Scott Perry and RJ Barrett are Providing Hope in New York

It comes as no surprise to anyone who has been watching basketball for the last 20 years that the New York Knicks have been nothing short of an abysmal, poorly run organization that never seems to get it right. In the immediate aftermath of the Knicks last NBA Finals appearance against the San Antonio Spurs in 1999, the two franchises have been ritual opposites — one winning five NBA Championships, the other? Fifteen losing seasons, scandals and downright embarrassing management. But things appear to finally be headed in the right direction for New York and with the selection of RJ Barrett with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, for the first time in decades the Knicks are heading toward a better tomorrow.

Barrett, 19, is the most celebrated rookie the Knicks have drafted since taking Patrick Ewing No. 1 overall in the 1989 NBA Draft. RJ a 6’7, 200-pound wing at Duke averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. The Knicks, a franchise usually shipping away lottery picks years in advance for underperforming players, are in a good spot and armed with draft picks including two first rounders from the Dallas Mavericks over the next four years. For a franchise that has virtually gutted their future assets time and time again, the plan put in place by general manager Scott Perry appears to have the Knicks destined for greatness down the road.

For many Knicks fans losing out on drafting Zion Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick of the New Orleans Pelicans is perceived a disappointment. After posting a 17-65 record during the 2018-2019 campaign, New York yearned for the possibility of drafting the 6’8 280-pound juggernaut often considered a crossover between the likes of LeBron James and Charles Barkley. While Williamson would have been gold, New York needs to understand who Barrett is and why drafting him is far from a disappointment.

Barrett, born in Toronto, has basketball flowing through his veins. As a youth, Barrett was submerged in the game as his father Rowan Barrett, played at St. John’s University and ultimately went on to play for Team Canada alongside close friend and godfather of RJ, Steve Nash. A future Hall of Famer, Nash, was an additional figure in Barrett’s life that further motivated him and molded the newest Knick into a young winner.

RJ Barrett during his high school years at Montverde Academy

“I didn’t get to spend as much time with him as I wanted because I was busy and he was busy,” Nash told ESPN. “They were in Europe. And when they were back from Europe, [RJ] was getting into this crazy high school AAU circuit. But it has been a thrill and a pleasure to watch him emerge and continue to grow and grow and grow.”

While Duke teammate Williamson dominated college basketball and was considered the far and away best player in the draft, Barrett’s accomplishments are second to none. Claiming every National Player of The Year (POY) award in his final year of high school at Montverde Academy, Barrett is the most celebrated prospect since LeBron James winning the following POY awards: Gatorade, Naismith, Morgan Wootten, All-USA Today, MaxPreps and Mr. Basketball USA.

There hadn’t been a single player since LeBron to sweep every national POY award.

The Knicks have drafted talented athletes in the past which includes a list of good plays such as Trevor Ariza, Danilo Gallinari, and David Lee; however, none of them were as accomplished or possessed the potential upside of Barrett. Past regimes would have traded the pick that landed the Knicks Barrett years ago, that is why the culture is changing in New York.

Since Scott Perry has taken over as general manager, the Knicks have made real fundamental leaps that have included ending the Carmelo Anthony era, drafting a potential future star in Barrett, and not hesitating to deal away a malcontent in Kristaps Porzingis which netted the team a promising young guard in Dennis Smith Jr. and two future first round picks.

In addition, Perry hired David Fizdale, one of the brightest young coaches in the NBA and only two years removed from a playoff birth in 2017 with the Memphis Grizzlies.

“One of his strongest qualities is his perseverance,” Perry said upon hiring Fizdale. “We believe that quality will transfer to our players moving forward.”

Perry not only showed his ability to get adequate compensation when trading away a star player, he perhaps, more importantly, showed discipline when chasing a superstar in Anthony Davis. The Knicks regimes of years past undoubtedly would have gutted the entire roster and future assets to acquire Davis. In 2005, Isiah Thomas looking to make a splash, traded a haul for the 22-year-old Eddy Curry, a former lottery pick with a lot of hype.

We all know how that turned out. In five seasons with the Knicks Curry would average an underwhelming 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds — worst of all he was one of the laziest players in the entire Association constantly ballooning in weight every offseason. Virtually the dagger to Curry’s career is when he struggled to get in shape in 2010, leaving newly hired coach Mike D’Antoni in such shame they eventually used him as a contract dump in the three-team blockbuster deal that sent Carmelo Anthony to New York.

