NBA Rumors: Frank Vogel's Future In Los Angeles All Hinges On Playoff 'Success'

The Los Angeles Lakers are far from sure in making the NBA playoffs this year, and head coach Frank Vogel could see his time in the City of Angels come to an end.

In a joint piece by Sam Amick and Bill Oram of The Athletic, it was revealed that the 48-year-old’s job security is on the line this postseason.

“With one season left on his deal, all signs point to him being replaced in the summer unless there is, in fact, a stunning playoff run in their future,” the report said.

A “stunning playoff run” is thought to at least be a second round or conference finals appearance according to an anonymous source that told them of the situation.

Vogel was already dancing on a knife's edge prior to this latest update as it was rumored that he was close to being fired after a 37-point drubbing at the hands of the Denver Nuggets on January 15.

While it is fair to place some of the blame on Vogel for his questionable rotations this season, firing their head coach just two years removed from delivering the franchise’s first title in over a decade may not be the end-all, be-all solution.

The Lakers’ woes this season began in the offseason when the front office decided to keep Talen Horton-Tucker while also letting key role player Alex Caruso walk to the Chicago Bulls.

Gambling on getting Russell Westbrook to play ball with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis to complete their core of three All-Stars failed to live up to expectations thus far.

Then Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry was reportedly on the table for the Lakers, but the reluctance to trade Horton-Tucker allowed the deal to fall through.

The Lakers have been looking for a solution to their problems throughout the season, and the best that they have come up with thus far is to play James at center in the absence of Davis.

In terms of the regular season, this could work to a certain degree as evidenced by James’ 56-point explosion against the Golden State Warriors this past weekend.

However, it will likely be a much bigger problem in the playoffs if Davis’ mid-foot sprain keeps him out for longer than expected.

Both James and Westbrook have only one more year on their current deals and talks of Westbrook’s contract being stretched have dominated the rumor mill over the past few days.

The problems that have been plaguing the Lakers go beyond Vogel’s coaching as the man has proven that he can win if given the right personnel which he currently does not have.

How Vogel will tackle the current situation within his team remains to be seen, and Lakers fans need to strap in for a wild ride as the regular season comes to a close in just about a month.