Following a couple of days of silence after the media got wind of the hire, the Lakers have officially announced Frank Vogel as the next head coach of the team and will introduce him at a news conference on Monday at 11 a.m. at the training facility.
Lakers officially announce the hiring of Coach Frank Vogel, with his introductory news conference scheduled next Monday at 11 am at the team training facility.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) May 14, 2019
Rob Pelinka spoke about the hire in a team press release.
“We are excited to add Frank Vogel as the next head coach of the Lakers,” said Pelinka. “Coach Vogel has a proven track record of success in the NBA Playoffs, and he reflects the core qualities we were looking for in a head coach – including, detailed game preparation, extreme hard work, and holding players accountable to the highest basketball standards.”
Vogel had success with the Indiana Pacers and Paul George before becoming the Orlando Magic head coach, where he had less success.
Vogel also had a statement in the press release.
“I am very excited for this opportunity to join the Lakers, a prestigious organization that I have long admired,” said Vogel. “I look forward to coaching such phenomenal talent and bringing my strategic vision to the team.”
While the Vogel hiring appears to be a good one, and he is certainly a better head coach than Luke Walton, it’s hard to remain optimistic about the team following the fallout with coaching candidate and former head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers Ty Lue.
Also making the hire bittersweet is the addition of Jason Kidd to the coaching staff. Kidd has set a precedent of undermining his superiors and also has been accused of domestic violence.
