Does Lonzo Ball's father change your opinion on if we should draft him?

[Ogaju]

Doesn't matter what yall think. His daddy already said he is not signing with any team not named the Lakers. So Boston does not have to worry about he Balls.

[Smokeeye123]

Doesn't matter what yall think. His daddy already said he is not signing with any team not named the Lakers. So Boston does not have to worry about he Balls.

Except 1, thats not how the nba works. You play for whatever team drafts you, and 2, his father said he was just kidding

[jbpats]

Doesn't matter what yall think. His daddy already said he is not signing with any team not named the Lakers. So Boston does not have to worry about he Balls.

Question is, if the Lakers get the #1 pick will they show the same kind of loyalty? I'd imagine there is some sort of hometown appeal for them even if Ball is not considered the BPA.

[moiso]

Doesn't matter what yall think. His daddy already said he is not signing with any team not named the Lakers. So Boston does not have to worry about he Balls.

Question is, if the Lakers get the #1 pick will they show the same kind of loyalty? I'd imagine there is some sort of hometown appeal for them even if Ball is not considered the BPA.

I don't think the Lakers owe Ball any loyalty at all.  But he is probably the best fit for that team.

[SHAQATTACK]

Doesn't matter what yall think. His daddy already said he is not signing with any team not named the Lakers. So Boston does not have to worry about he Balls.

Question is, if the Lakers get the #1 pick will they show the same kind of loyalty? I'd imagine there is some sort of hometown appeal for them even if Ball is not considered the BPA.

I don't think the Lakers owe Ball any loyalty at all.  But he is probably the best fit for that team.

Johnson and Buss are tanking for him. 

[mef730]

Won't matter...we'll get the 6th pick.

I thought the worst we could get would be the #3. We can get as low as #6?

Sorry...just having NBA Lottery Ball Flashbacks 

I know where you're coming from. The plus side is that this draft isn't "Tim Duncan or bust." The chances that the #1 player will be the best NBA player is likely lower, possibly much lower, than many of the recent drafts.

Mike

[smokeablount]

I want to say no for numerous reasons.  Because he should be judged on his own merit and not his daddy's, and he shouldn't have to publicly diss his own dad to assuage people.  Because it should be about his play.  Because his dad is annoying as hell but seems like a pretty good father actually, other than maybe upping the pressure on his son.  Because I wouldn't want to be judged because a member of my family acts out.  And more.

That said, I don't want the team I love to be constantly dealing with his dad's chirping.  All publicity may be good publicity, but Lonzo is on a big enough stage and shouldn't need anything extra.  Lavar Ball is a Lil Yachy Style troll who says outlandish things to the press to get attention, I doubt he takes anything he says seriously unless he's delusional.  That annoys me, especially from a guy who averaged 2 points in college, and I think it would detract from my enjoyment.

That said, if he's the BPA and we don't think he's gonna flee for LA when he can, pull the trigger.

[jaketwice]

Update: he has p---ed off LeBron, who will, 90%, end up with an ownership stake in the Cavs - reducing the trade market for Lonzo.

The dad is a liability. So although he is my favorite player in the draft - I would prefer we take someone else. I don't want to constantly be discussing the dad.

[Eja117]

Might depend on who he gets for an agent and how that goes. Gotta do your homework and call coaches and whatnot and also look at what the Lakers are doing and where they are drafting

[Moranis]

I don't really mind a lot of his outlandish statements, but in the last couple of days he has crossed a line by blatantly calling out his sons' high school coach and then taking it personal with family members of public figures.  Those cross a line that shouldn't be crossed in my mind. 

[Tinman]

Not only that, but when Lebron told him to stop and leave his family out of it (a perfectly reasonable request), Ball's dad refused to respect that request and actually called James "touchy", as if somehow he's the one being unreasonable for saying that Ball should leave his 12-year-old kid out of it.  http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/18978384/lavar-ball-dismisses-lebron-james-doubles-children-stars-theory

I personally find Ball's dad more reprehensible every time he opens his mouth.  I love this team not because they win (although I do love to see that) but because they're a good group of guys who are being successful.  I love Smart and IT's swagger, Bradley and Horford's quiet leadership, heck I'm even happy when James Young gets a few minutes and shows that he's starting to put it together. But I don't think I could find the same enjoyment in watching Ball when his loudmouth buffoon of a dad is throwing reality and decency to the wind on a nightly basis and disrespecting everyone who crosses his path.  It's a shame, too, because Ball really has a chance to be something special.  But speaking for myself, even if he brings the talent I want for my team he doesn't actually contribute to the end result of making the Celtics a team I want to watch and associate myself with as a fan.

The fact that he's so hell-bent on getting his sons to the Lakers is another issue, but it would be relatively minor if not for all the other baggage we're seeing.

[bdm860]

At what point is it okay to talk about LeBron's kids?

When they hit high school?  Junior year?  When they pick their college?

Supposedly his eldest son already has scholarship offers from Duke and Kentucky.  There's articles from major sources like ESPN, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, and USA Today on them.

I pretty much disagree with everything Lonzo's father says, but in this instance, where I don't think he even mentioned them by name or anything just said LeBron's kids, I don't think he crossed any lines or anything.

[Tr1boy]

Is Lavar going to be Lonzo agent??

Lavar: no rookie contract...my son will be the first to get max right out of the draft

[Moranis]

At what point is it okay to talk about LeBron's kids?

When they hit high school?  Junior year?  When they pick their college?

Supposedly his eldest son already has scholarship offers from Duke and Kentucky.  There's articles from major sources like ESPN, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, and USA Today on them.

I pretty much disagree with everything Lonzo's father says, but in this instance, where I don't think he even mentioned them by name or anything just said LeBron's kids, I don't think he crossed any lines or anything.

he talked about Lebron being an absentee father and implied his kids were hurt by that.  He wasn't talking about Lebron James, Jr. as a college prospect.  It was personal and it was a clear dig and it crossed a line you just don't cross.

[green_bballers13]

Doesn't matter what yall think. His daddy already said he is not signing with any team not named the Lakers. So Boston does not have to worry about he Balls.

Question is, if the Lakers get the #1 pick will they show the same kind of loyalty? I'd imagine there is some sort of hometown appeal for them even if Ball is not considered the BPA.

I don't think the Lakers owe Ball any loyalty at all.  But he is probably the best fit for that team.

Is Ball the best fit for the Lakers? They just drafted D'Angelo Russell #2. Russell is very young. Are they giving up on him?

Not to say that Ball/Fultz are great fits with Boston, esp as Thomas has become an offensive star. It would give the Celtics leverage in contract talks with Thomas. If we land Ball or Fultz, Thomas might ultimately go to the highest bidder, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for the Celtics.

Re the original question: I wouldn't care at all about Lavar Ball. I think he would get made fun of in Boston, which might make him watch his words a little. Other than that, the Lavar Ball soap opera stuff is just that- a distraction from basketball that doesn't deserve that much attention. I actually think he's kind of funny- esp when he said he would beat MJ after averaging 2 pts.

Say what you want about Lavar Ball, but he has put his son into a great position, and his other two sons are almost famous as high schoolers. In 10 years they will not struggle to put food on their kids plates, so you can make the argument that the elder Ball is taking care of his family. No complaints from me on that end.

I loved his point in the ESPN special: why should a college profit but a family can't?