Ever since Lavar Ball arrived in Lithuania, he has made his
presence known and has tried to control many aspects of the Vytautas Prienai Basketball
Team. He is not your average team parent and head coach Virginijus Seskus further
enabled his absurdity by giving Lavar a one-game spot as an assistant coach
during one of the Big Baller Challenge exhibition games. This was claimed to
have been a way to give Lavar a chance to see how some of his AAU basketball
styles carried over into the European game. However, the game concluded with a
Vytautas loss and an irritable Lavar Ball. During the post-game press
conference, he blatantly blamed his son for part of the loss stating, “Melo a
special player, but he think he can do everything on his own. He ain’t gonna
have a good sleep tonight cause he know how I am on that losing. You’re not
supposed to blame people but I blame him and my other son cause you don’t have
this be your house and lose.” He made
many remarks like this throughout the press conference and got very critical of
his son’s actions. Growing up, parents were the coaches of many of their kid’s
sports teams. However, in the professional league, this is very rare and some believe
that it shouldn’t be allowed. What are your thoughts on parents getting
involved in professional sports leagues? Do you think the professional leagues
should ban this to avoid controversy similar to what Lavar has created?
Sources:
http://lonzowire.usatoday.com/2018/02/26/lavar-ball-rips-lamelo-vytautas-for-loss-didnt-play-with-no-pride/
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22187745/lavar-ball-serve-assistant-coach-liangelo-lamelo-team-lithuania
I think having parent as a coach in professional leagues greatly depends on the personality of the parent. Given Lavar is an out-spoken, aggressive person, it is obvious it will create a hostile environment as he coaches his sons. However, Lavar is very hands on with his sons careers, so I doubt that his sons are effected as much by this treatment as an outsider would believe.
ReplyDeleteLavar has a fair amount of power within the club his sons play for in Lithuania. He is the father of, by far and away, the two most popular basketball players in their league. The club would be worse off to not listen to Lavar as he has shown in the past he isn't afraid to relocate his family. Letting Lavar be the assistant coach let him feel like he's making a positive impact. Keeping Lavar happy is in everyones best interest. I don't think the move to let him serve as assistant coach for one game of Lithuanian basketball should seem surprising to fans, but it is clear that the media controls a lot of public opinion of Lavar.
ReplyDeleteLavar has a fair amount of power within the club his sons play for in Lithuania. He is the father of, by far and away, the two most popular basketball players in their league. The club would be worse off to not listen to Lavar as he has shown in the past he isn't afraid to relocate his family. Letting Lavar be the assistant coach let him feel like he's making a positive impact. Keeping Lavar happy is in everyones best interest. I don't think the move to let him serve as assistant coach for one game of Lithuanian basketball should seem surprising to fans, but it is clear that the media controls a lot of public opinion of Lavar.
ReplyDeleteI think that even though it may put more pressure on the Ball's to succeed, I don't think that Lavar should be allowed to be assistant coach. I think that this causes too much focus on these specific players and they are old enough to have their own careers apart from their father.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Lavar Ball has the best intentions for his sons but his methods are too unorthodox for most people. His sons are obviously used to this kind of behavior so maybe it does not faze them. One thing is for sure and thats that he has provided his sons with a platform for success and it is up to them to make the most of it. No matter how much Lavar talk about how great they are and no matter how many television appearances he makes, LaMelo and LiAngelo are going to have to take their game to the next level to make this overseas experiment legitimate.
ReplyDeleteMichael Strode
I believe that even in a professional atmosphere that a parent coaching their son is okay, under certain circumstances. For example Doc Rivers head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers and his Austin Rivers is the teams point guard. Now I think this is okay one because Doc Rivers is a seasoned coach that has won an NBA Championship and you don't bat an eye at his resume. I also believe it works because when the coach and on the floor he treats Austin just like an other player, not his son. No preferential treatment or harsher punishments. I think Lavar Ball doesn't quite meet these standards as sure he's coached his sons youth league games before but never a professional game. There are different standards, and his main focus is on his sons improving, media attention, and getting his kids to the NBA. He doesn't seem too concerned about wether the team wins or losses. I would say parent and kid, coach and player relationships are okay given the situation.
ReplyDeleteI think it's crazy to have Lavar coach a game. Given his actions in the media over the last couple years and the way he's turned his son's talents into a business asset, I don't think he would have the right intentions if he was giving coaching authority. I have a feeling there may have been public relations motives behind this move from Vytautas Prienai. At what point does parent involvement go too far? Is this more for the stardom or money?
ReplyDelete-Bryce & Joe
In my eyes Lavar should not be tampering with his son’s games. Lavar has little experience coaching, and this can prove detrimental to the game of his son’s team, of which other players are attempting to prove themselves. Without a doubt, he would have major bias toward his son, and do anything to let Lamelo stand out. That being said, he also “blamed his son” for being a part of losses. This shines too much light upon Lamelo, and other players for sure will feel the impact of Lamelo taking the spotlight. Lamelo might be the most talented on the court, but there are four other players making an impact at all times.
ReplyDelete