The Los Angeles Lakers are setting off on a six-game road trip on Friday night that could decide the head coach Frank Vogel’s fate.
Vogel reportedly came close to losing his job after a blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Since then, the Lakers have beaten the Utah Jazz and suffered another disheartening loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The head coach said he “doesn’t feel like he’s under siege” after falling to the Pacers on Wednesday. Vogel hopes the defeat will motivate the Lakers to begin the road trip with a victory.
“One game at a time,” he said, asked about the six-game stint away from home. “Learn from this one, hopefully, the old adage that nothing is more motivating than a loss, hopefully, that sends us off motivated to start the trip strong.”
Vogel’s former employer, the Orlando Magic, will stand in the Lakers’ way on Friday when they try to bounce back from the loss to the Pacers. Despite the speculations over his future, the head coach doesn’t plan on altering the team’s prep routine in the lead-up to the clash in Florida.
“We have the same process after wins or losses,” Vogel said. “We watch the film, we find ways to reinforce good habits, find out where we went wrong and we work with our team on that in film sessions, walkthroughs when we have a chance to touch the court and that will be the same finishing this game and going into Orlando.”
LeBron James says Vogel’s staff put players in position to success
Amid the criticism of Vogel and the Lakers, LeBron James offered the coaching staff some words of support.
“Coaching staff has been great,” James said. “They’ve put us in position to succeed and it’s up to us to buy in and handle business. There’s always things that we all can do better but there’s no blame.”
However, James dodged a question over Vogel’s job security, saying he just wants to remain positive as the Lakers try to navigate the rough stretch.
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