Why Lakers must not rehire Frank Vogel after Suns firing

I’d be remiss to glance over the fact that Frank Vogel won a championship with the Lakers in his first season there.

Bubble and all, James and the Lakers played the hardest basketball they’d had to play. (At this point, calling the season a “fluke” only exposes fans as being narrative bandwagons with no goal but to discredit LeBron). And they came out victorious. Sure, Vogel could argue that he played a role in the title, and he did, but it’s important to note that it wasn’t just him that was different that season.

It was Anthony Davis’ first year as well.

Bringing in the then-disgruntled New Orleans superstar was a big move for Rob Pelinka and company, and it worked perfectly. Davis added a level to both the Lakers’ offense and defense that they just couldn’t have reached without him. He allowed James to make plays the way he’d always loved to do and helped elevate role players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma.

Vogel was the face of a championship-winning team, and it appeared as if the Lakers had found not only their coach of the future but also their superstar pairing that would deliver multiple titles before James retired. But that didn’t end up being the case.

The next two seasons were riddled with roster changes, injuries, and disappointment. The Lakers were kicked from the postseason in the first round by the Phoenix Suns and then missed the playoffs the following season. Players like Dennis Schroeder, Montrezl Harrell, and even Wesley Matthews went in and out of Vogel’s rotation when James and Davis went down with injuries, and the Lakers couldn’t quite find their groove.

In those moments, Vogel proved that he wasn’t a franchise coach. Instead of elevating the Lakers to continued success when one of their two stars was out, the Lakers looked lost and helpless without Davis. Even in last year’s playoffs — when Vogel wasn’t the coach — that seemed to be the case. No Davis meant no win. Vogel isn’t going to fix that issue.

If injuries are taken out of the equation, and both Los Angeles stars have seasons like they did this year, Vogel might fare better, but if that’s the case, it says more about James’ leadership than it does his.

Ham was widely accused of not doing much. Keeping his hands in his pockets, refusing to call timeouts and even relinquishing control of the huddle to James. Vogel might not have been to that extent, but he lost the locker room of the Suns, which — as mentioned above — is similar to the Lakers as far as star power goes.

If the Lakers want to be competitive, they need to find a way to beat the Denver Nuggets. They need a coach who can elevate the players around James and allow them to fit even better than they already do. The name of that coach might have already been considered or might be yet to emerge, but if one thing is for certain, their name is not Frank Vogel.

He just isn’t the right fit, and that’s why the Lakers must not hire him.