"I haven't been told s**t and I'm going to enjoy tonight's game" - LA Lakers coach Frank Vogel refuses to talk about his job status amidst reports of him getting fired
After catching a lot of fire for the LA Lakers' failures this season, head coach Frank Vogel refused to address the possibility of his tenure with the side coming to an end ahead of the last game of the season.
Coming off a nightmare season filled with injuries and underwhelming performances, Frank Vogel has been viewed as a part of the problem by the Lakers' front office.
While Vogel was in the hot seat earlier in the season as well, his status was reassured by ownership at the time.
Unfortunately, things haven't gone according to plan as the star-studded LA Lakers found themselves out of the playoffs for the second time in LeBron James' tenure with the side.
Ahead of the Purple and Gold's final game of the regular-season, Frank Vogel was asked about the possibility of losing his job at the end of the season. Vogel replied by saying:
"I haven't been told s**t and I'm going to enjoy tonight's game. We'll deal with tomorrow tomorrow."
Frank Vogel says, "I haven't been told s--- and I'm going to enjoy tonight's game ... We'll deal with tomorrow tomorrow," when asked about the ESPN story about his job status.
While the Lakers managed to pull off a win against the Denver Nuggets and ended the season on a high-note, the situation itself is glum for Vogel and a number of players on the roster.
With one of the worst seasons in franchise history, Vogel losing his position as the head coach may not be the biggest change for the side in the coming future.
Frank Vogel has coached his final game for the Lakers, a decision that’s expected to be shared with him as soon as Monday, sources tell ESPN. Lakers’ search expected to be lengthy and expansive with no clear initial frontrunner.
What went wrong with Frank Vogel and the LA Lakers?
While the LA Lakers' misgivings and failures have been attributed to a few causes, the reality of the situation is far more complex.
The Russell Westbrook trade is one of the narratives that has been exaggerated as the primary cause for the LA Lakers' shortcomings.
To add onto this, Frank Vogel's lack of decisiveness with lineups and poor judgment have also been paired to exemplify the side's problems.
While these are convincing in their own right, they don't necessarily sum up the situation. There is also a rising belief that Westbrook and Vogel have only been used as scapegoats to draw attention away from the fact that the season was practically doomed before it even started.
"They've scapegoated Frank and Russ all year."
Chuck reacts to reports that Frank Vogel has coached his final game with the Lakers. https://t.co/fJax7p13H5
With a pool of talented players on paper, the hype surrounding the team clouded the reality of what was presented.
Having old and out of form players is not the key to championship success.
While additionally factoring in Anthony Davis' injury prone nature and an aging LeBron James, minor problems stacked onto each other to weigh heavily upon the team.
With more starting lineup changes than wins this season, the LA Lakers were nothing short of disappointing.
Although LeBron James managed to have one of the best scoring seasons of his career - in his 19th season no less - the overall appeal of his accomplishments was wasted on the shortcomings of the team.
With major changes in store for the Purple and Gold moving forward, there is little that can be said for the future of this team. As things stand, with Frank Vogel losing his job, the heads have already started to roll.