The turbulent season of the Los Angeles Lakers is finally over. Not only did they miss the playoffs, but they ended with a dismal record of 33-49. With a lot of change expected during the offseason, the Lakers have reportedly started searching for a new head coach.
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Frank Vogel, who is the current head coach, is under contract but many expected him to be sacked at the end of the season. And that appears to be true as Woj confirmed the Lakers are letting go of Vogel. And now the rumor mills are buzzing about who the next head coach will be. One source suggests the Lakers will have a go at Nick Nurse, the head coach of the Toronto Raptors. Nurse is considered to be one of the best head coaches in the league right now. And his team has always performed above expectations. Additionally, he has also won a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
NBA Fans go nuts over the latest rumors about the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching position
The Fans went crazy after hearing the reports about the Lakers. They linked Nurse along with several other head coaches as well. Here are the best reactions:
For those who don’t know – Nick Nurse is a Klutch client. https://t.co/q9A4ivOk3S
— 🦉 Lakers Vino (@VinoUncorked) April 10, 2022
Nick Nurse ain’t leaving Toronto lmao. The raptors are on the way up and the lakers are on the way down.
— Tjay (@killakell14) April 10, 2022
Why would he downgrade teams? He’d have to go from a franchise player like siakam to lebron…
— JJ (@TheRizzard0f0z_) April 10, 2022
If players are not open to being coached the Lakers can hire all 5 all time winning coaches in history and we’d still not win anything. Players have to be open to being coached regardless of being stars. Can Nick Nurse coach AD and LeBron ? Not if they don’t want to be coached.
— Arshak kirakosyan (@Shaqk311) April 10, 2022
Nick's sons were born in Toronto and he coaches the Canadian national team. I don't think he's going anywhere. pic.twitter.com/F4eobTuK3Q
— GLrebirth (@GLrebirth) April 10, 2022
Let's examine the options. On one hand, an aging, poorly-constructed roster with enough dead salary to make significant improvements unlikely. On the other, a young, developing roster with a future All-Star (and some current ones). Hmmm, not sure that's a tough choice.
— Bruce Johnson (@LACanuck) April 10, 2022
Duh. Here’s the thing though, NN likes where he’s at, great young team with a very bright future, one of the top management teams in the NBA and he’s signed on to coach the Canada national team. He ain’t leaving for the dumpster fire Pelinka has created in LA
— DPB 🏀🎮🧱 (@UltraMaximus) April 10, 2022
SURE ILL TAKE IT. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT ILL TAKE EVEN MORE. DAMIAN LILLARD WITH LEBRON JAMES, ANTHONY DAVIS AND MALIK MONK.
— RUI FANATIC (@therealselena23) April 10, 2022
Lakers can’t even talk to him unless the Raptors agree. He’s under long contract, I think the second largest coach contract in the league, and also coaches the 🇨🇦 national team. Don’t see the Raptors agreeing to a conversation
— Late stage capitalism hater (@sarahrimmington) April 10, 2022
LOL, yea, that's not happening.#RTZ #Raptors #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/fh89USbQh9
— Varun Khanna (@BrownBearVK) April 10, 2022
How had Vogel fared with the Lakers?
Vogel was appointed as the head coach in 2019 and he was not the first choice for the job. But he impressed everyone with his philosophy. Vogel’s teams were known to be excellent defensively and in his first year, the Lakers were one of the best teams in the league. And they won the championship that year. Consequently, many credited Vogel’s decision-making and coaching style for the win.
USA Today via Reuters
Feb 25, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel reacts on the sideline in the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
In his second year, Vogel continued leading the Lakers to the top spot. However, Davis got injured, and this disrupted the Lakers’ quest to repeat. And after some time, LeBron was injured as well. Unfortunately, the Lakers just did not have enough talent to win, and they slid from the 2nd spot to the 7th spot. And they got bounced in the first round itself.
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In his third year, he also had Westbrook in the lineup. But Vogel never really constructed a system where he could play the three stars together. And they were horrible at the defensive end. Subsequently, many had called Vogel to be sacked mid-season, but the front office felt he could turn it around in the end. After missing the play-in, Lakers are done with Vogel and would let him go.
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Ajinkya Aswale