Vogel is heading to Phoenix.
The Phoenix Suns are in the final stages of finalising the appointment of Frank Vogel as their new head coach, ‘ESPN’ reported on Wednesday. The deal is for five years and a total of $31 million.
After failing to win a championship this season, the Suns parted ways with longtime head coach Monty Williams and have been searching for a new leader. Phoenix is said to have actively courted Nick Nurse, but Nurse chose Philadelphia over Phoenix.
Nunns wasn’t the only name in the running for Phoenix’s next head coach. There were veterans like Doc Rivers and younger names like Kevin Young. In the end, Phoenix chose Frank Vogel.안전놀이터
Vogel, who has coached with Indiana, Orlando, and the Lakers, has had some of his best moments in coaching to date, but his 2019-2020 season with the Lakers was the highlight of his career. With one of the best defences in the league, Vogel was all smiles as he savoured the championship.
But the glory was short-lived. The following year, Vogel’s Lakers made an early first-round exit in the playoffs. After an ambitious comeback in 2021-2022 with the acquisition of Russell Westbrook, the team suffered the humiliation of not even making it to the play-in tournament. Vogel was forced out as head coach and spent the season as a free agent.
Vogel’s time with the Lakers exposed a lot of problems and left a lot to be desired. However, his experience at the top of the game may have appealed to Phoenix, an extreme win-now organisation. He certainly has the advantage of having built some of the best defences in the league with Indiana and the Pacers.
Vogel, who worked with LeBron James with the Lakers, will be paired with another top-tier forward in Kevin Durant in Phoenix. Durant joins Steve Nash, Jacques Vaughn, and Monty Williams as Vogel’s fourth head coach in seven months.
Meanwhile, Phoenix reportedly wants Kevin Young, who had been the favourite to be the new head coach, to stay with the team. It’s possible that Young could end up leaving Phoenix for a job elsewhere in the NBA.
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