New Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel isn't exactly “giddy” at the idea of coaching LeBron James, but rather looking into the bigger picture of what could be possible for his team with a player of his caliber on the roster:
“He definitely still has that star power, but it’s not a situation where I’m like a high school coach that’s giddy to go be around LeBron James,” Vogel told Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I’ve been around this league a lot, I’ve been a head coach for eight years and it’s really about the respect I have for him and his journey and where he’s at going forward into his career.”
Vogel's introductory press conference on Monday was everything that was expected to be out of the coach. He was always poised but positive, as he has been in his past tenures as the head man.
Coaching James comes with plenty of challenges, which is why candidates like Monty Williams, Tyronn Lue, and even Jason Kidd rang as potential sound options to take the helm moving forward — as they all have his respect.
It's unknown if James has quite that same respect factor for Vogel, but the Lakers still have Kidd on his staff as a means of a second voice, in case Vogel's rings hollow:
“This is the next chapter,” Vogel said of James. “It was Cleveland, Miami, Cleveland, boom, L.A. What’s this next chapter of his storied career going to look like?
“I’m humbled to be a part of that and excited about making it one hell of a chapter.”
It'll take a lot more than humility and positivity to jell with James and form a bond, and that is likely to be Vogel's first order of business upon his hire as the new coach.
Follow Us
Subscribe