"That's coming from one of your own, one of your greatest ever" - Jay Williams on Shaquille O'Neal highlighting the internal trouble with LA Lakers
Former LA Laker and Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal recently voiced his opinion that the LA Lakers' organization mistreated head coach Frank Vogel. He warned future candidates to not waste their time. Jay Williams then went on ESPN's 'KJM' to voice his thoughts on chaos within the organization.
"That's coming from one of your own, one of the greatest ever. The politics that are happening upstairs is chaotic."
To put it simply, the LA Lakers fell short of expectations this year. After entering the regular season as potential contenders, they failed to even make the playoffs.
There were multiple catalysts to L.A.'s downfall this year. A big factor was several questionable roster decisions.
Not only was the supporting cast filled with former All-Stars past their prime, but the gamble of trading for Russell Westbrook did not pan out as they'd hoped. L.A. sacrificed their depth to bring in the former MVP, and his fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis did not garner positive results.
With a long summer ahead of them, L.A. has already begun making changes. Their first order of business was parting ways with head coach Frank Vogel.
Typically, a coaching vacancy with the LA Lakers would be one of the hottest jobs on the market. Given the current state of the franchise, that will likely not be the case.
"When I first got here, I just felt that I never was given a fair chance to be who I needed to be to better help this team."
Russell Westbrook sounds off on what went wrong in his first year with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers.
https://t.co/DnV2epx06X
LA Lakers Are An Undesirable Landing Spot
Throughout most of the league's history, most players and coaches have jumped at the opportunity to join the LA Lakers.
As the league's most prestigious franchise, it created an opportunity to cement a player's name alongside some of the greatest ever. However, nobody seems to be rushing to be Frank Vogel's replacement.
Until some serious changes are made, L.A. is not going to be an ideal landing spot. Since the majority of the cap is tied up in the team's big three, they have little to offer free agents.
While some guys might hop on the chance to play alongside LeBron James, the fact that they can really only offer the veteran's minimum is not enticing.
Given all the backdoor politics and how they handled things with Vogel, finding a suitable head coach could be a challenge. Not many coaches will be willing to take on the challenge of leading this roster with unrealistic expectations.
from the most recent Lowe Post, talking about the Lakers and HC situation - first 10+ mins is painful to listen to.
Makes you wonder what coach would want to go to LA with that organizational structure and disfunction https://t.co/q7WM0MluXy
One thing is for sure, the organization has its work cut out for them if they want to return to being atop the NBA.