LeBron James does not sound like he is ready for Frank Vogel to get David Blatt’d just yet.
The Los Angeles Lakers star was asked this week about the scrutiny that is facing Vogel and replied with a telling take.
“I think criticism comes with the job, you know?” said James, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Frank is a strong-minded guy. He has a great coaching staff. We as his players have to do a better job of going out and producing on the floor. We’re a team and an organization that don’t mind some adversity, that don’t mind people saying things about us, obviously, because it comes with the territory.
“We have a lot of guys on this team that have been bulletin-board material for quite a long time, so it don’t quite bother us,” the former MVP added. “Everything that we do stays in house when it comes to our preparation and how we prepare for our next opponent and how we prepare to get better. Frank doesn’t care and we don’t either about what people are saying.”
This amounts to a fairly strong defense of Vogel from James and one that Vogel definitely needs. The Lakers are just 12-12 on the season, leading to rumors of Vogel being on the hot seat. Another Lakers player recently even seemed to admit that Vogel was getting outcoached.
For James’ part however, he appears to be saying here that the Lakers will not listen to all of the outside noise calling for Vogel to be fired. Instead, James placed the onus directly on himself and his teammates to do a better job of performing. Hopefully that buys Vogel enough time to right the ship before the situation gets really dire.
Photo: Nov 28, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) reacts against the Detroit Pistons in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
