Los Angeles Lakers: Time to admit LaVar Ball was right about the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are a mess right now. Could LaVar Ball had been right, again, about the organization?

The Los Angeles Lakers, at this point, hand out so much content, it’s not about finding something to write about anymore this offseason, it’s about figuring out which subject to write about FIRST!

When writers from all platforms of media signed on to write for the Lakers this year, most thought the subject would be breaking down first-round matchups for the playoffs. Making predictions on how far the team would go in the playoffs was a foregone conclusion when LeBron James came to town. In most people’s minds, the Los Angeles Lakers were back, baby!

To paraphrase LeBron James, nobody signed up for this. Anyone that says they saw this colossal disaster loses any every bit of credit-ability to do this job.

On the last night of the season, Magic Johnson shocked the sports world (Not just the NBA, but sports in general) by resigning his position as President of Basketball Operations.

It was the press conference that seemingly no one knew about. Not Jeanie Buss, not LeBron James, reportedly not even the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, who talked about the situation at the Board of Governors press conference on Friday.

Speaking of Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers made more news. After leaving Luke Walton around long enough to do the menial “Exit interview” work of the players, the Lakers fired Walton. This was mildly surprising considering that Jeanie Buss stuck by him for so long and that was one of the reasons Magic stated he was quitting in the first place.

Now everybody is trying to figure out where did the Lakers going wrong? How did it get to be so bad? Well, somebody tried to tell you. You may not want to admit it, but the man known for speaking things into existence did it again.

Yes, LaVar Ball, the father of Lonzo Ball, the man NBA fans and media alike love to hate. He got Lonzo Ball in a Lakers uniform and around the trade deadline when the Lakers put on a full court press for Anthony Davis, LaVar Ball was doing a little bit of “Press” of his own. He went on FS1’s Undisputed with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe and provided insight to everything wrong that is coming out now!

Everyone has their favorite reality show. LaVar Ball is mine. Not that Facebook show he was pawning off on everybody. Just LaVar Ball himself. I actually thought about a Lake Show Life segment just for him! Then he went overseas and out of the spotlight.

Two things before we get started because there is an art form to reading between the lines of pure trash talkers. You really have to pay attention.

Number one, this is not about the demise of the Big Baller Brand. People who want to dismiss LaVar’s message about what is going on behind the Lakers curtain will bring this up. Failed business ventures have nothing to do with discerning if a man is telling the truth or not. For the record, Lake Show Life covered it, and that ship has passed.

Number two, yes LaVar Ball was running interference so Lonzo Ball wouldn’t get traded. He does this all the time. He knew that Lonzo Ball had to be on the table for any deal to go down. He was making moves for Lonzo and his other sons. We get that.

There is a coincidence that Lakers fans should look at. As soon as trade rumors get out, Lonzo Ball seems to be closer to the surgery table. Let’s get started.

If Lonzo Ball had undergone surgery for his ankle, the Lakers might have voided his contract?

Remember when Lonzo Ball’s ankle injury was supposed to have him out for 4-6 weeks when he injured it against the Houston Rockets?

Well, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Lonzo Ball’s camp, headed up by the former business manager, Alan Foster, had plans to deal with his ankle problems by flying him to Ohio for surgery.

Here’s where it gets to be a problem. They neglected to let the Los Angeles Lakers in on the plan.

I’m nowhere near the insider Shams is so here’s what happened according to his report. 

"The Lakers found out about Ball’s situation when Lonzo Ball called General Manager Rob Pelinka, and the organization informed him that they would not allow it and could void his contract if he went through with the procedure, sources said. The Lakers then arranged transportation to bring Ball home, sources said. This could have been a disastrous moment for the Lakers, with a core player potentially undergoing a procedure that could have blindsided the organization. But Johnson and Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka communicated with those around Lonzo, working with his then-agent Harrison Gaines to squash the procedure and bring him back to Los Angeles, sources around the team with knowledge of the situation said. Gaines declined to comment when reached by phone."

Tania Ganguli confirmed the report.

Then, according to Charania, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka started taking a special interest in the rehab process of Lonzo Ball going forward.

"Johnson and Pelinka then accompanied Ball to his doctor appointments to ensure the guard was back on track with the Lakers’ rehab regimen, league sources said. Sources around the Lakers say Johnson frequently spent time around his players, such as Brandon Ingram and Ball, during times they were undergoing medical recovery. Ball suffered grade 3 ankle sprain on Jan. 19 and would ultimately miss the remainder of the season."

To Lonzo Ball and his camps defense they probably lost faith in the head trainer of the Lakers, Marco Nunez. The Lakers did too as they fired the day after the season ended.

To wrap this part of the story up, it’s not like Lonzo’s camp hadn’t “leaked” things out before. Remember when the Lakers were trying to nab Kawhi Leonard?

Now let’s try to break down LaVar’s interview statements, shall we?

Did Magic Johnson have any power OR was he just a face with a rubber stamp job?

LaVar Ball did state in the interview that promises were made to him about Lonzo Ball getting the keys to the franchise. At the time Lonzo Ball was drafted, it seemed everybody was on the same page. Or were they?

It seems that Magic Johnson and Jeanie Buss had a difference of opinion of which point guard should be drafted…

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith take on the situation.

"What I’m about to say, Magic Johnson would categorically probably deny. That’s my friend, my brother. I love him. If Magic Johnson was sitting next to me on national television and he said opposite or contrary to what I’m about to tell you, I’d tell him, “That’s a d— lie, and you know it.” Magic Johnson would not have drafted Lonzo Ball if were not for Jeanie Buss. Jeanie Buss needed a box-office draw. LaVar Ball, the marketing wizard that he is, put his son in our minds’ eye, had us thinking this brother out of Chino Hills starring for UCLA is going to be special in the pros."

