NBA: LaVar Ball told by Lakers to tone it down

What's the story?

The Los Angeles Lakers' front office recently had a meeting with LaVar Ball asking him to reduce some of his public criticisms towards head coach Luke Walton.

In case you didn't know...

LaVar Ball recently went on radio and did what he usually does. He censured Lakers head coach Luke Walton and critiqued everything about him, including how he plays his son Lonzo Ball in the fourth quarter.

The heart of the matter...

The meeting was held in the past few weeks and was led by the president of basketball operations for the Lakers, Magic Johnson, and general manager Rob Pelinka. The message from both the front office members was to trying to maintain a positive relationship with Ball.

LaVar talked to ESPN about the meeting, saying the following:

"It was the best thing, man. Everybody's going to try to make it an ego thing, like I'm trying to tell them what to do or they're trying to tell me to tone it down. It's not about that. It's about coming together and to get a solution to this problem. It may sound crazy to other people, but I really just want the best for Lonzo, and the best for Lonzo is going to be what's best for the organization. Because if everybody's winning, we good."

Ball said that he understood the concern shown by both Johnson and Pelinka and that he would try to comply with the request.

"I'm going to say whatever I want to say, however I want to say it, and they said, 'LaVar, come and talk to us first.' So that's fine, too".

Ball also stated that he doesn't have any direct contact with Walton and that he is usually busy in practice with the team. Walton diligently declined to respond back with any comments.

What's next?

The Los Angeles Lakers (10-16) play the last game of their four-game road trip against the Cleveland Cavaliers (20-8) on Thursday.

Author's take

The Lakers could benefit from LaVar Ball not criticizing and blabbering in public, thus letting the head coach and front office do their work.