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Frank Vogel is the Latest "Fall Guy" for LeBron James

Portland Trail Blazers v Los Angeles Lakers - Game One

Photo: Getty Images

Monday on 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe, Jonas Knox and LaVar Arrington react to reports that the Lakers plan on firing Head Coach Frank Vogel after their disappointing season, missing the playoffs, and it seems every time LeBron falls short of winning a title, someone on his team gets labeled a problem. The guys wonder if LeBron getting a pass is by design, not just by LeBron himself, but by the league as well.

Jonas Knox: "Frank Vogel actually sounds kind of relieved. He had to have known at some point this is probably going to be the way this is gonna go because this is how this goes with every coach seemingly LeBron James deals with, outside of Erik Spoelstra, that this was going to be his fate. He got a championship and now Frank Vogel can move on and go do something else and he doesn't have to be a part of this garbage anymore."
LaVar Arrington: "Frank Vogel, as long as the team was winning was going to be fine with with that group of guys. I don't think that that's a shocker that if they had a failing season that he would be the first one to go... You gotta know that coming into the scenario when you join a team with Lebron James."
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Jonas Knox: "The one guy that's gonna get a pass through all this is going to be LeBron. It's weird how this follows him everywhere he goes, and he never gets any of the smoke. It's just bizarre.
LaVar Arrington: " I don't think it's bizarre at all. I think that he's done an excellent job of insulating himself in a way where this is how he handles things. He has being the greatest of all time in his sights. That's his campaign is to be the greatest of all time and you know who needs that more than anybody else? Even maybe more so than LeBron? The NBA. It does the NBA no good to have Michael Jordan being that when you have LeBron James there. Like, what's next after Lebron James? He's got to solidify what he represents while he's still an active player...
With LeBron James there's always going to be a level of protection, and make no mistake about it, that same thing existed with Michael Jordan when he was playing... And that was by design and I think that's what's designed for LeBron."