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Frank Vogel, his time with the Lakers at as perilous a point as he’s faced since he was hired as coach in 2019, wanted to make sure everyone knew.
“We put the work in every day,” he said before his team defeated the Utah Jazz on Monday.
The “we” Vogel was talking about in this case wasn’t LeBron James or Russell Westbrook or the recovering Anthony Davis. He was talking about the people on his bench — the coaches on his staff charged with making the most out of a depleted roster while dealing with injuries, old legs and positive COVID-19 tests.
“The coaching staff works tirelessly, OK, both in analyzing our postgame, meeting with our players individually to show them ways that they have to be better, to reinforce ways that they were great, and they work tirelessly in putting together game plans,” Vogel said. “And the game plans, the margin for error is more slim. We’ve got to be tight with all these coverages that go into it. And we know how to build an elite defense. Hasn’t taken form quite yet with this group, but the work is still being put in.
“And when you work at something, you’re going to improve.”
The statement was made to the media but it might as well have been aimed at Lakers executives Rob Pelinka, Kurt and Linda Rambis and, ultimately, Jeanie Buss. They’re the ones with Vogel’s fate in their hands, and according to NBA insiders, the coach was being seriously evaluated.
Now, though, people with knowledge of the situation insist “there are no current plans” to replace Vogel — a sign that the coach has navigated through the latest drama surrounding his position.
According to people with knowledge of the situation, Pelinka, the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, and Kurt Rambis, the team’s senior basketball advisor, met with Vogel and assistant coach David Fizdale after last week’s loss to the Sacramento Kings to discuss ways to turn things around. It was the third time the group had met in recent days.