The Warriors didn’t have an eye-popping offseason.
But they had an under-the-radar acquisition that could help them: They added Frank Vogel to their coaching staff as an assistant.
Vogel is bright. He’s defensive-minded. He led the Lakers to an NBA championship in the 2020 bubble at Walt Disney World.
When Steve Kerr (who won five championships as a player and four as coach) decided to return to Golden State’s helm this summer, he made it clear that the team and the coaching staff had some major areas in which they needed to improve.
Kerr added that he recently rewatched every turnover the Warriors committed last season. He believes they need to tighten the ship, bolster their decision-making and work on their fundamentals.
Vogel can help with all of that.
He’s known for transforming defenses. When he was the head coach of the Pacers from 2011-2016, he helped lead them to consecutive Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and 2014, in large part because of their discipline on the less glamorous side of the court.
Kerr has long been one of the league’s top coaches. He has a great staff. They helped the Warriors become the league’s modern-day dynasty, winning four championships in eight years from 2015-2018.
But it’s clear the Warriors could use some fresh eyes, too.
And Vogel will be very helpful with that.
Since the Warriors won their last championship in 2022, they’ve struggled. They haven’t made it past the second round of the playoffs the last four seasons. In two of those seasons, they missed the postseason altogether.
As the team’s roster stands, there’s no delusions about whether they’ll be championship contenders this season. But there’s something beautiful in Kerr, Steph Curry and Draymond Green playing for each other, regardless of the outcome.
That said, those are guys who have lived atop the league the last decade and are used to winning.
The Warriors will surely look to make some major moves ahead of the trade deadline to shore up their roster holes. And Vogel will be there to help oversee it all.
Vogel has a keen eye. In many ways, he got the raw end of the deal when he was fired by the Lakers in 2022 after the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 2021 and missed the postseason in 2022.
But that wasn’t Vogel’s fault.
After the Lakers won their first championship in a decade in 2020, they parted ways with some key pieces of their championship squad to acquire Russell Westbrook, a move that will live in franchise infamy. Someone had to take the fall for the Lakers’ dysfunction. Vogel was first in line, a fate many coaches around the league have suffered in a role that often resembles a carousel.
After coaching the Suns from 2023-24 and serving as an assistant for the Mavericks last season, Vogel has landed with a veteran-laden team and a future Hall of Fame coach who will surely appreciate his skills.
A pairing of Kerr and Vogel just seems right.
There’s old blood. There’s new blood. And there are two great minds who have independently carried teams across the finish line now working in tandem.
Vogel was a great get for the Warriors.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
