Hosts: Blame Phoenix Suns' roster construction, not Frank Vogel, for NBA Playoff failure
There is a lot of blame to go all around for the Phoenix Suns getting swept 4-0 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but some people think that head coach Frank Vogel is receiving more than his fair share of it.
A lot more.
On Monday, the day after Phoenix's 122-116 Game 4 loss to Minnesota, some on social media started defending the coach amid the criticism he is under and the speculation that he will be fired, instead turning blame toward something else: The Suns' roster construction.
They said the lack of a point guard, poor depth and lack of a better backup center were bigger culprits in the Suns' painful end to the season.
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VOTE: Should the #Suns fire head coach Frank Vogel? (Next coach speculation, odds: https://t.co/dbqVWerX3U) ('It's not his fault!': https://t.co/I27Ji9khob) #ItTakesEverything #NBA
— Jeremy Cluff (@Jeremy_Cluff) May 1, 2024
On the Dan Le Batard Show, TNT NBA insider Chris Haynes discussed that roster construction and how it ultimately led to the team's downfall early in the NBA Playoffs.
“Frank Vogel wanted a point guard on that roster, and the front office believed that bringing a point guard over would take the ball out of the hands of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant," Haynes said.
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“Frank Vogel wanted a point guard on that roster, and the front office believed that bringing a point guard over would take the ball out of the hands of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant…” - @ChrisBHaynes
“They’re bleeped.” - Dan
Chris Haynes joins the show as we… pic.twitter.com/8SKHJzxtUm— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) April 29, 2024
'It is not his fault!' NBA host defends Frank Vogel
NBA host Rachel Nichols and former NBA player DeMarcus Cousins addressed who is to blame for the Suns' woes in a video, with Nichols strongly defending Vogel.
"They're already trying to blame the coach," Nichols said. "It took two minutes after the final buzzer sounded for stories to leak and tweets to leak about, 'Oh, players unhappy with the coach, Bradley Beal didn't shake Frank Vogel's hand, Frank Vogel doesn't have a handle on the team. He doesn’t have their confidence.' Guess what? Frank Vogel is not the problem. He's not the problem! The roster's the problem. And that's not even James Jones's fault.
"The owner made those two big trades," Nichols continued. "He wanted the credit for it, when he came in, so now you've got to stick with it. It is the fault of the roster, the roster that the new ownership put together and Mat Ishbia may go on to be one of our best owners. … Mat can have a great future in Phoenix, but this past year or so, what he's done, you have to look in the mirror."
She concluded:" "You cannot start leaking things about the coach. Frank Vogel got this team, which had no business being in the top half of the league defensively, into the top half of the league defensively. It is not his fault!"
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How in the world are 'sources' inside the Suns expecting us to buy that their quick playoff exit is all Coach Frank Vogel's fault? Under new ownership, Phoenix rushed into two trades that hugely limited the roster, then decided they didn't need a starting PG.
Can't win that way. pic.twitter.com/WybVqg20Wv— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 29, 2024
Social media came to Frank Vogel's defense, blaming the roster construction, not the coach, for the Suns' ouster:
❌-size
❌-point guard
❌-big men
❌-defense
❌-bench depth
❌-leadership
But the suns blame frank vogel ?!??
Be glad you got a 6 seed in playoffs with that roster
Bradley Beal averaged under 20 and fouling
Devin Booker is not a facilitator
Kd is not a leader https://t.co/qiKlJVr6PQ pic.twitter.com/XdBgCVSjzY— Mr. Santucci (@HoodiePap14) April 29, 2024
Vogel isn’t a perfect coach, but this Suns roster is like the basketball version of making a sign and writing out the first few letters all huge without realizing you need room for 12 other letters
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) April 29, 2024
Vogel had this team finish 12th in defense. Maybe the players and owner who destroyed the future of the franchise for a below average star should take some blame? https://t.co/CwbmoKSFsf
— Jonathan Von Tobel (@meJVT) April 29, 2024
The man on the worst contract in the league - averaged 16 points as his team were swept on 14.8 shots.
Vogel doesn’t deserve that disrespect. He was AGAIN put in a position to fail. pic.twitter.com/qPiOQBDb2D— Lakers Universal (@LakersUniversal) April 29, 2024
This article does not make me think that Frank Vogel was the problem. It makes me think the player leadership in response to coaching was a problem.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 29, 2024
frank vogel is the most scapegoated coach in nba history https://t.co/ondtR0eAD9
— richard (@richard_normal) April 29, 2024
That’s what the front office wanted right? But yeah just blame Vogel for that I guess https://t.co/CODPGSWjc9
— In The Lab (@InTheLabBrand) April 29, 2024
KD averaged 27 points a game this season.
He shot 52% from the field, 41% from 3 & 85 from the line.
Trying to pin this all on Vogel is crazy considering the roster PHX constructed. https://t.co/mr8uUdmhk4— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) April 29, 2024
Will Frank Vogel be "scapegoated" for the Phoenix Suns' woes?
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VOTE: Who is most to blame for the #Suns' early #NBAPlayoffs exit? (Hosts blame Phoenix's roster construction: https://t.co/I27Ji9khob) #ComingInHot #ItTakesEverything
— Jeremy Cluff (@Jeremy_Cluff) April 30, 2024
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Fire Frank Vogel? Phoenix Suns coach defended amid calls for firing