Saturday Slam: If LaVar Ball really cared about his sons, he'd shut up

                                         (Mark J. Terrell/AP) 

If LaVar Ball really cared about his sons, he'd shut up. There's no way to sugar coat it. His comments directed at other NBA players, most recently John Wall, serve as motivation for these players to shut down his son Lonzo, who is averaging 11.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game during his first four games with the Los Angeles Lakers.

I debated whether or not I should write this article given that I don't want to give LaVar any more attention. At the same time, there's no way for me to not address this guy. As a basketball writer, I have a duty to give my honest, unabashed take on how this moron is putting a target on his sons' back every time he talks trash. While some like LaVar and see him as a marketing genius, others, like myself, see him as an egotistical nut job that doesn't have all of his wits about him. To a certain extent his actions are theatre, but to another extent, this is who he really is. No sane, normal person would act like he does. Even if they were trying to promote their kids and build a brand around them.

While LaVar is batshit crazy, what's perhaps even more troubling is his lack of empathy for his sons. Especially Lonzo, who is the Michael Jackson of the Ball family. If LaVar actually cared about his son and his NBA career, he'd recede into the background and not become a problem that he has to manage. The fact that LaVar continues to make idiotic and egotistical comments just goes to show that all he cares about is himself.

Unfortunately for LaVar, Lonzo is really all that he has. Neither of his other two sons have a serious shot at an NBA career. LaMelo in particular is an overrated little dweeb that has no idea how to run an offense and only knows how to play street ball. The fact that he has his own shoe is a joke and also will likely deem him ineligible to play at UCLA. As for LiAngelo, the middle Ball brother, he's supposed to be pretty good, but the odds of him morphing into a #2 overall pick in the NBA Draft are very low.

I don't like LaVar Ball and I don't give him a hall pass for being some "marketing genius." His behavior is inexcusable and does nothing to help his sons. If he really cared about them, he'd shut up and not seek the spotlight. It's really that simple.

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NBALord.com Podcast: Phoenix Suns fire Earl Watson; Aaron Gordon is becoming a star

On this week's episode of the NBALord.com Podcast, I address the Phoenix Suns' decision to fire Earl Watson, Aaron Gordon becoming a star, and more. Click here to listen to the podcast.




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Wednesday Windmill: Is Aaron Gordon on the verge of a breakout season?

                                          (Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) 

On Tuesday night, Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon had a monster game against the Brooklyn Nets, scoring 41 points and grabbing 14 rebounds on 14/18 shooting from the field, 8/10 shooting from the free throw line, and 5/5 shooting from three-point range. The Magic won the game 125-121, improving to 3-1 on the season.

Entering his fourth season in the NBA, the 22 year old Gordon has been viewed as somewhat of a project by the Magic organization. The athleticism has always been there, but they've been waiting for his skills to catch up. While it is early yet, Gordon appears to have flipped the switch, averaging 27.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game on the season during the two games that he has played.

When looking at his stat line against the Nets, what's most frightening is the 5/5 shooting from three-point range and 8/10 shooting from the foul line. When you combine freakish athleticism with that kind of shooting, you have a player that is virtually unstoppable. There's no way for defenses to contain a combination like that. Pick your poison, inside or out, you're going to get burned.

If Gordon keeps this up, he will have a breakout season of epic proportions. The question of course is whether or not he can sustain this for the duration of the season. Personally, I'm optimistic that he can. I was very high on Gordon when he entered the 2014 NBA Draft because of his motor and athleticism. He seemed to have all the pieces needed to be a star in the league. It was just a matter of being patient and letting him develop.

While we are still early in the season, the Orlando Magic have to be excited about what they're seeing from Aaron Gordon thus far. They drafted him with the hopes of him being their franchise player and so far, he's delivering the goods. If he keeps this up, there's no reason to doubt their chances of becoming a serious force in the East.

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Skyhook Sunday: The Phoenix Suns are exploding

Earlier today, news broke that the Phoenix Suns fired their head coach Earl Watson after their 0-3 start, which consisted of two 40+ point losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. To make things even worse, their star point guard Eric Bledsoe appeared to request a trade, stating that he "doesn't want to be" in Phoenix.

I Dont wanna be here

— Eric Bledsoe (@EBled2) October 22, 2017

There's really no way to paint a pretty picture of what's going on here. To have your head coach fired and your star player demand a trade on the same day is not a good thing. Especially when you've been getting blown off the court.

Probably the main thing to look for at this point is what the Suns do with Bledsoe. If he wants out, they should seriously explore moving him. At the same time, they shouldn't be in any hurry to move him. He doesn't hit unrestricted free agency until the summer of 2019, so it's not like he'll be gone after the season if they trade him. They could also explore moving a couple of other veteran pieces like Tyson Chandler and Jared Dudley to help them rebuild for the future.