Now listen to LaVar. Remember Lonzo still had a chance to be traded. The second half of the video is where your antennas rise up.

Now fast forward to this week. Did Magic Johnson have any power? Was he just the face?

Look, it was clear that Magic Johnson wanted his own coach in to lead this team. That did not happen because Jeanie Buss protected Luke Walton. Something that was brought up numerous times on Lake Show Life discerning the power struggle in the front office. 

But it seems that Magic Johnson reportedly wanted Rob Pelinka gone too.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith delves deeper.

"But you also hear that he may have wanted Rob Pelinka gone, and there was resistance there. Now, I spoke to Jeanie Buss, and I spoke to Rob Pelinka. And both categorically and emphatically denied that there’s any truth to that whatsoever. But in the hours and the days to come, you’re going to hear that nugget of information percolating and really resonating. This has been percolating for months: Rob Pelinka might go into the office or into the Lakers facility, “Hey guys. How are you doing? Where’s Magic Johnson?” knowing that Magic Johnson wasn’t there in an effort to bring attention to the fact that Magic Johnson wasn’t there. Of course, Rob Pelinka has denied that, as well. And in fairness to him, there are people out there that are his enemies, that have never liked him, and they will talk about him. And to his defense, some people might make some stuff up. I’m just telling you, you’re hearing these kinds of things. And you were hearing these kinds of things in the days leading up to Magic Johnson announcing it."

Now Rob Pelinka is running the Lakers front office when it is widely believed around the NBA that it is a horrible idea. Problem is, Jeanie Buss and the Lakers really want Pelinka around.

Now with the rumors that the Lakers are chasing Jerry West, Pat Riley and Bob Myers, do you really think they want Pelinka around? Wouldn’t that cause chaos in the front office?

That’s LaVar Ball’s point!

Okay, we have to get past the Lonzo is better than LeBron narrative

Now before we get into LaVar Ball and his take on LeBron James and Luke Walton, I have one thing to warn everyone about. Either you are going to fall out of your seat laughing or roll your eyes saying that LaVar Ball is a nut that has no clue about basketball.

I will admit that. But the exercise is to read between the lines.

For the record, I laughed, hard, REAL HARD! But after five minutes, I looked into what he was saying.

With the exception of Brandon Ingram, who was wearing out the NBA before his blood clots, basically what LaVar Ball said came to pass. Kyle Kuzma digressed to finish out the season. Before Josh Hart shut it down for the season with knee problems, he was struggling.

In context, what LaVar Ball is trying to get across is that these players work very well filling lanes on the fast break where Lonzo is a willing passer. There were situations evident throughout the season before Lonzo got hurt that illustrated his point.

The game in Houston when Lonzo got hurt, the Lakers were laying waste to the Rockets. They were up 20, James Harden was frustrated and Houston had no answer for the Lakers. It was going to be a blowout.

As soon as Lonzo Ball turned his ankle, that was when the game and the season turned sour for the Lakers. Now Shannon Sharpe brought up percentages for Lonzo’s shooting. Rightfully so. But Lonzo was gaining confidence. His 3 point shooting actually beat the Chicago Bulls. Then the Lakers upset the Thunder on the road.

Let’s talk LeBron James (We’ll give the people on the floor laughing time to get back in their seats).

He is getting old. This is a guy that is going into his 17th year in the NBA. Please stop with the rest narrative and “LeBron James will be back better than ever.”

Outside of maybe Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, what 17-year player has been dominant in NBA history? As LaVar Ball said, he has been in the league a long time! Plus, it is true. LeBron James can build another house with those bricks he throws up from the free throw line.

As for Luke Walton, look, folks, you have to know that LaVar Ball has the inside track to that story. Plus, you really don’t need him to figure it out. First LeBron James backs out of a game against the champs.

Luke Walton calls out players for being selfish, their frustration got the best of them.

Pick whomever you want to believe. Here’s Ramona Shelburne.

But, what we can believe is that Michael Beasley was soon traded in the Ivica Zubac deal for Mike Muscala. Guess Beasley is one of those dudes you can’t talk it out with.

This drama is no more different from what goes on in “Corporate America”

As funny and entertaining as the interview was (Oh LaVar Ball was there to sell Big Baller Brand products too), LaVar was trying to burn bridges by being the “Whistle Blower” to blow up the Los Angeles Lakers spot.

At the time, most media outlets (Not myself or my contact in New Orleans) had the Lakers obtaining Anthony Davis in a trade. LaVar Ball was making moves for his son making sure that did not happen. He had already made it clear Lonzo did not want to go to New Orleans. 

Hence, he was trying to angle a move to Phoenix. As we know a Tyler Johnson trade from Miami nipped that plan in the bud real quick.

But what he laid out in the interview brings a lot of clarity to what is going on now with the front office dysfunction and the lack of direction of the Lakers.

With the bad rotations Luke Walton had at the beginning of the season, even I had issues with how Lonzo Ball was handled.

But he did shine the light on what the Los Angeles Lakers were doing and it blew up in their face. They wanted to take the easy way out and load the team up with stars.

Now with all that has gone on with the Los Angeles Lakers this week, you do have to wonder if LaVar Ball has a point. Most of what has been said has panned out.

If you don’t believe him, well the Lakers will have to play phone tag again with the New Orleans Pelicans under new management with David Griffin in a couple of months.

When they do, LaVar Ball will be back. Feel free to use this piece as a reference point.

The Los Angeles Lakers have started their long journey through the NBA offseason. Lake Show Life will be there every step of the way. Continue to check in for Lakers news, previews and reviews.