“Jeanie Buss basically punished LeBron for pushing for Westbrook” - Skip Bayless on reports of LA Lakers firing Frank Vogel and why they stopped listening to him
Skip Bayless believes the news of LA Lakers firing coach Frank Vogel should've come at the start of 2022. The Fox Sports analyst tweeted that Jeanie Buss did not fire Vogel as she wanted to punish LeBron James for pushing for the Russell Westbrook trade, which is believed to be one of the biggest reasons behind LA's disappointing 2021-22 campaign.
Here's what Bayless posted:
"Breaking news: Vogel reportedly fired. Why didn't this news break last January 1??? Bc Jeanie Buss basically punished LeBron for pushing for Westbrook, saying, "You made your bed, now lie in it the rest of the season." The Lakers quit listening to Vogel's voice a long time ago."
The LA Lakers couldn't even make the play-in tournament this season. Their experiment with revamping their entire roster failed miserably. The Lakers ended up forming the oldest roster in the league and failed to match up against their opponents, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
Additionally, due to injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the LA Lakers couldn't find a way to build chemistry between the two stars and Russell Westbrook throughout the campaign.
Breaking news: Vogel reportedly fired. Why didn't this news break last January 1??? Bc Jeanie Buss basically punished LeBron for pushing for Westbrook, saying, "You made your bed, now lie in it the rest of the season." The Lakers quit listening to Vogel's voice a long time ago.
Frank Vogel's exit the first step toward LA Lakers resolving their issues
Frank Vogel's exit from the LA Lakers was imminent following the team's poor start to the 2021-22 NBA season. Vogel, who is known to be a defense-first coach, struggled to get the star-studded squad to play efficiently on that end of the floor. He also failed to find the right combinations on several occasions.
The Lakers were expected to be vying for the championship and now find themselves in deep trouble with no draft or trade assets that could help them rebuild their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Nevertheless, Rob Pelinka has managed to deal with limited resources in the past, so it won't be surprising to see them make significant changes again.
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.
LA's front office has also displayed a sense of urgency to make changes by firing Frank Vogel immediately following their last regular-season game against the Denver Nuggets. Reports suggest veteran coaches like Nick Nurse, Quin Snyder and Doc Rivers are some of the names linked to taking over the reins as the LA Lakers' new head coach for the 2022-23 NBA season.
The Lakers should look to make their choice soon as they can build their roster, keeping in mind the style their new head coach follows to have a better balance, which would elevate their chances of returning to championship contention.