Rick Carlisle has had it with LaVar Ball’s criticism of Lakers coach Luke Walton

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle sounded off at ESPN and defended Lakers coach Luke Walton in response to a story published by the outlet on Sunday morning. The piece included quotes from the father of Lakers’ rookie Lonzo Ball, LaVar, who criticized Walton’s coaching, saying the team didn’t want to play for him anymore.

As the President of the National Basketball Coaches Association, Carlisle didn’t hold back his thoughts before his team’s game against the Knicks:

Here’s a full transcript of what he said:

Carlisle: As president of the Coaches Association, I view the recent ESPN article as a disgrace quite honestly. Luke Walton is a terrific young coach who is bringing along a young team and it’s a difficult task. If you don’t believe it, just ask me. We’re going through it now, we’ve been through it last year.

ESPN is an NBA partner, and they’ve been a great one. Part of that partnership ... the coaches do a lot of things to help them with access, interviews, and all those kinds of things. In exchange for that, they should back up the coaches. Printing an article where the father of an NBA player has an opinion that is printed as anything like legitimate erodes trust. It erodes the trust we’ve built with ESPN, and our coaches are upset.

Luke Walton does not deserve that. Two years ago, he took a veteran team and led them to 24 wins in a row, which is an amazing accomplishment. He earned the Laker job. To have to deal with these ignorant distractions is deplorable.

Reporter: They should determine what news they should run based on what coaches will like?

Carlisle: No I’m saying they should look at their sources and do a better job of determining whether they have any merit or any validity or are they just blowhard loudmouths. That’s what I’m saying. You got that?

The Lakers have already tried to limit LaVar’s availability to the media, enforcing a rule they hadn’t before to shut reporters out of the friends and family sections of Staples Center. That didn’t work.

Last month, Magic Johnson and the Lakers’ front office met with LaVar to get him to tone down his team criticisms. That clearly didn’t work either.

LaVar has a history of feuding with coaches, essentially running Chino Hills High School’s former coach out of his position. It doesn’t seem like anything will stop him from speaking his mind.