Topline
The Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Frank Vogel Monday following Sunday’s conclusion to a massively disappointing season in which the NBA’s marquee franchise missed the playoffs despite being a preseason favorite to make the NBA Finals, and the team will reportedly target Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse to replace him.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel looks on in the first half of an basketball game against … [+]
Key Facts
Vogel was fired Monday, the team announced, after the Lakers finished 33-49—11th place in the Western Conference and out of playoff and play-in contention.
Vogel coached the Lakers to an NBA championship just two seasons prior, and maintained a 127-98 record throughout his three-season tenure in Los Angeles.
The Lakers are expected to pursue Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, who is preparing for an upcoming first-round playoff matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, to replace Vogel, unnamed sources told the Athletic.
Nurse signed a multi-year contract extension with the Raptors in 2020 after coaching the team to an NBA championship in 2019, meaning the Lakers would need to come to an agreement with the Raptors if Nurse has any interest in changing teams.
University of Michigan head coach Juwan Howard is also a candidate for the role, according to the Athletic.
Key Background
The Lakers hired Vogel prior to the 2019-20 season, the same summer they acquired superstar Anthony Davis via trade. The Lakers would go on to win the NBA championship that season, and lost to the eventual Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs the following year. Sportsbooks projected the Lakers to win 53 or 54 games prior to the 2021-22 season, and the team was the betting favorite to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. While injuries played a large part in the team winning 20 fewer games than expected (James played 56 of 82 games and Davis played 40), many have pointed to former MVP Russell Westbrook, whom the Lakers traded away quite a few assets to acquire last summer, as one of the reasons the team struggled to remain competitive. Westbrook shot just 29.8% from 3-point range on the season, and his 17.3% turnover rate was the third-worst of his career. Vogel elected to bench Westbrook to close games at certain points in the season, reportedly causing tension between the two and throughout the franchise. Given Westbrook’s poor play, he will more than likely opt into the final year of his contract—worth over $47 million—but the Lakers will reportedly look to trade the 33-year-old before next season (though trade partners may be scarce).
Tangent
The Sacramento Kings also made a coaching change Monday, relieving interim Alvin Gentry after the team fired head coach Luke Walton 17 games into the 2021-22 season. Gentry, who has a year remaining on his contract, may be moved into a front office role, according to ESPN. Sacramento will reportedly target several former NBA coaches with a track record of reviving struggling franchises. No team has struggled more in the last decade and a half than the Kings, as they have missed the playoffs for 15 straight seasons—tied for the longest postseason drought in NBA history.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/masonbissada/2022/04/11/lakers-fire-head-coach-vogel-following-disappointing-season/