Luke Walton may not have gotten the biggest endorsement from his rookie point guard, but he’s decided the best way to get past it all is to simply not talk about it anymore.
Reports say that Walton’s job is safe despite LaVar Ball’s latest rants about the state of the Lakers, and another rookie on the team has Walton’s back. But Walton says he’s done talking about LaVar Ball altogether.
Despite going the joking route in a postgame press conference earlier in the week, Walton says from here on out it’s just Lakers talk, as LaVar Ball is not a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Luke Walton said he’d like to stop talking about the LaVar Ball situation and how it impacts the team. Wants to return the focus to basketball, mainly Lakers vs. Kings tonight.
“It makes a lot more sense to talk about what I’m paid to do and that’s coach this team,” Walton said.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) January 9, 2018
It’s a perfectly understandable take for Walton. Lonzo is just one player on the team and his father has no say in what actually happens to the Lakers. But it must be frustrating to deal with this kind of distraction on a team that’s trying to find its identity and move forward.
I’m sure Walton hopes LaVar’s time in Lithuania means he doesn’t have to deal with the elder Big Baller as often, but with dedicated Ball family coverage following him overseas, it’s almost certain that LaVar will be asked about the Lakers moving forward. What’s just as clear is that Walton won’t be answering to whatever LaVar says.
