https://theathletic.com/1471999/2019...rce=dailyemail
By Scott Agness Dec 18, 2019
The Lakers’ visit to Indianapolis was as much a reunion for coach Frank Vogel as it was one of 82 regular-season games. This was where he’s spent the longest portion of his career, where he earned his first head-coaching opportunity and where he’s had the most success. It’s where he raised his two daughters, Alexa and Arianna, who are now teenagers living in Los Angeles.
It was Vogel, 46, who set the tone for positivity, hard work and togetherness in the locker room at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and he followed through on his promise to take the team back to the playoffs after a four-year absence.
One of the first things he did upon arrival at his former office was walk up to the club level, above section 16, and say hello to legendary Pacers figure Slick Leonard, the only individual with more wins as Pacers head coach than Vogel. Leonard, a Hall of Famer, has 529 wins. Vogel has 250.
It was difficult for Vogel to go anywhere in the building without seeing a familiar face. As the backdoor to the training room swung open and Vogel arrived for his pregame interview with the media, he smiled and scanned the group of more than two dozen.
“How y’all been?” he asked. “Big mix of old friends and new friends. This is really cool.”
After Larry Bird moved on from him in 2016, Vogel had several teams interested and chose Orlando, where he hoped to set a new standard for basketball in the land of Disney. Management changed and poor roster management decisions were made, like including Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in a trade for Serge Ibaka when they already had Nikola Vucevic and then signing free-agent center Bismack Biyombo.
Vogel moved his family to Orlando for three years, doubling his annual salary from Indiana, but was out of a job after two seasons. For the first time in more than a decade, he was out of the league during the 2018-19 season, and it was the best thing for him. He played golf, studying the game in ways time wouldn’t allow previously, and he visited several other teams to see how things were run elsewhere.
“I think I grew dramatically from my year off,” he said. “It was a great opportunity to recharge the batteries, study the game from a different perspective. I really traveled a lot and spent a lot of time in other coaching staffs’ meetings, practices and film sessions and really learned a ton. When you’re running your own program, that’s all you ever see. The opportunity to step away and observe others I think has been a big benefit and really helped me grow as a coach.”
Celtics coach Brad Stevens spoke with Vogel more than anyone, typically at least once per week. He invited him up to Boston and welcomed him around the team. Stevens enjoys helping other coaches, and it was fitting that he was there for Vogel just as Vogel was there for him in 2013 when Stevens left Butler University for the NBA. Soon after, they had a long dinner at Summer League, ironically in Orlando, where Vogel answered his questions and welcomed him to the fraternity.
For most of this decade, the Pacers’ postseason went through LeBron James — through Miami in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and through Cleveland in 2017 and 2018. Five times over a seven-year span, James’ teams knocked the Pacers out of the playoffs. So it still is surreal to see Vogel roaming the sidelines with James now on his side.
“It’s one of those things where you come to work every day and you work with him,” Vogel said of their partnership. “He’s part of your team and your family now, so you don’t really even think about the days where he wasn’t. You stay in the moment and you focus on the job that we have to do in front of us.”
See also: 25 things to know about Frank Vogel
Myles Turner is the only Pacer still on the roster who played for Vogel; he was just a rookie. Nate McMillan, who served as Vogel’s top aide from 2013 to 2016 before being promoted to head coach, recognizes many of the same things from what they did in Indiana. The Lakers have the third-ranked defense and are top five in assists, and Vogel still utilizes many of the same play calls, which is typical.
“A lot of times that travels with us when we go different places,” McMillan said with a grin. “So they’re doing some things that he did when he was here, and I think they’re doing some of the (defensive) things that he wanted to do when he was here. He has a team that he’s able to do that with now.”
Only this time he has two MVP candidates, James and Anthony Davis, and the expectation is to compete for a title, not just to go deep in the playoffs.
“Frank is enjoying what we all dream of, as a player and a coach: an opportunity to win and win a championship,” McMillan added.
With great talent playing for an iconic franchise, expectations are elevated and the attention is multiplied. It’s not an easy or necessarily stable environment to move into. But Vogel is relentlessly optimistic, listens to his players and is driven by hard work and defense. Those principles travel no matter where you are, and thus far, they have seemingly been free of drama.
The Lakers are 24-4 and had won seven in a row until the Pacers handed them their first loss outside of the Staples Center all season, 105-102, Tuesday night. Approaching the 30-game mark, chemistry is strong, and already the Lakers are the favorites to come out of the Western Conference after watching the playoffs from home last spring.
“Obviously, we have a long way to go, but the guys in this locker room have been ultimate pros,” Vogel said. “They bought in from the get-go, really attentive to everything we’re trying to implement with our team. The carryover from practices and film sessions into the game has been better than any team that I’ve been a part of. Obviously, when you have two superstars like we do on this team, you have a great chance to win every night.”
Indianapolis will always be special for Vogel and his family. They make it back each summer for several weeks. Now he’d just like to win there again, but it’ll have to wait until next season. With another loss Tuesday, Vogel dropped to 0-8 against his former team and 0-5 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“We’re hitting on all cylinders right now,” Vogel said of coaching the Lakers. “We know we have a long way to go, but it’s been a great experience so far.”