At this point, the best thing the Suns can do is just try to calm the waters and bring some sense of normalcy to the locker room. It will be up to interim head coach Jay Triano to make this happen. The Suns are behaving like a team that is 0-20, when in all reality they have plenty of time to turn this season around and not have it turn into a total dumpster fire.

Note: For more insight on the Suns' decision to fire Earl Watson, watch the video below by Phoenix Suns expert Brandon Condron. 



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NBALord.com Podcast: Gordon Hayward is done for the year; Rockets take out the Warriors

On this week's episode of the NBALord.com Podcast, I address Gordon Hayward's season-ending injury, the Rockets' win over the Warriors, and more. Click here to listen to the podcast.





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Wednesday Windmill: Without Gordon Hayward, the Boston Celtics need Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to deliver

On opening night at Cleveland, Gordon Hayward, the Boston Celtics' big free agent acquisition of the summer, went down with a dislocated and fractured left tibia. Hayward underwent surgery on Wednesday and could be done for the season. Given the severity of his injury, the Celtics have to expect the worst and plan on playing the entire season without their star small forward. With this being the grim reality, the question that is on the minds of everyone is whether or not the Celtics can survive the season without him.

Gordon Hayward has a message for Celtics Nation. pic.twitter.com/H6RHeGgios

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 18, 2017

On the surface, there's no way to paint a pretty picture of this situation. Hayward averaged a career best 21.9 points per game last season and is just starting to enter his prime. Given how badly the Celtics fared against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, it's hard to see them reaching the NBA Finals with Hayward on the sidelines for the rest of the season.

If the Celtics want any chance of making a run for the Eastern Conference crown, they'll need to get big production from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, two small forwards who they selected third overall in the 2016 and 2017 NBA drafts respectively. Given that Brown is in his second year and Tatum is a rookie, there will be more expected of Brown this season to deliver the goods, especially in the early portion of the season.

The good news for the Celtics is that so far, both guys, especially Brown, are stepping up in Hayward's absence. On Tuesday night against the Cavaliers, Brown scored 25 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and got 2 steals. On Wednesday night against the Bucks, Brown had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. As for Tatum, he finished with a double-double against the Cavaliers with 14 points and 10 rebounds while finishing with 8 points and 9 rebounds against the Bucks.

                                         (John Tlumacki. The Boston Globe) 

If both Brown and Tatum continue to produce like this, the Celtics could find a way to make things interesting in the Eastern Conference. As #3 overall picks, they definitely have the talent to do so. It's just a matter of them finding a way to consistently play up to their maximum potential four out of five nights.

While Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are going to have to carry the load as the two experienced stars on the team, the Celtics' season really comes down to how well Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum step up. They'll be getting the bulk of the minutes at the small forward spot and will need to make up for Hayward's absence. If they are able to do so, the Celtics' season isn't lost. If not, we might as well pencil in the Cavaliers as Eastern Conference champions assuming LeBron James doesn't go down.

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Tomahawk Tuesday: The Houston Rockets get a huge win in Golden State

On Tuesday night, the Houston Rockets defeated the Golden State Warriors 122-121 to spoil their home opener and championship ring ceremony. James Harden led the charge for the Rockets with 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists while Kevin Durant finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, having his game winning bucket waived off upon further review. 

Not so fast 😱 KD's bucket is just late.

Rockets escape Oakland with the W! #KiaTipOff17 pic.twitter.com/Nm6MWcbRev

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 18, 2017

The fact that this game took place in mid-October doesn't take away from the significance of this win for the Rockets. They're a team that is trying to prove themselves as a legitimate threat to the Warriors and doing what they did on Tuesday night isn't a bad start. They could have packed it in when they were down 101-88 at the end of the third quarter, but instead they chose to keep fighting and not give up. James Harden stepped up big time as did Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute off the bench, who combined for 58 points. A gritty win like this took a real team effort.

As far as the Warriors are concerned, I wouldn't worry too much about this loss, but it definitely doesn't feel good to lose on your home floor after receiving your championship rings. These are the kind of games you want to come out and win wire to wire for the purpose of entertaining your fans and sending a firm message to the rest of the league. A lot of what makes the Warriors tough to stop is the mental advantage they have over other teams who believe they have no shot at taking them out. By losing tonight, the Warriors gave their opponents a little bit of hope and sometimes a little bit of hope is all a team needs to pull off an upset.

While the Rockets have 81 games to go before the playoffs begin, tonight's win is still a huge win for them. They came into this game eager to prove that they are the real deal after acquiring Chris Paul and I think they proved that they are, even though Paul himself didn't have as good of a game as he was hoping for. The bottom line is that when it comes to defeating the defending champions on their home floor, you'll take that win and use it as motivation whether it comes in October, December, or March. The timing of the win isn't nearly as important as the win itself.

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