Everything is merry in Los Angeles — well, for now at least.
As Frank Vogel begins his first season as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, he’ll have a high level of expectations. That would be because although the franchise hasn’t advanced to the playoffs since the 2012-13 season, they’ll enter the 2019-20 campaign as one of the favorites to win the title.
While all of the attention will be on Anthony Davis as he enters his first campaign with the Lakers, the relationship between Vogel and franchise player LeBron James will also be at the epicenter of storylines during the duration of the 2019-20 season.
Vogel and James are very familiar with one another. After all, it was Vogel’s Indiana Pacers squads that were the roadblock for James’ Miami Heat during the early part of this decade in the Eastern Conference playoffs, matching up against them in three consecutive postseason appearances.
As the two team up for the first time this season, the veteran head coach says that the four-time MVP has always shown him “respect.”
Via Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix:
“I did feel support right from the start from LeBron,” Vogel said. “He’s always shown me a great deal of respect dating back to our battles when I was in Indiana and competing with the Heat in the conference finals, and coaching him in the All-Star Game. He’s always shown me a great deal of respect, so I felt like there would be a lot of support, and there was immediately and that’s continued on through up to this point. Hopefully we can work together to build something special.”
While all of the right things are being said right now, the relationship between Vogel and James is a pivotal one. Throughout James’ 16-year NBA career, his working relationship with his head coaches has always been an important one. In fact, it’s safe to say that if you’re not on good terms with LeBron, you probably won’t last long on the job. Vogel, who has served as a head coach over the past decade in the NBA, is well aware of that.
However, if you have a good working relationship with James, there’s a good chance your job security will be pretty strong.
The Lakers are obviously gunning for a title this season. There is no certainty that Davis will return to the Lakers after this season — although many assume he will — and James will be 35 years old this year. In other words, the time is now for a franchise that has vastly struggled over the past six years.
Although the Lakers will have no shortage of competition for the title this season — the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks will all be up there — the relationship between Vogel and James has to be a compatible one if the Lakers are to win their first championship since 2010.
