The Lakers already sat down with LaVar Ball and asked him to reduce his criticisms of coach Luke Walton and the team.
That went about as well as you’d expect. Ball was relatively quiet on the Lakers for a while, but he’s got two sons playing in Lithuania whose games stream on FaceBook, plus a reality series, all of which need promotion — so Ball is back at it. He told ESPN, “You can see they’re not playing for Luke no more.Luke doesn’t have control of the team no more. They don’t want to play for him.” Lonzo Ball not coming to Walton’s defense added to the fire among some Lakers fans.
Walton brushed the comments off before Sunday’s Laker game, but after the L.A. win he got in a zinger.
Luke Walton is asked why Lonzo Ball came out midway through the first and third quarters. Walton cracked, “Um yeah, his dad was talking s— so I took him out early.” pic.twitter.com/kaqRRJSZLn
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) January 8, 2018
Well played.
I’ve been around the Lakers some this season, and my impression is people outside the locker room care far, far more about what LaVar Ball says than the people inside it. Also, know Walton isn’t going anywhere, his job is safe.