The return of the NBA season, which is set to begin unofficially on Wednesday with scrimmages, brings with it the return of one prominent, outspoken man.
LaVar Ball.
After a relatively quiet quarantine period that did see him appear on some podcasts but remain out of the spotlight, Ball jumped right back into the forefront with an appearance on the Road Tripping podcast with Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Allie Clifton.
Ball’s return to the spotlight featured him proclaiming that the New Orleans Pelicans would upset the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs. And though he has made the claim before, he hadn’t provided quite as much detail as he did this time around.
“Remember back in the day when Golden State beat…Dallas, that’s how the basketball world is. It goes back in a full circle. I already told people this was going to happen. The Pelicans going to get in and they’re going to have to play against the Lakers. The 1 vs. the 8. And then my son is not going to let the Lakers wins and then I’m going to tell you that’s why I told ya’ll don’t trade him. That’s going to be the scenario…the Lakers are not going to win. If Lonzo don’t win nothing, he ain’t going to let them win. I guarantee you that.”
“But LaVar,” some people may ask, “how do you intend on stopping LeBron James, who had a 34-point triple-double in the last meeting and a 40-point outing in the meeting before that.” Have no fear, Ball has a plan for him, too.
“Let me tell you this. I guarantee you that you can’t put one sucker on LeBron. Don’t fool yourself. You better double team him every time. You can’t put (Jrue) Holiday on him…He’s going to kill you one-on-one. That’s why he had 40 (points) because you’re playing him one-on-one. He’s going to murder. He ain’t ever going to score 40 against me. I’ll double-team him with some sorry people on the bench. Just like ‘I don’t even care. Double team every time he get the ball.’ ‘Well I’m going to leave my man open.’ ‘Who cares. Your man can be wide open under the basket. Go double team like I told you.’ He’s going to be so tired he’ll be like ‘I don’t want to play no more.’ It’s very easy. Double-team people.”
“But LaVar,” some people may ask again, “how will the Pelicans score, especially if Zion Williamson doesn’t return in time for a potential playoff series.” Fortunately, Ball is ready to see an entirely new version of Lonzo Ball.
“You ain’t ever seen my boy in revenge mode and you ain’t ever seen him in playoff mode. I’ve seen him in both.”
Realistically, nothing LaVar Ball says has much merit and even if it did, the Pelicans will have their work cut out for them in making the playoffs before even facing the Lakers in the first round. Reality, though, is not often a realm Ball occupies.