Frank Vogel is clearly on the hot seat after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs, and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith had a harsh assessment of the head coach Wednesday on First Take:
"The Los Angeles Lakers quit the last several weeks of the season," Smith said (3:40). "Quit on Frank Vogel."
Los Angeles lost its seventh game in a row to drop to 31-48 on the season, clinching no better than 11th in the Western Conference.
"They're not hustling back on defense, they're not prioritizing team play," Smith added. "They were a bunch of individuals, living in LaLa, enjoying the sunshine. I'm sorry, that's on Frank Vogel."
The Lakers are only two years removed from winning a championship under Vogel. The franchise went six years without a playoff berth before the coach arrived and led the squad to a title in his first season with the team.
Things have gone downhill in the two years since.
Los Angeles barely snuck into the playoffs through the play-in tournament in 2020-21 before losing in the first round. The team couldn't even get that far in 2021-22 after an especially embarrassing late-season slide. The Lakers have won just five of their last 25 games and don't have consecutive wins since Jan. 7.
Injuries have been a significant issue with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis missing time, but Vogel couldn't do anything to stop the bleeding.
It could lead to a change in the coaching staff this offseason.
.png?w=2560 "Week 11 Winners & Losers 📊")
