Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel addresses job security -- 'Don't feel like I'm under siege'

LOS ANGELES — Just 15 months removed from guiding the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA championship, coach Frank Vogel once again found himself answering questions about his job security on Wednesday night.

«I don't feel like I'm under siege,» Vogel said before the Lakers hosted the Indiana Pacers. «It's not hard to do my job, I'm very focused on the task at hand. I've always been that way.»

Following a 37-point loss to the Denver Nuggets over the weekend — which was L.A.'s third straight loss at the time, with the Lakers' defense allowing 125 points or more in all three defeats — Vogel's job was in jeopardy, according to various reports.

Had L.A. suffered a similar result in Monday's game against the Utah Jazz, the Lakers' front office could have felt compelled to remove Vogel from his post, sources told ESPN.

Instead, the Lakers beat the Jazz 101-95 in the team's most complete performance of the season. The Lakers held the league's No. 1 offense to just 37.3% shooting and downed the No. 4 team in the Western Conference despite missing All-Star big man Anthony Davis (knee) and leading bench scorer Carmelo Anthony (back).

Vogel was able to press on, but he was asked Wednesday about the tenuous time as he prepared to coach a Pacers team that came into the night having lost 10 of its previous 11.

«It's really not up to me whether it's fair or not,» he said. «It comes with the territory, comes with being the Lakers coach. We have high expectations. This fan base really cares. It's a big market, and I wouldn't want it any other way, to be honest with you. I want people to care, I want people to want the best and to command excellence out of our group, that's what we command of ourselves, that's just the way it is.»

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