Frank Vogel holds out hope Lakers can resume NBA title chase

Like almost everyone else in the world, Frank Vogel spends a lot of time at home these days.

Typically, spring is a season in which NBA coaches don’t see much of their families, but under quarantine, the Lakers’ coach has leaned into some downtime. He works out every day with his wife and eats dinner every night with his daughters, who are doing remote schoolwork and workouts for their canceled sports seasons. He’s watching old basketball games, including LeBron James’ past Finals series, but also binging drama series like Stranger Things and All American.

However, Vogel is also spending a chunk of his time studying film and opponents, preparing for the season and the title chase he hopes will resume. Even as the NBA season has stopped short against the threat of the coronavirus, he holds out hope that the Lakers (49-14), who entered the suspension with the Western Conference’s best record and who had just beaten the Bucks and the Clippers (widely seen as their biggest rivals for the title), can finish what they started.

“I think it’s going to be difficult to just say, ‘Hey, maintain, maintain, maintain (during the break) and we just got to pick up right where we left off,’” he said. “We have to re-establish our chemistry, re-establish our work ethic, re-establish our conditioning and rhythm and timing. But every team in the league is going to have to do that. And with the veterans that we have on this team, the way we’ve come together so quickly for really a new group, it gives me a reason to be encouraged that we can accomplish this very quickly again.”

Vogel spoke on a conference call with reporters for the first time since the season was suspended on March 11, and the outlook for a return to basketball has only gotten bleaker since. The NBA has no definitive strategy to return, waiting for a turnaround in the outbreak of COVID-19 before finalizing a way to salvage as much of the 2019-20 season as possible.

There are more pressing concerns that have touched the team: The Lakers acknowledged two weeks ago that two unnamed players tested positive for COVID-19, but were asymptomatic. They’ve since completed a 14-day quarantine, with no players showing symptoms.

Vogel said to his knowledge, no one other than the players who appeared for that initial screen were tested by the team – including coaches and other team employees who have close contact with players.

“We were not told to be tested,” Vogel said. “Obviously everybody recognized the shortage of tests and we were only going to do what the local health department told us to do.”

Vogel added that while although people close to him asked if he would be tested and that he heard some concern from his family that he had worked closely with players who tested positive, he said that he had been in good health since the season was suspended and wasn’t experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID-19.

Vogel has kept in touch with his players through conference calls that also include General Manager Rob Pelinka, and the team has given them virtual workouts – some group workouts have been conducted through the Zoom app that gives the team a sense of camaraderie. Though such sessions are strictly voluntary, Vogel believes that the continued pursuit of a championship is motivating his players to stay in shape.

“Things are not mandatory, but obviously we’re competing for something bigger,” he said. “Our guys all have the mindset – we have great player leadership – and all have the mindset to make sure that they’re going to do everything they can to stay ready for when we resume.”

At the moment, he’s asked Lakers assistants to continue to scout Western Conference playoff teams, in the event that the NBA jumps straight into the postseason. Vogel said he does not have a preference for the format the NBA will take if the season is able to resume: “I trust the league is gonna just basically get the most out of it that we can while doing it in a socially responsible way, and a way that’s safe for the world.”

The NBA has openly discussed the possibility that games could be played in July and August, a timeline that would almost certainly affect the starting date of next season. There’s also the possibility the season doesn’t resume at all – a last resort for a league that is hurting financially, but also a conclusion that Vogel said he’s willing to accept if necessary.

“We get it, and this is bigger than basketball,” he said. “And us getting back on the court is not the most important thing for the world right now. Hopefully, we have that chance, and if we’re not able to, it would be a big disappointment, but I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

The frustration for Vogel is partly rooted in the improvement he was seeing from his team shortly before the abrupt halt to the season. He felt that the big wins against Milwaukee and the Clippers showcased their attention to detail, growth in areas of scheme and increased sophistication on defense that were the hallmarks of a championship team. At 35, LeBron James acknowledged recently on a podcast that time off could make it hard for him to retain the conditioning needed for the postseason – Vogel said he remained optimistic, hoping that rest could help his veterans.

While he has embraced the extra family time, Vogel said he misses the familiar rhythms of NBA life: breaking down film with his coaches, scrutinizing game plans on the practice court, feeling the companionship of the locker room, and competing from the sideline.

“The environment in the film room, on the plane, on the practice floor where you really get into, to spend time with our players and get to know them on a personal level, all those things are being missed right now by all of us,” he said. “But again, this is something the whole world is going through, we understand and we’re trying to play our part and help with this pandemic. It’s bigger than basketball and we’re just playing our part.”

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