The team is pretty much the team at this point. Frank is going to have to figure the roster out or his tenure as coach is going to be cut short.
from the second we got russ, our offense was going to have to come from our defense, imo. and if we fire frank before the season is out, that's a management problem, not a coaching problem. i just don't see how one would expect the current roster to be winning much more. several games have been weird (like last night's game), but given the available personnel, the only outcomes i would have really expected to be different were the two okc games and the debacle of the minny game. if you told me were down lebron and playing in ny last night, i'd have picked ny by 5 points.
Frank is a GOOD coach... but we all know how the NBA works. He has like a 1.5 month to figure things out. If he doesn't, he's a goner.
It probably doesn't seem like it given some of my comments, but I actually don't think Vogel should be fired either. I think he's a good coach with some flaws (like most coaches) and should get the chance to coach the full roster. I have no interest in Fizdale as our head coach even if its just for an interim. There's also only so many truly great coaches out there and I can't think of one we can grab at this point. I think for a lot of fans right now the issue is how we're losing more than the losses themselves. Watching the team come out flat over and over and over again is just frustrating. We keep hearing the players talk about energy and effort and it makes me want to throw something honestly. How can you not play hard? Its the most cliche thing in the world, but its like almost every night the other team wants it more. It also makes some things tough to evaluate for a regular guy like me. Is the offense this bad from coaching, the guys not caring, or a bit of both? Getting all the guys back will help but are they going to just adapt the lackadaisical approach of the rest of the team? Hard to see Nunn and Ariza lighting a fire under the squad if LeBron and Russ can't. Who's the guy on the staff who can push buttons to motivate the team? Just a lot of questions and frustration out there right now that won't let up until we at least see consistent effort on the court. We talk a lot about defense, but we see good defense from this team in spurts (including last night) so the road keeps going back to effort for me.
I do blame Vogel for some of his crazy lineups but I also understand that at least 2, maybe even 4 of the guys playing minutes right now will not be when everyone is healthy. Laker land is unhappy and the coach is always the first guy to take a fall. I don’t personally see that as the answer but can see it happening.
The problems on D seem to stem much more from lack of effort, underwhelming personnel on that end, and lack of continuity since we have 11 different players from last year. It’s not coaching. Now yes, Vogel had some head scratching lineups at times but again, we’ve had 1/3 of our roster out with injuries all of this short season including team leader Lebron for half of our games. Those aren’t excuses, those are facts. It’s going to take some time to see if Vogel can mold this team into a championship squad. The good news? We are only a month into the season and so we have that time. Hopefully some of these guys can come back sooner than later like Reaves who was quite a revelation when he was playing. Very much a Vogel kind of player unlike some of the shooters only.
Sure he doesn’t have the roster to run his schemes, but you still have 2 All stars available all year. It should not be this bad. We played a ton of home games already and these are the results. He hasn’t maximized the talent he has either.
Yeah but AD has been up and down and we have still been missing a third of the roster all year. And Russ has been trying to acclimate to a new team. You think it’s Vogel’s fault that Russ was averaging 5 TOs a game while learning his teammates? 11 different players from last year. No wings signed by the FO to take Ariza’s place while he’s out. Shooters not defensive guards. I think you are expecting too much given our circumstances. Let’s see what we can accomplish over this next month when at least we have Lebron back.
I can't understand the drama. He was champion in the 1st year. 2nd year they renew the squad, we have a ton of injuries, Schroder doesn't deliver so he pulls THT, and we still manage to be #1 defense with LeBron/AD missing big time. They burn the roster and give him a flawed roster. No size, ton of guards, no defense. A flawed superstar that doesn't fit with the system nor the best player. He starts the season with always at least 3 key rotation players out each game. And we expect him to deliver? Who can deliver? I don't love him, but no way he can leave this season. We would never recover and would always be worst than with him. We know what he delivers in the playoffs. If someone else comes, the team would never be as strong. We can review that after this season, not during. It's a big mistake. Then, if you want to blame someone for this season, blame Lebron.
anyone being objective would see that and say we are not a very good team right now anyone finding out we have 3 of the top 10-15 players in the league included in that would be horrified But 10 new players on a roster does mean adjustment time. Having lots of injuries does wreak havoc I think Coach has til the end of the year to turn this around, but this is a pretty bad start in spite of all conditions.
we have 2 of the top 10 (one of whom has played in 40% of the games) and one who may not be consensus top-30. and then literally all vet mins who joined the team two months ago.
I have some observations I'll share After the game tonight. Had some questions for you. Interested for your takes. Until then, let's try to beat Indiana.
Good game. If LBJ plays like that, Vogel won't have to worry about his job. He played Bron @ C, and it worked in the 4th. He hit the dagger 3 that iced the game in OT
For those that think Frank's job is on the line, there hasn't been one report indicating otherwise. I was looking @ the top 8 right in the Western Conference and their coaches. Outside of a few Kerr, Snyder, Lue ( Snyder and Lue debatable), IMO - who's better than Vogel? Others are on the same tier, IMO. The difference is they have a better staff in some instances (Phoenix, Denver), but outside of that, there's no difference? Whatever happens this season, we know this: Frank is elite at coaching defense with the right roster. And really, the way he's handling the ego's and pressure of the job, he's been great in those aspects. He isn't perfect. But the more I look at this objectively: we're better if with him than without, and it isn't close.
Yeah Vogel looks a lot better when his best player is able to play unlike half of the games we’ve had this season. Great to have Lebron back and his leadership on the court. Patience folks.
I will keep repeating myself regarding Frank. He and his staff prepared this team to play good team defense. They have shown it, in short spurts. It’s up to the players to decide to focus in on D for 48 minutes every single night. Until this happens, we will continue to underachieve. He may not be the best coach in the game, but nobody can deny the fact that he’s a Championship Coach.
