OAKLAND — It was one thing when the Dallas Mavericks’ Rick Carlisle chimed in on the LaVar Ball saga in Lakers Land, the president of the NBA Coach’s Association coming to the defense of second-year coach Luke Walton after the father of rookie point guard Lonzo Ball claimed from Lithuania that he had lost his team.
It was another when the Detroit Pistons’ Stan Van Gundy did the same, telling reporters that he viewed the ESPN interview as “cheap (expletive).”
But when the Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr shared his perspective at Oracle Arena on Monday night, calling LaVar the “Kardashian of the NBA” while being highly critical of the league’s media partner for its part in the story, it carried more weight because of their backstory.
Of all the coaches who came out in full force from their fraternity, none are as close to Walton as Kerr. The 37-year-old took great care of Kerr’s Warriors when he was out with health problems two seasons ago, guiding the Warriors to a 39-4 mark during fill-in duty and eventually earning the five-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2016. And now, with his fellow University of Arizona alum under siege and his Lakers bosses making the curious decision to stay silent, Kerr made it clear that he’s not about to do the same.
“I’ve talked to people in the media this year, and I’ve said, ‘Why do you guys have to cover that guy?’” the fourth-year Warriors coach began. “And they say, ‘Well, we don’t want to. Nobody wants to. But our bosses tell us we have to, because of the ratings, because of the readership.’ Somewhere — I guess (LaVar) is in Lithuania — LaVar Ball is laughing at all of us.
“People are eating out of his hands for no apparent reason, other than he’s become like (the) Kardashian of the NBA or something, and that sells. That’s what is true in politics, and entertainment, and now in sports. It doesn’t matter if there’s any substance involved in an issue. It’s just, ‘Can we make it interesting in a — for no apparent reason.’ There’s nothing interesting about that story. You know how many parents of my players have probably been at home going, ‘Why isn’t he playing my kid?’ And yet, we’re sticking a microphone in front of his face because apparently it gets ratings.”
The difference on this front, as Kerr noted, is that LaVar appears to have the media microphone whenever he so pleases.
“(People) must care, or ESPN wouldn’t be spending, you know, whatever they’re spending to send reporters to Lithuania, while laying off people who are writing really substantial (stories),” Kerr continued. “People like (former ESPN NBA writers) Ethan Strauss or Marc Stein are getting laid off, so again this is not a condemnation of ESPN. It’s not. It’s a societal issue, and it’s been going on for many, many years, and it’s — I think — really invading the sports world now.
Kerr isn’t the only one who incorrectly assumed that LaVar would be muted when Lonzo reached the NBA. In March, as the UCLA product neared the June draft and the debate raged on about whether he was worthy of the No. 1 pick, some front office executives told USA TODAY Sports that LaVar would eventually be rendered irrelevant. Instead, with LaVar building the family’s Big Baller Brand company while filling episodes of their Facebook Live reality show with all this soap opera-worthy content, the volume has only increased.
“I feel horrible for Luke,” Kerr said. “That’s my guy. He’s one of my best friends. He shouldn’t have to deal with this, but to me one of the things about the NBA is it’s always been a haven from the parents, right? The guys who coach high school are the ones who really have to deal with the parents. I’ve never had to talk to a parent who’s upset about playing time. I’m sure there are plenty out there, but they don’t have a voice in the NBA. But for whatever reason, we’re giving this guy a voice and Luke’s got to deal with it. It’s a shame.”
courtesy= usatoday.com
