Mavs Carlisle: A 'Win-Win' To Be Had In ESPN/LaVar Ball Conflict
DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - In a Tuesday morning attempt to advance the ball on Rick Carlisle's dismantling of ESPN's love affair with the eloquently obnoxious LaVar Ball, I asked the Dallas Mavericks coach whether there is a "slippery slope'' in his position as the president of the NBA Coaches Association "trying to dictate'' content to the network.
"Those of us in the sport believe that NBA basketball is the greatest sport in the world,'' Carlisle told me. "Loud, ignorant noise poses a threat to our great game. And we should all take a stand against it.''
Ball — whose son Lonzo is a high-profile Los Angeles Lakers rookie — started yet another media firestorm over the weekend by suggesting that Lakers coach Luke Walton had lost the team and players "don't want to play for him.''
Carlisle's position is that ESPN, as a partner of the NBA, should be more responsible in giving "merit'' to such stories, especially as he and the coaches make the effort they do in providing ESPN access and interviews.
Earlier this week, Carlisle referred to ESPN's fascination with interviewing a "blowhard,'' calling it a disgrace.
I asked the coach on Tuesday whether there is an "end game'' and a "win-win'' to be had here.
"In the NBA, there is always a 'win-win,' somewhere,'' Carlisle told me. "We'll get there.''