Los Angeles Lakers

DeMarcus Cousins was surprised by how the Los Angeles Lakers handled the firing of head coach Frank Vogel.

"The man didn’t even make it to the f--king flight!" Cousins said, per Bill Oram of The Athletic. "The NBA getting brutal, ain’t it?"

The Denver Nuggets big man scored 17 points in his team's 146-141 overtime home loss to the Lakers on Sunday. Shortly after the final buzzer, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Vogel had coached his final game with the team.

Vogel said after the contest that he hadn't been contacted by anyone in the front office.

"I haven't been told s--t, and I'm going to enjoy tonight's game," he told reporters. 

Cousins was initially on the Lakers roster in 2019-20, when Vogel led the team to an NBA title in his first year as coach, but he didn't see any action before being waived as he recovered from a torn ACL. The squad had missed the playoffs in each of the last six seasons.

While L.A. made the postseason last campaign, it suffered a first-round playoff exit and missed the playoffs this season with a 33-49 record. Even with an overtime win in the final game, Vogel will be looking for a new job after the news is official as soon as Monday, per Woj.

Of course, Cousins likely understands the brutality of the NBA as much as anyone. The four-time All-Star was one of the top bigs in the league before a ruptured Achilles derailed his career in 2018, ending a potentially elite partnership with Anthony Davis with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Injuries have been a story for the veteran since, and he has played for four different teams over the last two years since missing all of 2019-20.

Cousins' 31 regular-season games with the Nuggets represents his longest tenure with any team since leaving the Pelicans in 2018.    

Anthony Davis believes he and LeBron James can still be the core of a championship contender but acknowledged something was amiss when the two shared the floor this season.

"I think us two can. We've shown that we can," Davis told reporters Sunday. "I don't know that's something we just have to reevaluate in the offseason, upstairs, me and him talking about this season and what we would like to see next season and kind of just figure it out.

"... [We will] come together as a group ... to get back to championship mentality that we had our first year. So that would be a very interesting conversation just from the standpoint of what changed. I mean, injuries, but even when we were healthy, I don't think we were able to reach our full potential—for whatever reason. So I think we want to figure it out and just get back to that championship pedigree that us as players know we're capable of." 

James and Davis played only 22 games together this season, and the Lakers were a disappointing 11-11 in those contests. They have played only 49 games together combined over the last two seasons because of injuries after being on the floor together 59 times in their championship 2019-20 season.

If you're looking for the biggest issue in the Lakers' roster construction, it starts there. They're built around two players who can't stay on the floor. Davis has played 70-plus games twice in his decade-long NBA career. James has been healthy in exactly one of his four Lakers seasons.

Luck plays a factor into injuries, but availability is a skill that neither Davis nor James possess at this point in their careers. James probably isn't going to become a bastion of health as he approaches age 38 and has the second-most minutes played (regular season and playoffs) in NBA history.

Davis was supposed to be the bridge to the latter years of James' career, but the 29-year-old hasn't proved capable from an availability or skill standpoint. The bubble was the only short period where Davis looked like he could eclipse an aging LeBron as the Lakers' best player, and the 2019-20 campaign was the only one where he pulled his weight as second in command.

The Lakers need to do a better job of building around their two stars, but James and Davis share blame in that, too. They were the ones advocating behind the scenes for a Russell Westbrook trade, a move that proved disastrous and limited the Lakers' ability to have quality role players.

Jettisoning Westbrook will be top priority this offseason as the Lakers look to reload around James and Davis once again, but Davis isn't wrong that there needs to be some self-reflection. 

About the only thing missing from Carmelo Anthony's Hall of Fame resume is a championship ring, but the veteran is not willing to sacrifice his happiness in an effort to change that as he approaches free agency.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin shared Anthony's thoughts in which he said, in part, "If I gotta be unhappy to try to go fight and win a championship, I don't want that. I don't want that unhappiness." 

It seemed as if Anthony was set up to win his first ring when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers prior to the start of the season.

After all, Los Angeles was loaded with future Hall of Famers in LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Anthony and Dwight Howard, and the presence of James, Davis and Westbrook in particular meant the Syracuse product wouldn't be expected to carry the team on a nightly basis

Yet the season turned into a nightmare for the Lakers.

They failed to even qualify for the play-in tournament as Davis and James dealt with injuries and Westbrook struggled to fit his game into an offense that had so much other star power. Westbrook's inability to consistently hit shots from the outside played poorly alongside James and Davis, who need to be surrounded by shooters because of the attention they draw.

Anthony is far from his prime at this point, but he still provided a scoring spark off the bench and averaged 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep

He will be 38 years old during the 2022-23 campaign, so expecting anything more than a secondary role is probably unwise regardless of where he signs.

The 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection will likely look for the best basketball fit and somewhere he can be happy playing if these comments are any indication. While his friendship with James is no secret, he may look to play elsewhere after such a tumultuous season.          