By Scott Agness Dec 18, 2019
The Lakers’ visit to Indianapolis was as much a reunion for coach Frank Vogel as it was one of 82 regular-season games. This was where he’s spent the longest portion of his career, where he earned his first head-coaching opportunity and where he’s had the most success. It’s where he raised his two daughters, Alexa and Arianna, who are now teenagers living in Los Angeles.
It was Vogel, 46, who set the tone for positivity, hard work and togetherness in the locker room at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and he followed through on his promise to take the team back to the playoffs after a four-year absence.
One of the first things he did upon arrival at his former office was walk up to the club level, above section 16, and say hello to legendary Pacers figure Slick Leonard, the only individual with more wins as Pacers head coach than Vogel. Leonard, a Hall of Famer, has 529 wins. Vogel has 250.
It was difficult for Vogel to go anywhere in the building without seeing a familiar face. As the backdoor to the training room swung open and Vogel arrived for his pregame interview with the media, he smiled and scanned the group of more than two dozen.
“How y’all been?” he asked. “Big mix of old friends and new friends. This is really cool.”
After Larry Bird moved on from him in 2016, Vogel had several teams interested and chose Orlando, where he hoped to set a new standard for basketball in the land of Disney. Management changed and poor roster management decisions were made, like including Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in a trade for Serge Ibaka when they already had Nikola Vucevic and then signing free-agent center Bismack Biyombo.
Vogel moved his family to Orlando for three years, doubling his annual salary from Indiana, but was out of a job after two seasons. For the first time in more than a decade, he was out of the league during the 2018-19 season, and it was the best thing for him. He played golf, studying the game in ways time wouldn’t allow previously, and he visited several other teams to see how things were run elsewhere.
“I think I grew dramatically from my year off,” he said. “It was a great opportunity to recharge the batteries, study the game from a different perspective. I really traveled a lot and spent a lot of time in other coaching staffs’ meetings, practices and film sessions and really learned a ton. When you’re running your own program, that’s all you ever see. The opportunity to step away and observe others I think has been a big benefit and really helped me grow as a coach.”
Celtics coach Brad Stevens spoke with Vogel more than anyone, typically at least once per week. He invited him up to Boston and welcomed him around the team. Stevens enjoys helping other coaches, and it was fitting that he was there for Vogel just as Vogel was there for him in 2013 when Stevens left Butler University for the NBA. Soon after, they had a long dinner at Summer League, ironically in Orlando, where Vogel answered his questions and welcomed him to the fraternity.
For most of this decade, the Pacers’ postseason went through LeBron James — through Miami in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and through Cleveland in 2017 and 2018. Five times over a seven-year span, James’ teams knocked the Pacers out of the playoffs. So it still is surreal to see Vogel roaming the sidelines with James now on his side.
“It’s one of those things where you come to work every day and you work with him,” Vogel said of their partnership. “He’s part of your team and your family now, so you don’t really even think about the days where he wasn’t. You stay in the moment and you focus on the job that we have to do in front of us.”
See also: 25 things to know about Frank Vogel
Myles Turner is the only Pacer still on the roster who played for Vogel; he was just a rookie. Nate McMillan, who served as Vogel’s top aide from 2013 to 2016 before being promoted to head coach, recognizes many of the same things from what they did in Indiana. The Lakers have the third-ranked defense and are top five in assists, and Vogel still utilizes many of the same play calls, which is typical.
“A lot of times that travels with us when we go different places,” McMillan said with a grin. “So they’re doing some things that he did when he was here, and I think they’re doing some of the (defensive) things that he wanted to do when he was here. He has a team that he’s able to do that with now.”
Only this time he has two MVP candidates, James and Anthony Davis, and the expectation is to compete for a title, not just to go deep in the playoffs.
“Frank is enjoying what we all dream of, as a player and a coach: an opportunity to win and win a championship,” McMillan added.
With great talent playing for an iconic franchise, expectations are elevated and the attention is multiplied. It’s not an easy or necessarily stable environment to move into. But Vogel is relentlessly optimistic, listens to his players and is driven by hard work and defense. Those principles travel no matter where you are, and thus far, they have seemingly been free of drama.
The Lakers are 24-4 and had won seven in a row until the Pacers handed them their first loss outside of the Staples Center all season, 105-102, Tuesday night. Approaching the 30-game mark, chemistry is strong, and already the Lakers are the favorites to come out of the Western Conference after watching the playoffs from home last spring.
“Obviously, we have a long way to go, but the guys in this locker room have been ultimate pros,” Vogel said. “They bought in from the get-go, really attentive to everything we’re trying to implement with our team. The carryover from practices and film sessions into the game has been better than any team that I’ve been a part of. Obviously, when you have two superstars like we do on this team, you have a great chance to win every night.”
Indianapolis will always be special for Vogel and his family. They make it back each summer for several weeks. Now he’d just like to win there again, but it’ll have to wait until next season. With another loss Tuesday, Vogel dropped to 0-8 against his former team and 0-5 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“We’re hitting on all cylinders right now,” Vogel said of coaching the Lakers. “We know we have a long way to go, but it’s been a great experience so far.”
Comment