VIDEO: Stephen A. Smith Says Lakers Coach Frank Vogel Will Be Replaced by Lakers Assistant Jason Kid

Stephen A. Smith made an appearance on SportsCenter on Saturday and one of the topics he pontificated on was the Lakers hiring of Frank Vogel at their next head coach. Smith delivered in scorching fashion.

Referring to Vogel as, “not a man with sizzle,” Smith then dropped the ultimate bomb: “He’s not expected to be the coach long term for the Lakers.”

So, on the same day the Lakers announced they were hiring Vogel on a three-year deal, Smith announced they aren’t going to keep him around until the end of his contract. Bold. But wait, there’s more.

Smith went on to say the Lakers forced every coach they interviewed to agree to have Jason Kidd on the staff as a developmental coach. Why? Because Kidd will be the Lakers next head coach and they want to groom him for the position as an assistant.

“You can expect Jason Kidd to be the next head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers in the next two years,” Smith said.

According to Smith, the Lakers didn’t hire Kidd as their head coach this offseason because of his recent troubles with his divorce and domestic violence accusations, plus his desire to completely control the team as coach and GM.

While this makes sense, you gotta feel for Vogel in this situation. He hasn’t even coached a game for the Lakers — hell, he hasn’t even coached them in a practice yet — and already the talking heads are writing his Tinseltown coaching obituary. Sure, he didn’t have a great record with the Magic, but he was good in Indiana and could help the Lakers find at least a defensive identity.

A lot could change between now and the future Smith is referring to. The Lakers could trade for Anthony Davis, win a championship, and render this prediction irrelevant. But if Vogel can’t right the Lakers ship and Kidd winds up leading the franchise, we’ll all know who we can thank for giving us the inside info.