"You ain’t in no damn position to say no to LeBron James and Anthony Davis" – Stephen A. Smith reasons why Frank Vogel instead of Rob Pelinka would be the scapegoat for LA Lakers' struggles
Stephen A. Smith became the most recent critic of Frank Vogel’s job with the LA Lakers this season. Amidst the Lakers’ inconsistent stretch of games, Vogel has received much of the blame. Los Angeles is back below .500, after being defeated by the Miami Heat on Sunday night. There has been a lot of talk around the league of the coach’s job being under review.
Although most of the blame should go to the players and the roster building in the offseason, Vogel has not delivered on his strengths. The Lakers have been poor defensively, placing 16th in the league in defensive rating.
When asked about Vogel’s job being on the line on "First Take," Stephen A. Smith said:
“Yes, it should and let me explain why. Because I think a lot of people are misconstruing and my brother, Charles Barkley, is one of them. Frank Vogel is not to blame for what is happening to the Los Angeles Lakers, and I get that. But there’s always going to be a scapegoat.”
Smith then talked about the Lakers poor defense, with Vogel not being able to turn that around, saying:
“You got the head-coaching job because of your prowess as a defensive mind. And defensively, they’ve been trash. Now, we understand why, because primarily it’s due to you all being old.”
Danny Green says Frank Vogel is a ‘great coach’ and blames the Lakers roster construction
“A lot of the guys do a lot of the same things there…you can’t make guys make shots, you can’t make guys not turn the ball over, you can’t make guys play defense”
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Frank Vogel facing criticism, despite the LA Lakers' roster troubles
There have been questions on the LA Lakers’ roster construction as well, since expectations from Russell Westbrook have not been met. The age of the roster has often been a reason opponents are able to score easily, even turning around the games in which the Lakers performed well offensively.
Stephen A. Smith expressed his displeasure over the offseason moves, saying:
“You’re Rob Pelinka, you ain’t in no damn position to say no to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Jeanie Buss can say no, but damn – they’re trying to sell tickets in LA-LA. You understand LeBron James is your marquee. What he wants, he’s supposed to get.”
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Despite the mess being orchestrated by multiple factors, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ involvement with the Westbrook trade, ultimately the coach is the first to go. Now, if Davis was not injured, the Lakers would have probably been defensively stronger, as they were at the start of the season. But Smith feels the Lakers’ management will drop the hammer, saying:
“When we talk about somebody being accountable, if I’m the owner, here’s what I’m doing – ‘This is my squad. When we got a problem, it better be on offense, 'cause defense is what you do. No matter what, you figure that part out. If you can’t figure out what you do best, and what you’re known for – then I’m sorry I gotta go in a different direction.”
The LA Lakers are 23-24, eighth in the Western Conference. Their next matchup against the Brooklyn Nets will be crucial for Vogel as he tries to bring the franchise some wins.
With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out and the probable return of Anthony Davis, the Lakers will look to capitalize. Although Davis’ return can spark the team’s defense, he was not in his best form either, at the start of the season. Davis making a positive start to his return could lead to a turnaround for the Lakers’ campaign.