LeBron James has been carrying the Los Angeles Lakers this season, however, it has not been enough for the Lakers to be a top-tier team in the Western Conference. The purple and gold have struggled at times, and their wildly inconsistent play has led to a record of 22-23. While this is technically good enough to still make it to the playoffs, it just simply isn't up to the standards of the roster. After all, you should be a lot better if you have LeBron, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis on the same team.
Last night, the Lakers lost to the Indiana Pacers, and with rumors surrounding Frank Vogel's job security, there are rumblings that action could be taken, sooner rather than later. According to Michael Corvo of ClutchPoints, LeBron was recently asked about the coaching staff, which led to a very diplomatic answer. Simply put, LeBron is happy with what Vogel and his assistants are doing.
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“Coaching staff has been great,” LeBron said. “They’ve put us in a position to suceed and it’s up to us to by in and handle business. There’s always things that we all can do better but there’s no blame. [...] Listen, I’m not in the business of pointing fingers or pointing blame or trying to put a quote at the end or at the start of someone’s commentary of what they feel our coaching staff or Frank is or what Russ is or what I am or AD. If it’s not positive for me, I’m cool. It’s not my lane. I’m not a negative person.”
While LeBron might be happy with the coaching staff, it's reasonable to suspect that management isn't. The Lakers are severely underperforming, and with this current roster, their championship window will only be around for a couple of more seasons.
With that in mind, a move needs to be made sooner rather than later.
[Via]