Oh, and by the way, the two draft picks the Knicks sent to Chicago ended up being the No. 2 pick in the 2006 draft and the No. 9 pick in the 2007 draft — LaMarcus Aldridge and Joakim Noah.

Isaiah Thomas (left) coaching Eddy Curry (right).

In more recent memory the Knicks were so determined in their pursuit of Carmelo Anthony they traded talented young assets along with draft compensation to secure a deal with the Denver Nuggets. As we all know, Anthony was an unstoppable offensive force in New York averaging nearly 25 points and seven rebounds; but while he was that good, the after-effects of the Denver deal made it very difficult for New York to build a real winner around Anthony ultimately only winning one playoff series in six seasons.

Perry refusing to go down a similar route with Davis proves this regime is steering the franchise in the right direction. For all the talent Davis possesses, the Pelicans have a franchise record of 251-323 during his seven-year tenure in New Orleans. The most revealing part of a potential Davis deal that the Knicks never thoroughly entertained is the role of owner James Dolan.

Steve Mills (Left), Davis Fizdale (Center) and Scott Perry (Right)

For all the years of bad basketball in the Garden, Dolan has been the common denominator that has kept the franchise from winning. Whether it was forcing Donny Walsh to bring Anthony to New York or shooting down Steve Mills deal for a prime Kyle Lowry, Dolan, who has no basketball background always finds a way to interfere. The fact Dolan didn’t overstep his boundaries while a potential Davis trade was on the horizon should make every Knick fan ecstatic.

“Jim would prefer to operate this way,” Mills said in 2018. “If you look at how he’s operated with the Rangers with (team president) Glen Sather, he’s stayed out of the Rangers’ operations pretty much for the most part.”

“He has to feel comfortable with the group that’s leading the team and the process that we’re going through. And he feels comfortable – we laid out a plan to him. He was very comfortable with it and he gave us the assurances that as long as we follow through with our plan – if we’re going to deviate from it in some big way, he wanted us to come back and check in with him. But he was going to give us the room to do this the way we laid it out.”

If Dolan continues to allow the basketball minds to work, the Knicks will be in a position to compete much sooner than many may realize. A roster that was bear just a few short years ago is now full of young, talented athletes with a lot of potential. Whether it’s Mitchel Robinson, Kevin Knox or Dennis Smith Jr., the Knicks appear to be on their way, and Barrett is the prize possession that will be the driving force behind the team’s success even if Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving decide to take their talent to Brooklyn.

“RJ’s won a championship almost every year since he was in seventh grade,” father, Rowan Barrett said. “He’s a winner, I think New York likes winners. He’s competitive, he plays for that, he doesn’t play for numbers. He plays to win, he plays to beat you, he’s very, very competitive.”

Should Barrett be as good as advertised, maybe the Knicks can finally begin to close the massive gap between themselves and the Spurs that has existed since 1999 — the last time the Knicks made New York proud.

“I’m glad the city wants me here as much as I want to be here,” Barrett said.

“I went to Duke, we got a lot of attention. Being in New York there’s going to be a lot more, but I’ve just been built this way to handle it. I’ll be fine.”

Were the Pelicans Wise to Pass on Lakers Offer?

The never-ending whirlwind surrounding the future of Anthony Davis has been a season-long headache for fans, teammates and front office of the New Orleans Pelicans. Davis, a superstar and one of the NBA’s elite talents made it clear he wanted to be traded — specifically to the Los Angeles Lakers. With the season winding down and the Pelicans heading nowhere fast, were they wise or foolish to pass up on the Lakers impressive trade package before the Feb 5 deadline?

Rumors circulated in Feb that Lakers executives Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka offered the Pelicans an impressive offer for Davis that included Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac, Kentavious-Caldwell Pope and two first-round picks. Should those rumors be true, the Pelicans dropped the ball in this matter. While Davis is having another incredible season averaging 25.9 points and 12 rebounds per game, Pelicans ownership has struggled over his seven-year career to put together a consistent winner. From the baffling firing of Monty Williams to letting star center Demarcus Cousins walk in free agency, the Pelicans franchise have wasted valuable prime years of arguably basketballs best talent.

The Lakers offer would have solidified the Pelicans with a young core of players who have yet to reach their peak, and they still could have used 2013 NBA All-star guard Jrue Holiday in trade talks to acquire more young talent and draft picks.

