The Los Angeles Lakers finally filled their head coaching vacancy on Saturday afternoon, hiring former Pacers and Magic head coach Frank Vogel. The Lakers also hired former Nets and Bucks head coach Jason Kidd to be one of Vogel's assistants, which may give Kidd a future path to the head coaching gig if Vogel struggles at the helm.

According to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Kidd's ugly public history prohibited the Lakers from hiring him as a head coach outright, but his presence on the bench would also serve as justification for a potential coaching takeover:

Jason Kidd was garnering interest to become the head coach at his alma mater, the University of California, but had made it fairly clear that he had a more concerted interest in returning to NBA coaching circles.

Frank Vogel, meanwhile, established himself as a head coaching commodity during his tenure with the Pacers, leading Indiana to the playoffs in four of his five seasons while heading up one of the best defenses in the league on an annual basis.

Still, the head coaching gig with the Lakers has become a rather unenviable position ever since Phil Jackson retired following the 2010-11 season. From Mike Brown and Mike D'Antoni to Byron Scott and Luke Walton, the position has seen a number of failures in recent years.

Of course, Vogel can only do so much with the current roster, and the onus should be on management to make significant roster upgrades this summer. A poor start to the year would still likely result in Kidd taking over as the Lakers' head coach.