The Los Angeles Lakers are just 9-9 about one month into the 2021-22 NBA season, and various fans have different scapegoats for the team’s dismal start.
One scapegoat has been head coach Frank Vogel, and one sportsbook feels there is a realistic chance that he could get canned in the near future.
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Vogel was hired by the Lakers in 2019. The hiring came on the heels of a disastrous first season with LeBron James on the roster.
Bringing Vogel on board was part of a wholesale revamping of the team, which included trading for superstar big man Anthony Davis.
Vogel, who had previously had success coaching the Indiana Pacers, made the Purple and Gold into an elite defensive team and got the franchise its 17th NBA championship in 2020.
Last season, injuries to Davis and LeBron James derailed the team’s hopes of winning back-to-back titles, but Vogel was able to keep the Lakers at the top of the league when it came to defense.
So far this year, L.A. has struggled mightily containing opposing teams on the defensive end. Moreover, the Lakers have also not been able to gain control of the defensive glass and have often been the lesser team from a rebounding standpoint in the games that they have played.
This would not be the first time that someone coaching James has felt pressure. It happened on the 2010-11 Miami Heat after they started 9-8. It also happened on the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the latter case, the team ultimately fired David Blatt and replaced him with Tyronn Lue, who coached the Cavs to its first world championship that season.
