Frank Vogel
Photo: Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith did not mince his words after the Los Angeles Lakers lost at home against the Toronto Raptors (103-114). After a hopeless first quarter the purple and gold tried to erase the deficit but came up short.

According to him the time has time for Frank Vogel to be relieved of his duties as the head coach of the Lakers for the way that his team is playing, which Smith described as ’embarrassing.’

“It’s time for Frank Vogel to go as head coach of this franchise,” Smith said on First Take. “It’s time to put him out of his misery, it’s time to put LeBron James out of his misery.

“It’s not that they’re losing. If you’re scratching and clawing, it’s nip and tuck but we’re able to point to injuries, that would be different. That’s not what’s going on here with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“We’re seeing a level of inefficiency, a level of ineptitude, a lack of spirit. It’s like these guys don’t know what it means to be Lakers. It’s Frank Vogel’s responsibility to overcome that.

“It’s not his fault, ladies and gentlemen, as it pertains to this roster and the position that they put him in. I’m not saying that Frank Vogel doesn’t deserve to be a head coach in the National Basketball Association. But I’ve seen coaches facing arduous circumstances with a roster that performed much better than he’s done as a coach.

“LeBron James is your star. You can lose games, you don’t have to be 10 games under .500. You don’t have to give up 48 points in the first quarter and then follow that up by getting outscored 26-4 to start a game. There’s no spirit, there’s no enthusiasm, there is nothing. The Lakers are a shell of themselves. At this particular moment in time it’s embarrassing to watch this team.”