Weirdly and annoyingly, this is the result of — ugh — LaVar Ball. The publicity-seeking father of Lakers’ point guard Lonzo Ball was quoted in an ESPN story, severely criticizing L.A. coach Luke Walton. Carlisle called Jeff Goodman’s story “a disgrace” and suggested that anyone who interviews LaVar Ball should not be credentialed by the NBA.
Maybe Carlisle should worry about doing his job. The Mavs were 13-28 heading into Tuesday’s game against Orlando. Carlisle insistedthat NBA “coaches do a lot of things to help [ESPN] with access, interviews and all those kinds of things. And in exchange for that, [ESPN] should back up the coaches.