So why did the Pelicans pass on the Lakers lofty offer? Perhaps it was to spite LeBron James and Klutch Sports Group Agent Rich Paul?

While the Pelicans have a right to be upset with potential tampering that may have taken place between James, Paul, and his client Davis, the NBA remains a business, and the front office should have moved on from their franchise player quickly. While teams such as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers may get involved in trade talks this summer, do they have the assets that would surpass that of the Lakers offer?

Doubtful.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge and Clippers consultant Jerry West are all-time great front office executives, and they rarely overpay to acquire a player. The chances of either Ainge or West offering anything close to what Johnson and the Lakers made available is unrealistic.

Rob Pelinka (L) and Magic Johnson (R).

In the end, maybe the Pelicans are banking on cooler heads to prevail, and Davis will reevaluate his situation during the summer; Similar to 2007 when Laker legend Kobe Bryant demanded a trade out of Los Angeles only to ultimately stay put and win consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010. While the notion of Davis changing his mind may have once been a bright idea, his appearance on LeBron James’s HBO show The Shop delivered a gut punch to Pelicans fans everywhere.

The Pelicans superstar made it clear he’s ready to take control of his career: “As the CEO of my own business, I got the power. I’m doing what I wanna do and not what somebody’s telling me to do.”

Davis is ready for a change and with a franchise record of 250-319 since drafting him in 2012, the Pelicans should be too!

The Case for Co-Rookie of the Year

In the 72-year history of the NBA, there have only been three occasions where the Rookie of the Year Award was a shared honor.

• 1970-71 Geoff Petrie, Portland Trailblazers & David Cowens, Boston Celtics

• 1994-95 Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks & Grant Hill, Detroit Pistons

• 1990-00 Steve Francis, Houston Rockets & Elton Brand, Chicago Bulls

I think it’s safe to say that we have such a scenario this year with Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers should share the honor.  If Ben Simmons played during his actual “rookie” year, I don’t think anyone would argue that he would have won in a landslide against last year’s winner Malcolm Brogdon of the Milwaukee Bucks.  I’m sure if you’re reading this anyone outside of Wisconsin is asking “who the hell is he?” My point exactly.

Unfortunately, Simmons was sidelined all of 2017 and is now in a neck and neck battle with Mitchell for the highest acclaimed rookie honor. Even in the first week of May, commentators are constantly flip-flopping their pick for ROY with every sensational performance displayed by the two young stars during the 2018 playoffs. If we were to do this BCS style, we would be talking about “strength of schedule” which would give Mitchell a decided advantage coming out of the power-packed Western Conference (Western Conference regular season record 627-603; Eastern Conference regular season record 603-627). If we just went based on statistics, Simmons would win because of his ability to fill the stat sheet like a rotisserie league superstar.

While the 76ers posted an impressive 52-30 record this season in route to the third-best mark in the Eastern Conference, their 18-12 mark against the tougher Western Conference is far less impressive when you consider how well Utah has performed. Utah, led by stellar head coach Quin Snyder went 48-34 with a 34-18 record in-conference — all while losing their star forward Gordon Heyward to free agency last summer. In what was deemed a reset year, Utah defied the odds which are largely due to the emergence of Mitchell.

Ben Simmons (Left) and Donovan Mitchell (Right). Photo credit: The Sports Journal Fan

Entering into the 2017-2018 campaign, Utah was viewed as nothing more than a middle-of-the-pack situation. Although Utah finished 51-31 the year prior, many felt the departure of Heyward would push the Jazz into great uncertainty moving forward. ESPN’s Week 1 power rankings viewed the Jazz as nothing more than a 41-win team. In fact, the media networks predictions had very little to do with Mitchell.

“The departed Gordon Hayward will certainly be missed on the offensive side, but the Jazz should still boast a stout defense with Rudy Gobert in the middle. According to NBA.com player tracking data, Gobert held opponents to 43.8 percent shooting at the rim last season, the lowest field goal percentage allowed at the rim (minimum 300 attempts at the rim).”

While the arrow pointed down for Utah, Philadelphia entered the season with great promise if their young core could finally prove they are capable of staying healthy — something that is still a major concern (*cough cough… Markelle Fultz). While the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft Fultz has barely played this season due to injuries and shooting woes, the 76ers far exceeded modest expectations from media outlets entering into the season. Bleacher Report and ESPN had Philadelphia ranked No. 18 and No. 20 respectively during week 1 of the season. Both outlets cited injury concerns for the low placement, however, there was a theme in place that if healthy, this team could exceed expectations, which is exactly what they accomplished.

