Has there ever been any single NBA season as comparable to a soap opera as that of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018-19?
From the first day that they signed LeBron James in free agency, to the utter calamity of the Anthony Davis saga, to Magic Johnson resigning as president of basketball operations and the team parting ways with head coach Luke Walton within a span of two days, the Lakers have been a constant source of news.
Los Angeles was a very popular pick to return to the playoffs and even make a run towards the top of the Western Conference, but instead succumbed to injuries, poor defending and a total lack of perimeter shooting.
Walton, in particular, seemed hard-pressed to balance the need for nurturing improvement from the youngsters while simultaneously appeasing veterans like James, JaVale McGee and (formerly) Michael Beasley.
And so, the Lakers will head into their offseason with a host of priorities, which also includes luring a max-level free agent to join James. But first, they will have to resolve the coaching vacancy and bring on their fourth head coach in the past five years.
Los Angeles has already been linked with former Cleveland Cavaliers front man Tyronn Lue–who has experience coaching James–and current Philadelphia 76ers assistant Monty Williams, among others.
The priority throughout the hiring process will be to find a coach suitable enough both to earn the trust and confidence of James as well as to help facilitate the development of Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball and improve L.A.'s team defense.
So why not take a harder look at former Pacers and Magic head coach Frank Vogel?
Defensive pedigree
Although the Lakers ranked a respectable 13th in terms of defensive rating last season, they ranked 21st in terms of defensive scoring, according to NBA.com statistics.
By contrast, Vogel has spearheaded some of the better defensive teams in the NBA. When Vogel's Pacers won 56 games in the 2013-14 season, they ranked first in defensive rating and second in opponent scoring.
Vogel struggled to get the best out of his Orlando Magic teams in his last two seasons as a head coach, but Orlando had a very similar defensive rating in 2017-18 to the Lakers, while also conceding almost five fewer points per game.
Now, a lot of that is due in part to the massive influx in league-wide scoring this season. In addition, Vogel was blessed with having an ultra-talented perimeter defender in Paul George alongside a ferocious rim protector in Roy Hibbert when he was coaching in Indiana.
Still, Vogel's pedigree is suggestive of his ability to build team defense around his personnel. Although LeBron was criticized for his effort on that side of the ball this year, it might not be a stretch to wonder just how much Vogel's intensity would inspire him to be that same dogged defender that he was during his prime.
Plus, guys like Kuzma improved tremendously, and if he is healthy, Lonzo Ball is also one of the better perimeter defenders in basketball. Given this personnel, there s a real chance that Vogel could help transform the Lakers' team defense to compliment their scoring potential.
Experience with the youngsters
Vogel's teams in Indiana had an interesting blend of youth and veteran talent.
Although the conflict between George and Danny Granger would eventually drive Granger out of town, Vogel was masterful in managing other personalities that included David West, George Hill, Luis Scola and others.
Likewise, the Lakers need someone who can bridge that gap. While LeBron and Kuzma have seemingly developed a great relationship, that chemistry has yet to be made tangible among the rest of the group.
Vogel was one of the more passionate and emphatic coaches in the game, and a far cry from the more stoic nature of Walton.
He would demand a greater sense of camaraderie from his troops.
Can he mesh with James?
LeBron's relationships with his head coaches have been heavily scrutinized in recent years, so the ability for Vogel to gel with the best player of this generation would obviously prove crucial to the team's success.
And yet, James is likely to have tremendous respect for a coach whose Pacers teams were the Heat's greatest rivals during LeBron's tenure in Miami, even pushing them to the brink of elimination.
Most of LeBron's coaches have lacked Vogel's more fiery nature, which could actually be just the right kind of temperament to stoke James on another run to greatness.
So in a season where just about everything went wrong in L.A., why not take a more thorough dive into one of the game's more underappreciated coaches.
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