“LeBron’s comments on Vogel were fair” - Nick Wright believes LeBron James’ reaction to Frank Vogel’s criticism was spot-on
Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright has said that LeBron James' comments about the criticism of LA Lakers head coach Frank Vogel are fair.
Following the Lakers' underwhelming start to their 2021-22 NBA campaign, Vogel has been under fire. When asked about the same, James provided a guarded response, saying 'criticism comes with the job'. During a recent episode of First Things First, Wright said about James' comments:
"I'm not blaming all or even majority of the Lakers issues on Frank Vogel. But there's this weird space where folks want to act as if any criticism of Vogel is unfair. Well then what's the head coach there for?"
Wright talked about DeAndre Jordan, who has performed below expectations in the last two seasons, and hasn't impressed with the Lakers either. Nevertheless, Vogel has been inclined to start the former LA Clippers and Brooklyn Nets big regularly, even as the team continued to lose games.
Wright also opined that James' comments on Vogel's criticism are fair. He said that the remarks made by the LA Lakers talisman were 'neither too hot or too cold'.
" I view LeBron's comments on Vogel as fair," said Nick Wright. "Because they were neither too hot or too cold. It was 'I'm not going to add fuel to the fire, I'm not going to put it out either because Vogel should feel pressure.'"
"I'm not blaming all, or even a majority, of the Lakers issues on Frank Vogel. LeBron's comments on Vogel were fair ... bc Vogel should feel pressure. AD needs to be better, LeBron needs to be more available & Vogel needs to be smarter. All of that's fair to me." — @getnickwright https://t.co/BZyQUy4330
Frank Vogel will continue to receive criticism until he is able to bring the Lakers' stuttering campaign back on track. The team has had to deal with injuries, but the Lakers are still expected to do better, considering the players at their disposal.
The 17-time champions have yet to win more than three consecutive games this season. The Lakers (13-12) are barely above 0.500 this season as they occupy the sixth place in the West Conference standings.
Can LeBron James and the LA Lakers turn their stuttering season around?
The LA Lakers are coming off one of their best wins of the season against the Boston Celtics. They defeated the Cs 117-102, putting in one of their most efficient two-way performances of the campaign. It was their defense that set the tempo for them.
The Lakers showed a sense of urgency to bag a win on the night. LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis played their roles to perfection, playing with great fluidity alongside each other. The only thing they need to work on now is consistency.
The Celtics had no answer for the Lakers' big 3 tonight.
◽️ Anthony Davis: 17 PTS, 16 REB
◽️ Russell Westbrook: 24 PTS (15 in 3Q), 11 AST
◽️ LeBron James: 30 PTS, 5 AST
Los Angeles wins big at home, 117-102. https://t.co/Z7I9rjsku5
The Lakers have produced some really good performances in some of their previous games this season. However, they haven't been able to play at the same level for large swathes.
With 25 games into the season, the LA Lakers seem to be running out of time to turn their fortunes around. However, if their dominating performance against the Celtics is anything to go by, the LeBron James-led Lakers seem to be on the right track.