The last time a Rookie of the Year honor was shared came at the conclusion of the 1999-2000 NBA season. Chicago’s Elton Brand and Houston’s Steve Francis shared the honor, which similar to Simmons and Mitchell, was a close call. Brand averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. On the other hand, Francis quickly became one of the most respected guards in the Association posting 18 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.3 assists. Having the two stars share the award was clearly the right move. With Simmons and Mitchell both extremely hopeful for the honor, why overthink this? Let the future superstars share a brilliant season together!

Is Irving More Like Kobe or The Field? A Star who Yearns for More

Kyrie Irving is a bona fide star in the National Basketball Association. The man can shoot, finish in traffic and has some of the craftiest ball handling skills the sport has ever seen. With every sensational performance Irving puts on, it becomes clear the West Orange, New Jersey, native is a special talent.

Irving is the man — but just how good is he? That question is pivotal in trying to predict the outcome of Irving’s career moving forward. Will he succeed? Will he fail? The duo of Irving and James appeared to be one of the most formidable one-two punches in league history, so why would Irving leave that?

Friction?

Jealousy?

A look into the past may give us clarity into when a star is suddenly yearning for a new beginning.

By now we all know the story of NBA greats Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s tumultuous relationship and ultimate breakup. As gifted a player Bryant was, there was no chance of escaping his Robin manicure standing next to the most dominant force possibly the game has ever seen in O’Neal. Bryant played that role well, averaging 21.8ppg, 5rpg, and 4.3apg in the eight seasons they were a duo.

Kobe (L) and Shaq (R) as teammates.

But Bryant knew the talent he possessed would never reach its full manifestation playing next to a superstar of Shaq’s stature. What transpired in the aftermath of O’Neal leaving the Lakers in a deal to the Miami Heat for small forward Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a future first-round draft pick is simply one of the more incredible stretches of basketball by an individual in the league’s history.

Bryant would go on to average 28.9ppg, 5.6rpg, and 5.1apg after Shaq’s departure while winning a Most Valuable Player award and two NBA championships. There were doubts as to whether Bryant would ever lead a team to championships without Shaq, he proved everyone wrong, ultimately spearheading his way into many “Top 10 All Time” lists.

Bryant is now celebrated over a decade after taking a chance on himself and deservedly so. But we need to be clear about one thing — everyone isn’t Bryant and many have failed to reach the accomplishment of winning an NBA Championship after chasing the acclaim of being “The Man.”

Irving recently went through a similar situation as Bryant did years ago. The now Boston Celtic, clearly feels he is a franchise cornerstone capable of being the best player on a championship team. He’s also a close mentee of Bryant’s and looks up to him in many respects.

Irving is big time, no doubt. However, he may want to tread lightly in trying to do something that more often than not leads to an uptick in personal statistics, but more frustration and disappointing postseason results.

From 1997 – 1999 recently inducted Hall of Fame shooting guard Tracy McGrady was just another guy on the Toronto Raptors. McGrady had made the daunting jump from high school to the pros and the Raptors knew he had immense ability but it would take some time to fully come to fruition.

McGrady certainly knew what he possessed inside and was tired of living in the shadows of his cousin, at the time, one of the most electrifying players in the game Vince Carter. Carter was an offensive juggernaut and McGrady didn’t embrace serving as a role player to his cousins rising star. McGrady, a native of Bartow, Florida would eventually bolt out of Toronto to play for his home states Orlando Magic where he became a sensation, instantly seeing his points per game average skyrocket from 15.4 to 26.8 in a single season.

Vince Carter (L) with Tracy McGrady (R)

McGrady is hands down one of the best to pick up a basketball, but it can’t go unsaid that he was another talented guy that rarely found postseason success. In 10 years as “The Man” for Orlando and the Houston Rockets, he never advanced past the first round of the playoffs.

Had McGrady played with Carter in their primes, the two forces would’ve undoubtedly made several runs at a championship. Raptors fans knew at the time that McGrady had great potential and supported him with “Come Back T-Mac!” shirts during games. But McGrady yearned for more, wanting to be the man. Even now he wishes things would have been different.

