Report: Kurt Rambis was driving factor behind Lakers’ Frank Vogel hire

The Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching decision reportedly wasn’t down to ownership, or even the current general manager.

According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, the Lakers hired Frank Vogel as head coach primarily because of the rising influence of senior basketball adviser Kurt Rambis. Rambis also reportedly brought about the hiring of Jason Kidd as an assistant.

One rival executive went as far as to refer to Rambis as the Lakers’ “shadow president.”

Previous reporting stated that Rambis and his wife Linda were the ones who nixed the hiring of Tyronn Lue. If true, it gives off the impression that Rambis — a successful former player, but a figure who has posted a 65-164 record as an NBA head coach — is the one who’s running the show in Los Angeles. It also hints at an organization that is still trying to sort out how to proceed after Magic Johnson’s abrupt departure as team president, and things look a bit chaotic right now.