"If you got something to ask me other than s**t on somebody, you can ask me" - LeBron James refuses to throw Frank Vogel under the bus after LA Lakers' loss to Indiana Pacers
LeBron James does not want to indulge in any speculation about the future of LA Lakers head coach Frank Vogel. As the Lakers crashed to a disappointing 104-111 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night, Vogel's future became the talk of the town. What fueled the speculation were recent reports that claimed the Lakers were monitoring Vogel's job status on a game-to-game basis.
Loss Angeles
#PacersWin https://t.co/MukgLeBh8e
But LeBron does not want to involve himself in any controversy surrounding Vogel's job. When asked about the head coach's future following the Lakers loss on Wednesday night, LeBron was clear that he would not make any kind of negative comments on the matter.
The 37-year-old superstar told the media:
"If you got something to ask me other than sh*t on somebody, you can ask me."
LeBron James is pretty adamant he's not going to address the rumors about Vogel.
"If you got something to ask me other than sh*t on somebody, you can ask me."
"The coaching staff has been great" - LeBron James shows support for LA Lakers head coach Frank Vogel
To the contrary, LeBron came out endorsing the work put in by the LA Lakers coaching staff. He told the media in what seemed to be a tacit show of support for Frank Vogel:
"The coaching staff has been great. They’ve put us in a position to succeed."
LeBron James on Frank Vogel and the coaching staff: "The coaching staff has been great. They’ve put us in a position to succeed."
LeBron's comments would mean a lot to Frank Vogel. The Lakers have not been at full strength for most of their season, but their roller-coaster 2021-22 campaign has led to a lot of scrutiny of Vogel's performance.
The Lakers' latest loss against Indiana came after they won a high-profile matchup against the third-seeded team in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz, on Monday.
Before that they lost three consecutive games, the third instance of them losing three or more straight games this season. The three-game losing streak came after the LA Lakers had won four consecutive games between December 31 and January 7.
The Lakers campaign is only going to get tougher. With Anthony Davis still out injured, the Lakers now begin a six-game road trip where they will take on Eastern Conference heavyweights, with scheduled matchups against Miami, Philadelphia and Brooklyn, among other opponents.
#Lakers fall to the #Pacers, 111-104. https://t.co/yW6eTL4JUv
The Lakers' loss to the Indiana Pacers meant they have once again gone below 0.500 (22-23 record) this season. It was their fourth loss in five games and 12th loss at home.
Frank Vogel, who took over head coaching responsibilities for the LA Lakers at the end of the 2018-19 season, now has a 116-72 record (0.617) with the franchise. He led the Lakers to a championship in his very first season (2019-20) with them.