Pop: LaVar is 'just another fan in the peanut gallery'

With the San Antonio Spurs in Tinseltown, it was only a matter of time before someone asked the NBA's most acerbic coach for his thoughts on LaVar Ball's claim that Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton has lost his team.

The legendary Gregg Popovich did not fail to produce an assessment that was both cutting and blunt.

"I think the first thing to look at is the substance and gravitas of the source that speaks," Popovich told reporters Thursday prior to his team's tilt with the Lakers, according to ESPN's Michael C. Wright. "Stopping at that point would tell you you don't need to listen or go any further. It's just another fan in the peanut gallery with an opinion, which is meaningless."

Popovich's comments about Lonzo Ball's father were less harsh than those of Mavericks bench boss Rick Carlisle, who called ESPN's decision to publish LaVar's appraisal of Walton "a disgrace."

The Lakers own a 13-27 record, fourth-worst in the league, and tensions appear to be rising. In late December, the team canceled a practice in order to to hold a meeting and clear the air - a stark contrast to the start of the season, when rookie Lonzo's presence helped feed a fountain of optimistic buzz. A nine-game losing streak was snapped only by a pair of wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings - two of the teams below the Lakers in the standings.

"(Walton is) way more than ready to handle this situation," Popovich added. "But it's a situation that's gonna take time. It's a process. And it certainly doesn't need any outside chatter from people who don't have a clue and haven't gotten over themselves."