BBB to NOP

During the saga that was the NBA trade deadline, Lonzo Ball and his Laker cohorts were dangled in front of teams like yarn to a cat, and Lonzo almost wound up in New Orleans, but lucky for him, he didn’t. LaVar Ball, Lonzo’s father, came out and made a big deal of not wanting his son in New Orleans, as he was concerned for Lonzos position in the lineup. Valid reason, a father looking out for his son, I get it, but if we are strictly talking basketball, why doesn’t LaVar want his son a Pelican?

The Pelicans are not a great team but are not close to being a bottom-feeder, and if Lonzo ends up in New Orleans this summer, he should ignore the noise of the media and embrace the goldmine of an opportunity that would be sitting in front of him. Think about who’s on the Pelican’s that’s a defensive stalwart…not the guy with the eyebrows…not Tim Frazier…That’s right! Jrue Holiday! Jrue Holiday has been one of the most underrated and consistent defenders in the NBA for a few years now, making 2018 All-Defensive Team, and he could turn Lonzo into a better defender than he already is, and then some.

Holiday is the ultimate guard; he can play the point, the two spot, can average 25+ a night, and can lock down the majority of the NBA. What more could Lonzo ask for in a mentor? As far as we know, Holiday isn’t going anywhere, and if Lonzo does end up in a Pelican’s jersey he will be playing with a really good player, but more importantly, a mentor.

It’s pretty obvious that Holiday is a very good defender, but we need to talk about the final part of this ‘equation’, LaVar Ball’s hesitation. LaVar does not want his son playing in New Orleans because they already have an established point guard, except, they don’t. If LaVar means Elfrid Payton, I don’t think he knows what an ‘established point guard’ is. Elfrid Payton struggles with his shot, isn’t a great passer, and can’t play defense that well, and Lonzo could take his job within a couple games, if not immediately. I don’t have anything against Payton, I actually liked him in Phoenix and thought he should’ve been given another chance but when it comes to Lonzo or Payton, I’m taking Lonzo ninety-nine times out of one hundred.

I don’t want to tell LaVar Ball how to be a parent, but I do want him to know that his son would be better off in New Orleans than Phoenix if its mentorship and pure basketball you’re after, and that’s all thanks to Jrue Holiday.