The Los Angeles Lakers front office is actively searching for a new head coach after a controversial dismissal of Frank Vogel following the last game of the 2021-22 season. While new rumors surface each day about who may be leading the team next year, the Lakers feel far from a position of power.
Certain essential players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis have found themselves, for the most part, free from the rumor mill. Others like Russell Westbrook, Austin Reaves and Stanley Johnson are under contract, sure to be in the league, though which team they play for can change. Then there are players like Avery Bradley, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard — uncertain about whether they will be suiting up with a team at all next season.
Bradley, who had a close connection with Vogel and became a regular rotation player under him, now finds himself facing the unknown.
“I don’t know. Everything is in God’s hands,” Bradley said regarding his future with the Lakers and in the NBA. “I’m following whatever he wants me to do because I’m not in control, I can’t control whether I’m gonna be here or anywhere else so I’m just praying about it and we’ll see. I’m gonna follow whatever I’m supposed to do.”
The 11-year NBA veteran found himself in a reunion with Vogel and his old team by chance this season after the Golden State Warriors waived him in the summer of 2021. He was a core piece of the team’s offense, as Vogel gave him steady minutes regardless of his sometimes lackluster performances.
Bradley missed only 20 games throughout the season and started in more than half of the regular season games, although he averaged only 6.4 points per game, 2.2 rebounds and less than one assist.
His numbers weren’t much better when he played with the Lakers for the first time in the 2019-20 season, and both Vogel and Bradley fell under criticism for the amount of playing time he received throughout the struggling Lakers’ season.
The future is filled with many uncertainties for the Lakers, as they shuffle through the catalog of experienced, available and willing head coaches. Unfortunately for Bradley, the fog of the NBA offseason doesn’t seem to be clearing up any time soon.
Former Lakers Lamar Odom pitches Phil Jackson as next coach
Multiple coaches have turned down the prospect of working for the Lakers in light of their most recent season, and particularly, Vogel’s post-season dismissal. Former Lakers player Lamar Odom thinks that Phil Jackson coaching the team would result in championship-level success.
Jackson won five championships with the Lakers and 11 overall during his time in the NBA. After a brief stint as the New York Knicks’ President, where he received much less acclaim, he retired from basketball altogether.
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