The Los Angeles Lakers' coaching search fiasco has finally ended, as General Manager Rob Pelinka announced the team has signed Frank Vogel to a multi-year contract as head coach.  Other outlets have reported the deal is for three years.

“I am very excited for this opportunity to join the Lakers, a prestigious organization that I have long admired,” said Vogel. “I look forward to coaching such phenomenal talent and bringing my strategic vision to the team.”

Vogel, 45, will be the 27th head coach in franchise history and the 23rd of the Los Angeles era. He owns a career record of 304-291 (.511) in 595 games leading the Indiana Pacers (2010-16) and Orlando Magic (2016-18).  His stint with the Pacers was particularly impressive, as he molded a tough, veteran group into a consistent playoff contender.

During his time as head coach with the Pacers, Vogel accumulated a 250-181 record and was a four-time NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month, leading them to five playoff appearances and back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014.

It is understood that Vogel will be required to accept Jason Kidd as one of his assistant coaches.  The Lakers were very impressed with Kidd during their interview process, which begs the question that if they liked Kidd so much, why didn't they just hire him as the head coach?

One possible answer might be Kidd's past domestic violence incident, but if that makes him such a pariah, why put him on the coaching staff at all?

Now with Kidd on board, one could make the case that the Lakers have already made Vogel a lame duck right from the jump, as his obvious replacement is waiting in the wings ready to take over the team.

“We are excited to add Frank Vogel as the next head coach of the Lakers,” said Pelinka.  “Coach Vogel has a proven track record of success in the NBA Playoffs, and he reflects the core qualities we were looking for in a head coach – including, detailed game preparation, extreme hard work, and holding players accountable to the highest basketball standards.”

The Lakers bungled their search, first by having an oversized panel interview each candidate, then by dragging the process out for an abnormally long time, and finally by failing to finalize a deal with Tyronn Lue, the one candidate on the market with a proven track record of success with LeBron James.

The botched Lue negotiations came after candidate Monty Williams spurned Los Angeles for the lowly Phoenix Suns, presumably due to either the Lakers' slow response time, or his poor impression of the team's front office.

Suddenly, deals are becoming harder to close when Magic Johnson is no longer around.  Imagine that.

Perhaps if Jeanie Buss had listened to her longtime friend more and not stood in his way, Laker fans would still have Magic running the show, Pelinka out of the GM business, and Lue coaching LeBron.

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com