ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy "lashed out at the network that employs him" for its recent story about LaVar Ball criticizing Lakers coach Luke Walton, according to Mark Sanchez of the N.Y. POST. Van Gundy appeared on Sirius XM NBA Radio on Monday and said, “You guys want the cheap shots. You want the hits. You want these -- like you said, clicks, whatever that means. … It is part of the business, and it’s also a reason why this does lack journalistic integrity. It is a reason for coaches to unite and say, ‘No no, forget it, if we have to take this, then why are we giving of our time?’ It’s not like they’re going to violate any rule if they don’t participate with ESPN.” Van Gundy's comments came on the same day his brother, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy threatened not to provide ESPN any extra access following the Ball-Walton story. Jeff Van Gundy "feels strongly his employers are distorting their coverage to meet Ball’s whim." He said, “There was no attempt in that article to present both sides. It didn’t state Lonzo Ball’s stats, I don’t believe. It didn’t talk about, like, the nine-game losing streak having anything to do with injuries." He said instead of "focusing in on the real issues," author Jeff Goodman and ESPN "got what they wanted." Van Gundy: "They started a little fire and now everyone’s talking about it” (N.Y. POST, 1/10).
GOING TOO FAR? ESPN's Dan Le Batard said the moment coaches "start trying to control our content is the moment I’m going to clap back on Stan Van Gundy and say, ‘Knock it off. He’s a cartoon character, Stan. You don’t have to be so offended by this.’” This is a situation with NBA coaches "trying to dictate how ESPN covers their business." Le Batard: "ESPN pays them to cover their business. They don't get to tell us how to control the content. That’s not something that they’re allowed to do” ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 1/9).
TAKING THE AIR OUT OF THE BALL: CBSSN’s Adam Schein agreed with coaches like Van Gundy, the Maverick's Rick Carlisle and the Warriors' Steve Kerr that the media, including ESPN, needs to "stop interviewing LaVar Ball." Schein said, "You do not talk to the moms and the dads of professional players. ... Enough is enough is enough” (“Time To Schein,” CBSSN, 1/9). FS1's Jason Whitlock said, "We shouldn't allow him these media platforms without putting context and substance around it." He added, "The media has not handled its job well and the public doesn't trust us, but part of the reason why the public doesn't trust us is because we've acted irresponsibly and now anything goes. Carlisle and Steve Kerr are saying that organizations like Fox, like ESPN, ‘LaVar Ball's running off at the mouth -- that's beneath you. Legitimate news organizations should hold the guy to a higher standard’" (“Speak For Yourself,” FS1, 1/9). ESPN’s Will Cain said Ball is “largely a fraud” and the “media’s job is to shine sunlight on the truth.” But he added Ball still "generates ratings ... despite being all these negative things” ("First Take," ESPN, 1/10).
HELP ME HELP YOU: ESPN's Bob Ley addressed both the Ball story and last week's ESPN.com story on the Patriots, which also drew some criticism. He said, "Ratings are important, but truth and accuracy matter, especially here. But keep on forcing us to think about what we do. It’s only going to make us better” (“OTL,” ESPN, 1/9).
