Lakers head coach Frank Vogel responds to team's critics

With a roster that is nearly as old as he is, Frank Vogel’s Los Angeles Lakers have been the butt of a lot of jokes this offseason. But Vogel himself is confident that they will be getting the last laugh.

Speaking with Nick Hamilton of Nitecast Media this week, the Los Angeles Lakers head coach responded to the critics of the team.

“I’m excited that teams are counting us out or betting against us,” Vogel said. “Our team is highly motivated, and we really suffered last year by not having an offseason or the proper build-up to training camp. Obviously it resulted in a lot of injuries, and I’m excited to see what this group can do with a full training camp.”

The Lakers added eight players this offseason who are age 32 or older. Meanwhile, team leader LeBron James will turn 37 later this year, and incumbent starting center (at least for now) Marc Gasol is also 36.

Still, few are actually totally counting out the Lakers, who are just two years removed from winning it all and still have a superstar like Anthony Davis who is squarely in his prime. But that does not appear to be stopping the team from really buying into the underdog mentality.