The Los Angeles Lakers have been a disjointed team throughout much of the season, and apparently the players were mentally checked out well before they were no longer in contention for the playoffs.

Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com detailed one instance in which a Los Angeles player was texting someone during halftime of a game. What makes matters worse, is that the incident reportedly occurred in front of Lakers head coach Frank Vogel. Bulpett's source said the player claimed it wasn't the first time that happened.

"I couldn’t believe it. And later when we met up, he said he wasn’t the only motherf--ker texting other people,” the employee told Heavy. "He said it was nothing against Vogel. The players liked Frank and thought he knew what he was doing. They saw him as a good guy and a good basketball guy, but Frank had been marginalized too much."

At 32-49 entering Sunday's regular-season finale, the Lakers are set to miss the postseason just two years removed from winning an NBA championship. Los Angeles has had to deal with the absences of star players LeBron James and Anthony Davis for much of the season, as they both suffered multiple injuries. The veteran-laden roster failed to jell even in the moments the team was fully healthy.

All of this led to rampant speculation surrounding Vogel's job security throughout the year, which he recently admitted had gotten to him.

"It’s not easy to shut it out," Vogel told Bill Oram of The Athletic (h/t Hoops Hype). "It’s not fun to have those reports hanging over your head or seeing it everywhere you look, especially so early in the season [and] after what we’ve been able to accomplish here. But to me, that pressure of expectation has been here since the day I signed on."

It's clear that the Lakers need some changes if they want to return to title contention next season, so Vogel's days in Los Angeles might be numbered.

A LeBron James rookie card sold for nearly $1.1 million at Goldin Auctions:

The Exquisite Rookie Patch card has been one of the more sought-after collectables for LeBron James.

A similar version of the card sold for $5.2 million in April 2021 to a private buyer, setting a record at the time for the most expensive basketball card in history. 

The latest card was also rated a "9" in mint condition, featuring a LeBron autograph and part of the No. 23 in the patch. It has become one of the top cards available for a superstar with 18 All-Star selections, four MVPs and four NBA titles in his career.

With prices continuing to soar for all sports memorabilia, the seven-figure purchase could end up being a bargain for the buyer.

If the Los Angeles Lakers move on from head coach Frank Vogel this offseason, the first call could be to the Toronto Raptors.

"I would expect the Lakers to at least ask about Nick Nurse," an Eastern Conference executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.

The executive noted any call could be more for appearances, however, with Nurse currently represented by Andy Miller of Klutch Sports. Klutch also notably represents both Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

"They're not going to let him go," the source said of the Raptors. "But it makes him look better and Klutch look better if they are asking for him, right?"

Nurse would certainly be a top target for any team looking for a coach after his impressive start to his career. The 54-year-old led the Raptors to an NBA title in his first year at the helm in 2018-19. A year later, he won the NBA's Coach of the Year award after keeping the team in contention without Kawhi Leonard.

Despite a down 2020-21 campaign, the Raptors are headed back to the playoffs this year with a 48-33 record with one game remaining.

This type of leadership could help the Lakers, who will miss the playoffs this season. The squad is just 32-49 heading into the final game, falling short of the play-in tournament after entering the year as one of the favorites to win the title.

Though injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis were damaging, the entire roster struggled while ranking 21st in the league in defensive efficiency. The Raptors are currently ninth in the category.

Vogel led the Lakers to a title two years ago, but it seems the team needs a new voice in the locker room to get them back into contention in 2022-23.

While Toronto likely won't want to lose Nurse to Los Angeles, he would be a strong fit for a star-studded roster.

Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook have been ruled out of the Los Angeles Lakers' season finale against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday evening due to injury.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN provided the injury report for the game at Denver's Ball Arena, with a 9:30 p.m. ET tipoff.

LeBron James has already missed the past four games with a left ankle sprain. Davis, Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony each missed the last two matchups with their reported ailments.

The 32-49 Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention after a 121-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. Davis and Westbrook have been out ever since with the team playing out the string.

The Lakers have played two games without their Big Three following the Suns loss. Other players have taken the opportunity to step up with the season winding down.

Talen Horton-Tucker dropped 40 points on 15-of-28 shooting alongside four steals in a 128-112 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Stanley Johnson then led eight players in double-figure scoring with 21 points as the Lakers broke an eight-game losing streak with a 120-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Now the season will draw to a close against NBA MVP candidate Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, who are tied for fifth in the Western Conference at 48-33. They'll be headed to the playoffs, while the Lakers will be heading home for the season after the game.

The Los Angeles Lakers are signing guard Mac McClung to a two-way NBA contract, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

McClung retweeted Charania and confirmed the news:

McClung averaged 21.6 points on 47 percent shooting (37.3 percent from three-point range), 7.6 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 36.3 minutes per game for the G League's South Bay Lakers. Thanks to his efforts, he was named the G League's Rookie of the Year.

