The controversial father of top NBA prospect LaMelo Ball apparently has no interest in seeing another son play for the Los Angeles Lakers, while also delivering a verbal insult toward former Lakers head coach Luke Walton.
LaVar Ball grumbled that his eldest son, former Lakers guard Lonzo Ball, played for a “raggedy ass coach” while with the team, a biting reference to Walton. He also indicated that the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons would be better destinations for LaMelo Ball.
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“The makeup that they have right now, that’s not good for him,” LaVar Ball said. “When they finished with the A.D. (Anthony Davis) and LeBron [James] era and all that — cause check this out: I already had a son in L.A., with a raggedy a– coach. So it don’t matter where you go, the key is to have the right coach behind you.”
Walton served as the Lakers’ head coach from 2016 to 2019, with Lonzo Ball playing for the team during the latter two seasons. After the 2018-19 Lakers’ season ended in disappointment, Walton was replaced and then became head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
The possibility of LaMelo Ball ending up with the Lakers is extremely unlikely, since he’s expected to be selected early in the Nov. 18 NBA Draft.
LaVar Ball’s preferences indicate that he wants his son to learn under a coach with plenty of experience. The Knicks hired veteran NBA head coach Tom Thibodeau earlier this year, while the Pistons will have another veteran, Dwane Casey, back for his third year with the team.
While the Knicks and Pistons may offer better options for Ball, both franchises have struggled for years to develop their respective teams.
The Knicks have missed the postseason in each of the last seven seasons and have only won a combined 38 games in their last two campaigns.
Meanwhile, while the Pistons have made only three quick playoff appearances since 2008, all ending in four-game eliminations.
In addition, as veteran coaches, both Thibodeau and Casey are quite familiar with the LaVar Ball’s past criticisms and claims. That may make them reluctant to want to deal with any member of the Ball family on a regular basis.
LaVar Ball will find out where his son is headed in less than three weeks, though it remains to be seen if he’ll be happy with the team that selects his son.
