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Will the Lakers axe Frank Vogel for the Utah Jazz's Quin Snyder?

With the Lakers head coach Frank Vogel in the hot seat, one name has come up as a possible replacement and that's Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz.

Update:
With the Lakers head coach Frank Vogel in the hot seat, one name has come up as a possible replacement and that's Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz.
USA TODAY Sports

If there is one coaching job in the league which has not been secure this season, its the one in Los Angeles, however, the rumored replacement could be quite surprise.

The Lakers' Frank Vogel is in trouble

The proverbial hot seat has been well and truly heated for Frank Vogel over the last few months. To add even further context, it is now understood that the Los Angeles Lakers were in fact quite close to firing Vogel earlier in the season after a brutal loss to the Denver Nuggets. In the end Vogel was kept on and reports suggest that it was due to mangement feeling that it would not only would it do little to rectify the current campaign, but it could in fact have a detrimental effect on the team as it would be mid-season. With that said, however, it is now quite clear that should the Lakers fail to make the playoffs, or alternatively crash out of the post season early on, Vogel will be shown the door.

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Could the Jazz's Quin Synder be Frank Vogel's replacement?

With the growing possibility of Vogel's dismissal, attention has understandably turned to just who might replace him. One of the names that has come to the fore in reports is that of the Utah Jazz's head coach Quin Snyder. It should be noted that Snyder is actually under contract beyond this season. What does that mean? Quite simply, Utah don't have to let him leave. What's more is that the San Antonio Spurs have also been mentioned as a possible destination for Snyder. For his part the Jazz's coach has a decent record since he took the reigns in 2014 with a 58.3 winning percentage. Interestingly Snyder has actually worked with both the Spurs and the Lakers in the past.

The key component fueling this scenario is the fact that according to reports, Snyder has yet to commit to the Jazz's offer of a contract extension. Over the past 5 seasons the Jazz have not made it as far as the conference finals. One can imagine that should that once again be the case this season, its quite likely that the veteran coach could seek a new challenge with another team. At present, the Jazz are on the verge of securing the 4th seed in the Western Conference and will be facing the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, who themselves have been taking no prisoners of late.

Is Quin Snyder a good fit for the Lakers?

While some might question the Lakers' financial ability in any deal to bring Snyder to the franchise, th reality is that despite some less than beneficial financial moves this season, the Lakers are still an organization with more than enough financial clout to put a lucrative offer on the table should Snyder actually become available. That is of course without mentioning what may well be the most attractive part of any deal that could be struck, the opportunity to coach the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.

All things considered, the idea of Snyder to the Lakers is still nothing more than a fantasy if the Jazz decide not to let him leave. For the moment it is not clear if that will in fact be the case. There have been some organizational changes with new team owner Ryan Smith having hired former Celtics president Danny Ainge as franchise's new CEO - executives more often than not opt to hire their own coaches - however, Snyder isn't just any coach. As mentioned before, this one will probably be based almost entirely on how the Jazz do this season. If the Jazz go on a deep run in the playoffs and manage to actually win the whole thing, one can expect that Snyder will be staying put. On the other hand if things don't pan out in their favor, it quite probable that the Jazz will part company with their coach, at which point the question becomes whether or not the Lakers can convince their man to come on board?