Before the Detroit Pistons waived his son LiAngelo, Lavar Ball said many positive things about the franchise. That’s why people should take his latest comments with a grain of salt.
No matter what, no matter how, Lavar Ball finds a way to create a headline.
That’s why it surprised no one that less than 24 hours after the Detroit Pistons released his son LiAngelo, the elder Ball found a way to create a new headline.
This time, it was at the expense of the Detroit Pistons.
By now, it is well known, especially in the city of Detroit, that Ball called the Pistons a “raggedy” franchise. For the unfamiliar, Ball heaped some harsh criticism on the Detroit Pistons in an AMA session with The Bleacher Report on Monday.
Before diving into Ball’s disingenuous comments, let’s be fair to him.
When he outlined his criticism of the Pistons franchise, he did make sure to do one crucial thing. He made sure to direct his disdain in the direction of the Pistons’ franchise and nowhere else. He made it a point to let Detroit’s people (and Pistons’ fans) know that his comments were not towards them.
And it makes complete sense.
Former NBA player Jermaine Jackson is a native of Detroit and the trainer/manager of his youngest son LaMelo. Not to forget, LaMelo and LiAngelo stayed in Michigan with Jackson at times during Michigan’s “Stay at Home” order this year. So it would not make any sense for the elder Ball to alienate an ally in Jackson by disrespecting his hometown.
Here’s the problem with that.
Detroit is overprotective of Detroit.
That means that Detroit citizens can say whatever (good or bad) they want about Detroit. However, if you’re not from here, keep quiet, or we’ll pull up the receipts.
Why would you want a raggedy franchise to draft your son with the highest upside?
Someone once said, “listen to people when they are angry because that is when the real truth comes out.”
Well, what about when the person has a son who is a top-3 NBA lottery pick projection, and he wants his son in the city he later dissed.
Let’s take a trip back to October, right before this year’s NBA Draft.
Lavar Ball made an appearance on The Paschal Show on YouTube, stating his desire for the New York Knicks or the Detroit Pistons to draft his youngest son LaMelo.
“I want him in either New York or Detroit,” Ball said.
“Check this out, already had a son [Zo] in LA with a raggedy-ass coach. So it doesn’t matter where you go; the key is to have the right coach behind you.”
While Ball did not explicitly say it, one can surmise that the last comment was a co-sign of Pistons head coach Dwane Casey. And rumor has it that while the youngest Ball son trained in Detroit, Casey witnessed several of his workouts.
Now let us get into the nitty-gritty behind those comments.
There are a few reasons Ball could have specifically desired New York or Detroit as landing spots for LaMelo.
Both franchises have not had desirable success in over a decade. Quite frankly, saying they have struck out on landing sought-after NBA stars would be an understatement. Now imagine LaMelo Ball having success with either franchise.
It would have given the elder Ball another opportunity to brag.
And if we are truthful, that’s what this is all about.
Lavar Ball isn’t mad at the Pistons being a raggedy ran franchise. He’s upset that the Pistons took his opportunity to gloat.
Let’s talk about what’s raggedy in the real world.
There is something that people must say about Lavar Ball that will draw a side-eye (or two), depending on who is having the conversation.
He is an absolute genius.
While he’s had several business moves that did not pan out as he expected, he’s created a lane for his three sons to be successful outside the world of basketball. And on top of that, from the outside looking in, he’s an amazing husband. While watching their show Ball in the Family, you can see the love he has for his wife Tina, helping her recover from a stroke several years ago.
That is something to applaud.
However, when he called the Detroit Pistons “raggedy”, he opened a can of worms.
Detroit Vs. Everbody (word to creator Tommey Walker) is more than just a catchy slogan that damn near someone from every city outside Detroit tried to illegally market.
It’s the fabric and makeup of the city.
The Detroit Pistons are Detroit.
Period.
So the next time that Lavar Ball decides to call another NBA franchise raggedy, maybe he should look at the actions of his son LiAngelo.
Some people would consider someone stealing Louis Vuitton glasses as raggedy when the kid comes from an affluent family and a brother who then-played for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Anyone who follows the Ball brothers trio is hoping for a happy ending for LiAngelo. Lavar Ball can make headlines and disrespect any NBA franchise that he wants, but if his son can’t make an NBA roster, that’s a talent problem.
