Decker

According to the Athletic, Lakers coach Frank Vogel is actively being evaluated and on the brink of being fired and probably would have been today if not for their impressive win over the Jazz last night
It kind of sucks because the Lakers numerous problems stem much more from the guy doing the evaluation, GM Rob Pelinka, and the moves he has made than it has to do with the coaching

Decker

Yeah, this makes trading for Myles Turner a very tricky proposition

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davidh777

Jerami Grant was in the same boat but now looks like he’ll be back before the deadline.

LurkerDan

The Lakers need to be THE BEST at all times really hampers them from a team development perspective. Vogel didn't go from being a great championship coach to being someone to toss aside based on his own merit. It's a byproduct of "Lakers exceptionalism" gone awry.

fujishig

I don't think it's necessarily Lakers exceptionalism, unless there's like ardent fan demand for his head or something. If the players are tuning a coach out, i don't care who the coach is, he's done. And I have to believe this is at least blessed by Lebron and probably AD because if they were adamant about Vogel staying, I doubt Vogel would be touched.

~~ PAL ~~

The need to shift blame on a scapegoat for the mess they are in will make Vogel expandable.

LurkerDan

Perhaps. But sometimes stretches of poor play is just a stretch of poor play, and sometimes players and coaches aren't all thrilled with each other. And Lakers exceptionalism isn't just about the fans. It's in the team's culture, Magic's tweet was practically steeped in it.

Vogel didn't go from being a good coach to a bad one.

fujishig

No, he didn't. But if Lebron wants you out, you're probably out, just like Magic before him. You can be the best coach in the world but if the players aren't playing for you and you're not winning, there's not much you can do (to be honest, like I said before I have no idea if Lebron wants him out, but if he leaves I'm sure they at least consulted Lebron and co.)

No fan in their right mind would blame Vogel for this season. Now Pelinka, on the other hand...

davidh777

HUGE trade in which the Celtics clear salary in exchange for a couple guys who won’t play this year. Bol Bol was recently traded to the Pistons but they voided it because of the physical. I guess the Celtics were ok with just torching the roster spot.

AaronHernandez

If I was a Spurs fan I would be pissed at this trade,they help a contender in the West,they help Boston's cap and eat a scrubs salary and all they get for it is protected 2nd round pick in 2027.

LurkerDan

Really? They have a guy that they're not using and don't need, who adds to a positional logjam, and they're not a playoff contender. So, in exchange for getting rid of a guy on a non-playoff team who was not needed, they get an extra pick. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

If there's a team to question, it's the Nuggets, who are trying to win this year even though they're a 500 team with two guys on IR.

The Questyen

Well what do you expect Denver to do? They have one of the 5 best players in the NBA in his prime and are hoping to get Murray and Porter back before the playoffs of course they are going to continue to try and win. That is the point of basketball.

DJariya

Another collapse by the Lakers. if Frank Vogel gets fired in the next week or so, it wouldn't surprise me. They just lost to the 13th seed in the East who was 3-17 on the road.

Too bad. I like Frank, but in LA he's going to take the blame for this disastrous season.

I don't think things will improve much if Coach Fiz gets the interim title. They didn't play very well under his coaching when Vogel was out with COVID.

AaronHernandez

Yeah when you got a top 5-10 player in their prime(and especially the beginning of it) you can never really shut a season down if they are healthy. Even with all their injuries they will be a tough out in the playoffs because of how good Jokic is and his playing style,and they might even be dangerous if someone becomes available in the buyout market.

Decker

This team is a disaster and no fun to watch. And there's no hope for the future either. It's been run into the ground by Rob Pelinka and the Rambi. Poorly constructed, brittle, old and lacking in heart.
The worst part is that it's only going to get worse from here. During the awful end-of-Kobe run, at least they had draft picks and some potential future down the line. And they actually drafted very well. Then they blew it all up because they were impatient. They got another Championship, and that's not insignificant. But they will be paying for it for a decade.

DJariya

Frank benched Westbrook for the final 3:52. Looks like it didn’t sit well.

Decker

The conflict will be irrelevant soon enough. One of them will be gone by the weekend, and not the one I want.

davidh777

Theoretically Denver should know the injury status of their players better than anyone, so it’s a good sign if they’re adding talent. I heard they’re considering Boogie Cousins after he was dropped by the Bucks.

sleepyhead55

Technically the protection is only from 31-33. And who cares, it's not like Bryn Forbes was going to return a ton. The Spurs aren't a contender. They need lotto pick chances and playing time for younger players.

DJariya

The latest Shaqtin a Fool. The shimmy with the wide open three and Alvin Gentry losing it

DJariya

A pretty cool vantage point of Nuggets announcer Chris Marlowe calling a game winning shot.

DJariya

Grayson Allen’s hard foul on Alex Caruso caused him to break his wrist. He’s out 6 to 8 weeks. But Caruso did land awkwardly on the replays.

The Questyen

Pacers playing tonight and don't have:
Myles Turner
Domantas Sabonis
Caris LeVert
Malcolm Brogdon
T.J. Warren
T.J. McConnell

So 6 out of their 7 best players are out with injury.

DJariya

Apparently John Stockton is an anti-vaxxer and anti-masker, so his season tickets at Gonzaga games got suspended.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/23/us/go...ate/index.html

Decker

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