The Los Angeles Lakers appear to have their new head coach — for real this time. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel has agreed to take over the Los Angeles Lakers. The deal is for three years.<doc-sep>The Los Angeles Lakers hiring of Frank Vogel to be their next head coach gives a clue as to who may be running the team. Frank Vogel is the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Jason Kidd is the assistant with the “prominent” role on the bench. Something that Tyronn Lue and Monty Williams would never agree to. Vogel took a three-year deal which is below market for new coaches in the NBA. Surprised? You shouldn’t be at this point. But it does show the hierarchy of the Los Angeles Lakers. Magic Johnson quits. Luke Walton fired. Protests in front of Staples Center. This is not what the NBA had in mind when the late Dr. Jerry Buss passed on. Jeanie Buss had an interview with concerning the state of the Los Angeles Lakers when she fired her brother Jim Buss and replaced him with Magic Johnson. In that interview, Ms. Buss talks about a phone call after Dr. Jerry Buss passed away. That phone call was from the former NBA commissioner David Stern and the two had a small conversation about the Lakers. Here’s a snippet of that interview courtesy of Kai Ryssdal. Jeanie Buss: When my father passed away, then [NBA] Commissioner David Stern called me, and he said, “Jeanie, don’t let the team fail. Like, don’t run it into the ground. It would break your dad’s heart.” Kai Ryssdal: Did he really say that? Buss: Oh, yeah. Ryssdal: Oh, my God. Buss: And it was difficult, because I wasn’t in charge of basketball, my brother was. And I asked him, “How long is it going to take you to get the team on track?” And he gave himself a timeline, which, you know, as time went on, I realized it wasn’t going to happen, and that’s why I had to make the change that I did. But I, you know, I took that to heart and I wouldn’t let this — you know, I think you know my dad had six kids. I think the Lakers were his favorite kid. Well after reading this quote, if you are a Lakers fan based on what has happened some observations will be looked at and it is very ugly right now. Let’s break it down, shall we? We are going to start with a prayer that former NBA Commissioner David Stern is wrong about Dr. Jerry Buss’ heartbreak because his “favorite kid” is definitely being run into the ground at this point. Jeanie Buss calls that conversation “difficult” because she wasn’t in charge of basketball operations. Well, she is now, considering she unceremoniously fired her brother Jim and the longtime general manager, Mitch Kupchak. Finally, Jeanie Buss asked her brother about how long it will take him to get the team back on track. Trust me, there a legion of Los Angeles Lakers fans asking the same question with a timeline. The Tyronn Lue fiasco has put the franchise in such a bad state, fans may need to call the former regime and apologize for overreacting at times. I’m not saying that they did not have missteps but they do pale in comparison to this quagmire that is playing out like a very bad reality show. It's looking REALLY bad for the Lakers right now … pic.twitter.com/zm94ZRMIvJ — Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 9, 2019 What’s so frustrating about the Los Angeles Lakers at this point is there is no evidence of a plan going forward. After a disastrous season that was supposed to be a playoff berth for the Lakers to attract free agents, the late Dr. Buss’ heartbreak officially begins. 1) The President of Basketball Operations. Magic Johnson resigned about an hour before the last game of the season. Remember, Magic was like Dr. Buss’ son. 2) The head coach, Luke Walton, was fired soon after the season ended only to be hired by a division rival, the Sacramento Kings, the next day. 3) Names of potential replacements for Magic Johnson gets leaked but never pan out. Either they get shut down (Pat Riley) or never get called at all (Jerry West). The funny thing about all of this is that there is belief around the Los Angeles Lakers organization that this is still the number one spot for potential free agents (Lakers fans, believe me. the team still thinks they have a shot at Kawhi Leonard) with no front office experience, no coach and the pre-draft camps coming down the line next week. Lake Show Life is going to try to help fans out with a guide (Okay maybe a guess) on who is involved in the decision-making and a history lesson on each person.<doc-sep>After multiple twists and turns, the Los Angeles Lakers coaching search has reportedly reached what the team hopes to be its final destination. Former Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel has reached an agreement with the Lakers to be the team’s next head coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. The news was later confirmed by the Los Angeles Times’ Tania Ganguli. Frank Vogel has agreed to a deal to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 11, 2019 Vogel will bring eight years of head coaching experience and a 304-291 record with him to the Staples Center, where expectations remain undoubtedly high as fans grow increasingly desperate to see the contender promised by the arrival of LeBron James last year. The Lakers’ coaching search finally ends, hopefully Vogel’s hiring will hopefully end what has been one of the most embarrassing sagas in Lakers history. After a season featuring disaster after disaster on and off the court, the Lakers fired Luke Walton and commenced a search for the coach that could take James back to the playoffs (which sounds like a simple thing to do). It was not simple. The Lakers were quickly rebuffed by Philadelphia 76ers assistant Monty Williams, who opted to instead join the also-dysfunctional Phoenix Suns. Then the Lakers arrived at Tyronn Lue, who won a championship with James in Cleveland. When you start to lay it all out, the dysfunction really is breathtaking https://t.co/U3SFew1fCm — Ben Rohrbach (@brohrbach) May 