“In hindsight, looking back, obviously I wish I had stayed in Toronto,” McGrady stated in a recent telephone with reporters. “There’s no doubt we could have contended for a championship. I think about that often. But if ‘if’ was a fifth, you know?”

Before NBA great Kevin Garnett was traded to the Celtics and delivered Bean Town a championship, he was a star who wasted many of his prime years stuck on a Minnesota Timberwolves roster devoid of talent. It wasn’t always that way. In 1996, with Garnett entering into his sophomore season with the Timberwolves, the franchise made a draft night trade which landed them super talented point guard from New York City, Stephon Marbury.

Marbury was a rare breed at the lead guard position. He was fast, strong, athletic and could get to the rim with ease. It appeared the Timberwolves would have their duo for the next 15 years who would compete with the Lakers, Kings, and Spurs for Western Conference supremacy. With back to back playoff appearances under their belt, year three of the marriage appeared to be the time they would take the next leap forward.

Then egos and contracts hindered everything.

Similar to Bryant’s feelings toward Shaq, Marbury had long been rumored to be somewhat jealous of Garnett being regarded as the Batman to his Robin. Marbury wanted the extra acclaim and respect. Garnett receiving a larger contract extension, basically cementing in Steph’s mind that he would always be Robin. Sadly, he would’ve received his respect in due time playing with one of the most selfless superstars in the history of the game.

To make a long story short, Marbury forced his way out of town, ultimately landing with the New Jersey Nets. Although Marbury would go on to have an excellent career statistically also making stops with the Suns, Knicks, and Celtics, it didn’t lead to postseason success, making the playoffs just three times in the decade since departing Minnesota.

Marbury is respected among his peers. He was a baller. But the acclaim and admiration he would’ve likely received had he stayed put in Minnesota was something he may not have understood at the time.

Marbury (L) and Garnett (R)

As the story is told, it didn’t take Marbury long to realize the struggles and frustration that builds quickly when trying to man the ship by yourself. The late Flip Saunders, former head coach of the Timberwolves described a phone call with Marbury the year following his trade out of Minnesota. As Saunders put it, Marbury dialed him one night, stating that he never should have forced his way out of Minnesota.

“I always told those two, ‘I hope we’re not at an All-Star Game in 20 years, when you’re retired and we’re saying, “What if?” And we’re not looking at mistakes we made,” Saunders told reporter Mitch Lawrence.

This is what I fear for Irving. Sure, people will bark “Irving is better than Stephon” or “He has more of a killer instinct than McGrady.” Maybe so, but Irving is far from perfect and has never averaged eight assists a game during any point of his six-year career. That’s not going to cut it without a LeBron James on your team. Irving’s Cavaliers were a disastrous 78-152 before the return of James.

Kyrie Irving sporting his Celtics jersey. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Irving did luck up to some degree. He is heading to Boston, on a Celtics team that looks to have a promising young core for years to come. The future should be bright, but Irving must prove he can lead a team — and that goes far beyond being able to score 30 plus on any given night. It is meshing with teammates, handling pressure (which shouldn’t be difficult for Irving) and PASSING THE BALL.

Should Irving follow these rules he may have a chance to pick up where Bryant left off. But then again, does anyone really believe Irving to be on that level?

If there’s one thing I HOPE Kyrie doesn’t have to live with is the phrase: sometimes life without another superstar isn’t what you hoped it would be.

Because if he does, well, then that means his plan didn’t work, and he’s less like Kobe and more like the field.

Tread lightly, Kyrie. Life without LeBron may not be what you expected.

Why Lavar Ball Should Quiet Down While Trying to Reinvent the Wheel

The biggest story in basketball outside of LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors is arguably none other than Lavar Ball, father of UCLA sensation and soon-to-be NBA lottery pick Lonzo Ball. Lavar, like we’ve seen fathers do in the past, namely Richard Williams and Earl Woods, takes a completely hands-on approach when dealing with his son’s race to professional basketball. What makes Lavar different from Williams and Woods, however, is his unapologetic and sometimes rude antics which may ultimately have a negative effect on his eldest son’s future. With the NBA draft less than a month away, I can’t stress the following point to Mr. Ball enough: SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET!

