Los Angeles Lakers: Frank Vogel hiring reveals who maybe in charge

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.

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.