Frank Vogel entered the home locker room at Footprint Center and lit into his team. After his Phoenix Suns had fallen into a 35-4 hole en route to a loss to the LA Clippers on April 9, the head coach yelled so much that his voice could be heard outside the locker room. There was only one problem.
On this night, Suns players weren’t buying it. The outburst seemed forced and out of character in their eyes. It continued at the next day’s shootaround in Los Angeles, Vogel tearing into the Suns before that night’s road win over the Clippers. Vogel’s eruption left players rolling their eyes, sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic. One player even told The Athletic he had to keep from laughing.
On Sunday, the Suns were swept from the playoffs, losing four straight to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Western Conference first-round series that was seldom close. The Suns made a valiant effort but lost Sunday’s Game 4 at home 122-116. Phoenix did show signs of life as Devin Booker (49) and Kevin Durant (33) combined for 82 points.
But built around the star power of Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal, the Suns were expected to contend for the organization’s first championship. Instead, they spent the entire season struggling to find an identity, and in the process, lost some trust in the man in charge.
Durant, Booker and Beal did not produce at their best in these playoffs as a unit, and sources in the locker room also believe not one of the trio emerged as the necessary leader on the floor. But the buck stops at the head coach, and for the second offseason in a row, sources briefed on the situation told The Athletic that Phoenix will take a hard look at making a full coaching change or, at the very least, discuss adjustments to Vogel’s staff. General manager James Jones, however, is expected to continue overseeing team-building for the Suns, those sources said.
For his part, Vogel said before Game 4 that he is confident he will return next season, adding that he has the “full support” of team owner Mat Ishbia.
Less than a year ago, Ishbia hired Vogel on a five-year, $31 million deal to replace Monty Williams after the Suns had lost to eventual-champion Denver in the Western Conference semifinals. The decision to move on from Williams had its merits, as every sector of the Suns organization had lost faith in him. In his first season with the Detroit Pistons this year, Williams didn’t fare much better — the exact opposite, in fact, as the team posted its worst record ever.
