"We're seeing a level of inefficiency, a level of ineptitude, a lack of spirit. It's like these guys don't know what it means to be Lakers”, said Stephen A. Smith.
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Stephen A. Smith believes that Frank Vogel should be fired as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Vogel’s team have failed to convince anyone with their performances and have left many fans scratching their heads as to how such a star-studded team can fail so badly with results seemingly only getting worse for the team in purple and gold.
On ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith spoke about why the Lakers should consider parting ways with Vogel this season. Smith said, “It’s time for Frank Vogel to go. He has to go as the head coach of this franchise. It’s time to put him out of his misery. It’s time to put LeBron James out of his misery.”It’s not that they are losing. If you’re scratching and crawling, and it’s nip and tuck but we’re able to point to injuries, that would be different. That’s not what’s going on with the Los Angeles Lakers.”
He continued, “We’re seeing a level of inefficiency, a level of ineptitude, a lack of spirit. It’s like these guys don’t know what it means to be Lakers. It’s Frank Vogel’s responsibility to overcome that. It’s not his fault as it pertains to this roster and the position that they put him in.”
The Lakers sit ninth in the Western Conference with a 29-39 record and that is an embarrassment given that they came into the season with aspirations of lifting the title. What is even more damning is their record of just 2 wins and 8 losses since the All-Star break. The Lakers haven’t won consecutive games since January 7th and their last away win was on January 25th.
Read more: Frank Vogel needs a surprise playoff run to save his job
The handling of star point guard Russell Westbrook has also raised some eyebrows. A lot of people have been shocked at the drop off in performances from someone who not so long ago averaged a triple-double for consecutive seasons. Westbrook’s poor play has been partly attributed to Vogel’s lack of clarity for him and his role in the team.
Frank Vogel’s in-game decisions have come under scrutiny with many believing that he is no longer the coach that won the NBA title with the Lakers back in 2020. Vogel’s teams are known to be defensive forces but the Lakers rank 17th in the league in defensive ratings this season. That’s a damning indictment of someone who made his name as a defensive tactician in his early days.
