westhead being promoted from assistant to head coach. Westhead became head coach because Jack McKinney was injured in a bicycle accident and could not coach.

Nate McMillan did get to the Eastern Conference Finals last season with the Atlanta Hawks after taking over the team halfway through the season. That is absolutely a fair point, but again, the Lakers do not have that luxury.

McMillan was a veteran head coach with a ton of experience that could help the young Hawks team. The Lakers’ only option is David Fizdale, who has been called by some as one of the worst NBA head coaches of all time.

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It’s frustrating, I get it, but the Los Angeles Lakers are likely going to hold onto Frank Vogel and fans are going to have to accept it. If the team does fire him at some point, that might be admitting defeat on the 2021-22 season.

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