Frank Vogel is about to become the scapegoat in LA

Another head coach is about to meet their demise and banishment from the LeBron James bubble, which currently in Los Angeles. According to a report by The Athletic, it appears Frank Vogel is officially coaching on a game-to-game basis for the Lakers.

After being smashed by the Nuggets on Saturday, 133-96, Bill Oram and Sam Amick of The Athletic said Vogel “narrowly avoided” termination with a win over the Jazz on Monday. So, it seems like the hammer will likely be coming down on Vogel within the next week. LA has games against Indiana, Orlando, Miami, and Brooklyn coming up, all of which happen to be on the road, aside from the game against Indiana. Their meeting with the Magic starts a six-game road trip that I’d suspect coach Vogel doesn’t survive.

But hey, that’s the life of an NBA head coach. A team allows its superstar, in conjunction with its general manager, to assemble a team that nobody outside of themselves thinks can win. Then it falls apart, and the head coach becomes the scapegoat in the end. I’m not saying Vogel shouldn’t be on the hot seat, but firing him midseason ain’t going to get this runaway train back on the tracks.

If it happens, the Lakers may experience a slight uptick immediately following Vogel’s release, but that won’t last and removing Vogel from the situation doesn’t cure all the Lakers’ problems: Mainly the Russell Westbrook conundrum the franchise is struggling to work through this season. Oh, and there’s also an often-injured young star named Anthony Davis. Even when Davis is on the court, he doesn’t want to play the position that suits him best in helping the team win at a higher clip.

This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone since we know how this goes in the NBA. When a team can’t get over the hump, let’s fire the coach. Although the Lakers did win a championship with Vogel at the wheel just about 14 months ago. If you want to re-evaluate his standing after this horrid season finishes, then fine. Go ahead and do that. But if you think getting rid of Vogel is all of a sudden going to catapult the Lakers back to the top of the West, then you’re probably a bit too much of that Dre and Snoop chronic. You need to come out of that purple and gold haze to realize that this team has flaws galore.

LA just doesn’t have a well-put-together roster, which Vogel had no control over. But again, there needs to be somebody to blame, Rob Pelinka isn’t firing himself (although it should be considered), and James damn sure ain’t taking any blame for the team’s lack of continuity. While Jeanie Buss allows all of this to happen on her watch, she owns the team, so she’s not going anywhere. Therefore, the simple math says Franky V. has to go.

Whether justified or not, the end is near for Frank Vogel in Hollywood. Lakers management probably has the paperwork ready and waiting for that next big L on the schedule. You know it’s coming, Lakers fans. It’s inevitable.