The Lakers finished with a 21-11 record, good enough for third in the Western Conference. They defeated the Santa Cruz Warriors in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Agua Caliente Clippers in the conference semifinals on Thursday.

McClung played summer-league ball for the Lakers, posting 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per game. He played just 16 minutes over three games in the preseason before the Lakers waived him on Oct. 13. He signed with the South Bay Lakers 10 days later.

McClung then signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 22 and Jan. 1. He made one appearance for the Bulls, scoring a two-pointer in three minutes against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 29. McClung also made one appearance with the G-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, on Jan. 4. He had 19 points and nine assists.

The Bulls did not sign McClung for the remainder of the year after his second 10-day deal expired, and he rejoined the South Bay Lakers.

The 23-year-old McClung, who went undrafted, played college ball with Georgetown and Texas Tech. He helped lead the Red Raiders to the 2021 NCAA tournament with 15.5 points per game.

As for the Lakers, they have just one game left this season, a road matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The Los Angeles Lakers will wrap up one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, and now we're getting some insight into why things went so poorly, particularly with Russell Westbrook.

The star point guard had one of the worst seasons of his career in L.A. after coming over in a trade from the Washington Wizards. He struggled to adapt in Frank Vogel's system, and his issues reportedly began before the season started. 

A Lakers staff member told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times that Westbrook refused to share the ball with his teammates and wanted the ball in his hands at all times, which irritated Vogel, who Westbrook reportedly did not respect.

"Russ [Westbrook) never respected Frank [Vogel] from Day 1," the staff member told Woike. "The moment Frank said anybody who gets the rebound can bring it up the court, which is just how the NBA is played these days, Russ was like, 'Naw, I’m the point guard. Give the ball to me. Everybody run.' Frank was like, 'No, we have Talen [Horton-Tucker)] We have Austin [Reaves]. We have Malik. We have LeBron. We have AD. They can all bring the ball up.' He was like, 'Nope, I'm the point guard. Give me that s---. Everybody get out the way.'

"From that point on, in training camp, it was a wrap, 'cause now Russ is a fish out of water. He doesn't know what to do. That's how that started."

Westbrook got his fair share of touches this season, and even as he continued to struggle, his teammates would still give him the ball. The 33-year-old is averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 29.8 percent from deep in 78 games. He hadn't averaged under 20 points per game since his second season in the NBA in 2009-10.

Westbrook's teammates even tried to give him some motivation to elevate his game. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, his teammates were trying to find a way to "feed the beast" and would tell him things like "the coaches hate you" and "the front office is trying to get rid of you." 

That tactic didn't work out, and now it appears the Lakers are trying to part ways with Westbrook this offseason. And while it could be difficult given his $47 million salary in 2022-23, the Charlotte Hornets have been named as a team to watch for the veteran guard, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. 

The Los Angeles Lakers' front-office power structure reportedly isn't expected to change despite L.A. disappointingly missing the playoffs this season.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, general manager Rob Pelinka and special adviser Kurt Rambis are expected to remain in power.

With both LeBron James and Anthony Davis missing significant time due to injury this season, the Lakers are just 31-49, and they will miss the playoffs for the second time in the past four seasons.

Since winning a championship in 2019-20, which was the Lakers' first season with James and Davis as a combo, the team has largely disappointed.

The Lakers reached the playoffs last season, but needed to go through the postseason play-in tournament to get there and fell to the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

Hopes were high this season after Pelinka and Rambis played a role in adding Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and several other supporting-cast members around James and Davis, but the mix didn't work.

Much of that is undoubtedly because LeBron and AD have missed a combined 64 games, often leaving the Lakers without a go-to player.

It seems likely that the scapegoat for the Lakers' struggles will be head coach Frank Vogel despite the fact that he led them to a championship just two seasons ago.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported this week that the Lakers are expected to part ways with Vogel and are already considering potential candidates to replace him.

Even if they are indeed retained, Pelinka and Rambis could now find themselves on a short leash, especially if the Lakers don't improve significantly next season.

Following a lengthy career as an agent, Pelinka has been the Lakers GM since 2017, playing a role in the signing of James, the acquisition of Davis and the building of a championship roster.

Meanwhile, Rambis has a long history with the Lakers organization as a player, coach and executive.

Rambis played for the Lakers from 1981 to '88 and 1993 to '95, winning four championships. Later, he had three stints as a Lakers assistant coach, winning two more titles, plus three in a front-office role. Rambis was also the head coach of the Lakers for one season in 1998-99.

In 2019, it was reported by ESPN's Amin Elhassan (h/t Dan Feldman of NBC Sports) that Rambis' wife, Linda Rambis, is close to Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and has significant influence within the organization.

The Lakers are in desperate need of a turnaround after one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory, and for now it looks like Pelinka and Rambis will be in charge of leading that turnaround.