Did Suns Make Frank Vogel a Scapegoat?

Did the Suns make the correct call?

Apr 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel looks on against the / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns officially called it quits with head coach Frank Vogel after just one season at the helm.

The Suns have in turn moved quickly - as they are expected to hire former Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer in the coming days.

“As we said at the press conference on May 1, team leadership including myself, Josh Bartelstein, and ownership would be looking across basketball operations to determine what changes needed to be made,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager James Jones. “After a thoughtful review of the season, we concluded that we needed a different head coach for our team. We appreciate Frank’s hard work and commitment. 

"We are here to win a championship and last season was way below our expectations. We will continue to evaluate our operation and make the necessary changes to reach our championship-caliber goals. We all take accountability, and it’s my job, along with Josh and ownership, to build a championship team.”

We must address whether Vogel was the scapegoat in all of this - even in the whirlwind of the last 24 hours.

It has been frequently echoed by this site that Vogel is a quality NBA coach. The track record backs it up.

Vogel won an NBA championship in 2020. He was the coach of the Indiana Pacers teams that frequently gave LeBron James trouble as a member of the Miami Heat.

That doesn't mean he was the right man for the job in the end.

Some could take the angle that he was the ultimate fallout of the star players coming short on their own accord - and can peddle reports such as that of Vogel actively campaigning to add a point guard over the course of the season as reasoning to support that.

It was simply clear that Vogel wasn't on the same page as his staff as early as December - and reports that had surfaced after the Suns' season had ended were just more confirmation that he had lost the engagement of the locker room.

It would have taken much work to rebuild trust between the head coach and his players - along with a completely recalibrated staff.

It just wouldn't make sense to bring Vogel back after what's ensued over the last four-to-five months.

The Suns will now look to move forward with an Arizona native attempting to lead the franchise to a coveted first NBA title.