The hunt for a new head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers is officially on. After firing Frank Vogel on Monday, the Lakers have started an expansive search for their new coach. However, one of their targets is reportedly less interested in the job after the way Vogel was fired.
Vogel was let go after the final game of the season and many have felt like he has been made a scapegoat. They have said that the front office deserves equal blame for the way the roster was constructed. But only the coach was held responsible for a disappointing season. Even though the Lakers do not have a front runner for the role, there have been several names that have been linked. One of them is the Utah Jazz coach, Quin Snyder.
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The Los Angeles Lakers could lose out on a head coach even before the search has started
Snyder has already been with the Lakers once in 2011 when he was an assistant coach to Mike Brown. He is known to have a very good offensive game plan along with a solid defensive foundation. Furthermore, he had led the Jazz to their sixth straight playoffs and last season, his team finished top of the West. Sources close to Snyder say that he has become less interested in the job, especially after Vogel’s firing. He has not liked how the Lakers have handled the entire process. On top of that, Snyder is under contract for at least another season.
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Vogel has been criticized for the way his team has played this season. Being a defensive-minded coach, it did not help when the Lakers finished in the bottom 10 in defensive rating. Especially when his team finished first the previous year and third the year before that. He also did have a single lineup that clocked over 100 minutes this season. Also, he did not find a way to integrate Russell Westbrook into the lineup.
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But to be fair, Vogel did the best he could. This Lakers lineup had flaws from the beginning and they did not do anything to address those flaws. Along with that, he had to deal with injuries. Anthony Davis missed more than half a season and LeBron James missed a considerable amount of time as well. With Vogel now gone, the Lakers front office will need to find an able candidate, otherwise they might miss out on next season as well.
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