Stephen A. Smith Says The Los Angeles Lakers Will No Longer Be The Same Under Jim Buss [VIDEO]

ESPN Analyst Stephen A. Smith said he's not expecting the Los Angeles Lakers to contend for the title as long as Jim Buss is controlling the franchise's player operations.

Smith, who's known for his no-hold barred analysis, basically said that the Lakers vice president of players personnel is the one to blame for its collapse.

The ESPN analyst said Dwight Howard could have stayed with the Lakers, if Buss only considered the center's pitch to bring in Phil Jackson as head coach. However, Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchack went the other way, hiring Mike D'Antoni, who's known as an offensive genius, but doesn't have any gameplan on the defensive end.

Smith said he even asked Howard moments after deciding to go to the Houston Rockets if he would still leave the Lakers if the 11-time World Champion was head coach. The All-Star reportedly replied with a flatout "No."

The analyst even came close to saying Buss was not good at all for the franchise, who achieved incredible success under the supervision of his late father, Dr. Jerry Buss.

"It all comes down to the direction of this franchise moving forward." Smith said. "Without Phil Jackson, you got to have faith in Jim Buss and there's nobody with sense that has faith in Jim Buss."

Before the end of his argument, Smith dropped a big bomb for the Lakers fans to chew on.

"The Lakers are no longer the Lakers, as long as Jim Buss is running this franchise," Smith said on the ESPN show "First Take."