Earlier in the week news broke that the Los Angeles Lakers, now being run by Hall of Fame point guard and legend, Magic Johnson, aren’t sold on Lonzo Ball and as of today;  wouldn’t select him with the No. 2 overall pick. For those uninformed, Lonzo, the eldest of three talented brothers (LiAngelo, 18 and LaMelo, 15) is a Chino Hills native who made his name throughout California with his dynamic passing abilities that aligned him in comparison to NBA greats Jason Kidd and Magic himself. Ball has been a childhood sensation in the Los Angeles area and even took his talents to the UCLA Bruins where he completed a successful season averaging 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. In the past year, Ball’s college home games were the talk of the town – far outweighing the Lakers current mess.

Now, this is where things get interesting. Lonzo, being a Hollywood kid who has made it very clear on multiple occasions that he wants to be a Laker, now finds himself in a situation where his dream scenario may not come to fruition. Why’s that?

The answer is clear as day: Lavar Ball.

Lavar and Lonzo Ball

I commend Ball for being a tough-minded parent who raised three young men who could all end up in the NBA together in about four years from now, but when it comes to his eldest son’s draft stock and future assets, Mr. Ball has simply gone too far and the Lakers slight uncertainty regarding Lonzo is just the latest example. To understand this possible thinking from the Lakers you have to look much deeper into the situation.

The problem isn’t Lavar saying his son is better than Steph Curry or Mr. Ball himself declaring he could defeat Michael Jordan in a pickup game of one on one. Those are just silly moments that create great television, the real issue is Mr. Ball’s perceived arrogance in interviews and his clear aim to defeat the sneaker companies which he feels are undervaluing athletes – something he refuses to see happen with his sons.

“We’ve said from the beginning, we aren’t looking for an endorsement deal,” LaVar said, according to ESPN. “We’re looking for co-branding, a true partner. But they’re not ready for that because they’re not used to that model. But hey, the taxi industry wasn’t ready for Uber, either.”

Lonzo Ball. Photo credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Last month, Adidas, Nike and Under Armour all retracted their offers to Lonzo on a potentially lucrative sneaker deal after negotiations with Lavar didn’t go as planned. Mr. Ball made it very clear that he wanted a $1 billion deal for his three sons which would include promoting his self-owned Big Baller Brand in the process. The idea isn’t too far-fetched, it just hasn’t been done on a very successful level since Michael Jordan launched his brand in 1984. Jordan is under the Nike umbrella; however, he has his own sector of athletes and allocations within the brand. Mr. Ball and the Big Baller Brand wish to create the same magic Jordan accomplished. Kanye West is another artist who was able to bring his brand under the Adidas umbrella and create a highly successful clothing and sneaker line. The problem for the Balls as it stands right now is simple, Lonzo is not Michael Jordan and he isn’t the cultural icon that West is worldwide.

Demanding a $1 billion contract with zero NBA experience is one that Lavar had to have known was simply out of reach. Perhaps he is creating a foundation for when Lonzo becomes a star down the line? It’s a possibility but still a reach. Nike co-founder Phil Knight called the price tag “a little bit steep,” but didn’t stop short of praising Lonzo as an “Awfully great player.” Knight confirmed that Nike indeed had interest.

What’s clear is that Lavar is trying to reinvent the wheel. For years since Jordan redefined the game, athletes put their signatures on the first or second offer they receive, eager to start making endorsement dollars and commercial exposure. Mr. Ball is certainly not following the script and should receive some credit for playing hardball, knowing that if he ends up winning, the difference can be tens of millions of dollars.

His sneaker endeavors and daring personality have caused headaches for some, but his biggest issue thus far came about when visiting Fox Sports 1’s, The Herd radio show. In an incident which led to national debate and even a now classic rant from The Breakfast Club radio host Charlamagne aimed at Fox Sports 1 journalist Jason Whitlock, we saw Mr. Ball in a troublesome argument with the co-host of The Herd, Kristine Leahy. The two went back and forth about their issues with one another when Lavar exclaimed Leahy to “Stay in your lane.”

This was ultimately the last straw for a lot of individuals who were already on the fence about Lavar and his perceived antics. The man no one knew just a few short months ago is now being examined as either a troubled man with issues or a brilliant guy who has learned how to create entertainment by using the media to his advantage. For now, that question and debate still remain to be answered. If I can give Mr. Ball any advice moving forward at least up until the NBA draft, it would be this: Stay out of the spotlight, stay out of the newspapers, let Lonzo control the situation and his destiny.

After all, it could be the difference between your son going to one of the game’s greatest franchises in the Lakers, or being miserable in a small market location with the Sacremento Kings or Orlando Magic.