10, 2019 Lue was confident enough he’d be the Lakers’ next coach that the team was reportedly featured on his birthday cake, but then he arrived at the negotiating table. The Lakers insisted on only giving Lue a three-year deal, which would have caused Lue and James’ contracts to end after the same season. Lue instead demanded five years, which was what Luke Walton got when he was hired at a much less critical juncture in the Lakers’ history. Story continues The Lakers also pushed for the addition of Vogel and Jason Kidd to the team’s coaching staff, while Lue understandably preferred to select his own staff. The two sides never broke their impasse on contract length, and Lue ended up walking away as the basketball world laughed at the once-mighty franchise. With Vogel, the Lakers appear to have gotten their way. His contract is three years in length, according to Wojnarowski, and a certain someone will be working directly under him. Jason Kidd to join Frank Vogel’s Lakers staff Kidd will join Vogel on the Lakers in a “prominent assistant coaching role,” according to Wojnarowski. Jason Kidd has agreed to join Vogel's Lakers staff in a prominent assistant coaching role, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/ZrQRWfq1US — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 11, 2019 Kidd’s name was repeatedly floated during the coaching search and appeared to be significant possibility for the top job. The former star point guard was fired last season after a 23-22 start with the Bucks, capping off a 139-152 tenure in Milwaukee. Under Mike Budenholzer the next year, the Bucks rocketed to an NBA-best 60-22 record and will soon be playing for a trip to the NBA Finals. Despite the Bucks immediately leaping to the top of the NBA after his departure and a one-year coaching stint with the the Brooklyn Nets that ended in a failed coup against the team’s general manager, the Lakers were reportedly quite impressed with Kidd. Discussions have included talks on contract and assistant coaching staff, sources said. Among Lakers hopes on a Lue staff: Jason Kidd. He made a strong impression with management in his head coaching interview and had a productive history w/ Bucks developing young talent. https://t.co/uQxTjqWAm7 — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2019 Who is Frank Vogel, the Lakers next head coach? A New Jersey native and graduate of Kentucky, Vogel has spent his entire coaching career on Eastern Conference NBA teams. The 45-year-old got his start under Rick Pitino with the Boston Celtics, then got his first head-coaching shot when he led the Pacers to the playoffs as an interim coach. That earned him the full-time job. During his professional peak with the Pacers, Vogel’s teams were known for strong defense anchored by Paul George and Roy Hibbert. Vogel’s Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals two years in a row in 2013 and 2014, but were eliminated both times by James’ Miami Heat. There's a new head coach in LeBron James' house. (AP Photo/John Raoux) After missing the playoffs the season after that and losing in the first round the following year, the Pacers opted to not renew Vogel’s contract. The team hasn’t advanced past the first round since. Vogel would later take over the Orlando Magic, where he was fired after two seasons in which he never posted more than 30 wins. Vogel was initially reported to be a possibility for Lue’s top assistant until negotiations with the former Cavaliers coach broke down. Now, Vogel will take over the team and collaborate with the player that kept him out of the Finals for two years in a row. Vogel isn’t a slam dunk hire like some Lakers fans had hoped, but he at least brings a winning NBA coaching record to the table unlike literally every other candidate left in the Lakers’ search. Most importantly, he might have been the best the Lakers were ever going to do. More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>Frank Vogel has agreed to a deal to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Vogel's deal will be for three seasons. Jason Kidd will be on his coaching staff as an assistant. Rob Pelinka spent time gathering information on how Vogel and Kidd could complement each other on the coaching staff. Vogel last coached the Magic to a 25-57 record in the 2017-18 season. The Lakers nearly hired Tyronn Lue as head coach before talks broke down.<doc-sep>
Days after missing on former Cleveland Cavaliers title-winning coach Ty Lue, the Los Angeles Lakers have their man. Frank Vogel will be the next coach to lead LeBron James and company. Vogel interviewed for the job two days ago. Earlier this afternoon, he was reportedly the “front-runner” for the position. Now, per multiple reports, he has accepted the job. From ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Frank Vogel has agreed to a deal to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 11, 2019 Frank Vogel will reportedly have Jason Kidd, who was a bone of contention for Ty Lue, on his staff. Kidd was also a candidate for the head coaching role, and has a good relationship with James. The front office seemed extremely focused on making sure Kidd was going to be involved here in a major capacity. Jason Kidd has agreed to join Vogel's Lakers staff in a prominent assistant coaching role, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/ZrQRWfq1US — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 11, 2019 Both Vogel and Kidd have been head coach of multiple playoff teams. Vogel coached the Indiana Pacers from 2011-16, and the Orlando Magic from 2016-18. He has a 304-291 overall record as coach. He made the playoffs five times in six years as Pacers head coach, reaching the conference finals in 2013 and 2014, where he lost to James and the Heat. Kidd coached the Brooklyn Nets to the conference semifinals in 2014, before abruptly leaving for the Milwaukee Bucks, where he made the playoffs twice in three full seasons, before being fired after a 23-22 start in 2017-18.