Advertisement

Hosts: Blame Phoenix Suns' roster construction, not Frank Vogel, for NBA Playoff failure

jeremy cluff, arizona republic
·5 min read
9

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.

More: Phoenix Suns next head coach speculation, odds, candidates if team should fire Frank Vogel

Devin Booker to New York Knicks? Charles Barkley shuts down Stephen A. Smith trade rumor

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.

More: Frank Vogel firing speculation surges after Phoenix Suns swept by Minnesota Timberwolves

'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!"

More: Minnesota Timberwolves roast Bradley Beal after Game 4 NBA playoff win over Phoenix Suns

Some people are coming to head coach Frank Vogel's defense amid growing speculation that he will be fired as Phoenix Suns coach.
Some people are coming to head coach Frank Vogel's defense amid growing speculation that he will be fired as Phoenix Suns coach.

Social media came to Frank Vogel's defense, blaming the roster construction, not the coach, for the Suns' ouster:

Will Frank Vogel be "scapegoated" for the Phoenix Suns' woes?

Should the Suns fire Frank Vogel? 5 pressing questions following Phoenix playoff sweep

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Fire Frank Vogel? Phoenix Suns coach defended amid calls for firing