Lakers' Lonzo Ball  Luke Walton say LaVar Ball wrong coach hasn't lost team
Luke Walton
LOS ANGELES --  Luke Walton  and Lonzo Ball both say that the Los Angeles Lakers' head coach has not lost the locker room  as LaVar Ball asserted.
Lonzo Ball also said  "I'll play for anybody " when asked whether he is fine with  Walton  as his coach.?
 Walton  ?whose team ended a nine-game losing streak with a 132-113 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night  disagreed with LaVar's latest criticism of him.  Walton   who said Friday morning that he is not coaching as if his job is on the line  was asked whether he has received assurances from anyone in Lakers upper management.
"Yeah. We're  I feel  very secure in my job status right now "  Walton  said. "We talk all the time. They're 100 percent behind and supporting what we're doing."
Lakers majority owner Jeanie Buss tweeted strong support with the hashtag "InLukeWeTrust" on New Year's Eve  and all indications have been that  Walton 's job security is not an issue.?A Lakers source told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that Walton's job status is "not even a conversation."
This is not the first time LaVar Ball has been critical of  Walton 's coaching. He has said that the Lakers' coaching staff is "soft" and doesn't know how to coach his son  and he expressed his displeasure with how  Walton  was using his son in the fourth quarter of games.
The Lakers already have held a meeting with the elder Ball and asked him to tone down his criticisms of  Walton  to foster a better atmosphere for Lonzo Ball and continue a positive relationship with the organization.
LaVar Ball's latest comments left the No. 2 overall pick having to answer several questions Sunday morning about the state of the Lakers' locker room and his relationship with  Walton .
"He is going to speak his mind. He is not going to change " said Lonzo Ball  who says he hasn't spoken to LaVar since his father and two brothers landed in Lithuania  where LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball are playing for the pro team Prienu Vytautas. "... I don't think [ Walton  has lost the locker room]. I mean   he 's our head coach. We are going to play for  him .
"That is just  his  opinion.  He  has coached me  his  whole life. So  he  is definitely going to have a strong opinion about it. That's just what it is."?
"I don't see that the players aren't playing hard "  Walton  said. "I think the players are playing very hard. We've been through a hard stretch  but they are giving us what they have  and we're going to keep working  and we'll be fine."
"I'm fine with it. It doesn't bother me "  Walton  said of LaVar Ball's repeated criticism of  him . "My only concern with any of it is for Zo. As long as Zo's fine with it and Zo can come out and play  and it doesn't affect mine and his relationship  then it doesn't bother me at all."
Lonzo Ball said that he focuses on playing basketball and that he has told  Walton  before that his father's comments don't affect him.
 Walton  was asked whether LaVar Ball's comments could possibly influence what management is thinking about its coach and the team's rebuild.
"I would hope not  but it doesn't influence what we're doing "  Walton  said of the coaching staff. "I've said all along there's always parents  and parents are going to get mad at things -- that's what they do. And it's our job as coaches and coaches in the organization to do what's best for our team and our players  and we make those decisions based on what we see every single day in the facility and on the court."
LOS ANGELES --  [TGT]and Lonzo Ball both say that the Los Angeles Lakers' head coach has not lost the locker room  as LaVar Ball asserted.
Lonzo Ball also said  "I'll play for anybody " when asked whether he is fine with  Walton  as his coach.?
 [TGT]?whose team ended a nine-game losing streak with a 132-113 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night  disagreed with LaVar's latest criticism of him.  [TGT]   who said Friday morning that he is not coaching as if his job is on the line  was asked whether he has received assurances from anyone in Lakers upper management.
"Yeah. We're  I feel  very secure in my job status right now "  [TGT]said. "We talk all the time. They're 100 percent behind and supporting what we're doing."
Lakers majority owner Jeanie Buss tweeted strong support with the hashtag "InLukeWeTrust" on New Year's Eve  and all indications have been that  [TGT] 's job security is not an issue.?A Lakers source told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that [TGT]'s job status is "not even a conversation."
This is not the first time LaVar Ball has been critical of  Walton 's coaching. He has said that the Lakers' coaching staff is "soft" and doesn't know how to coach his son  and he expressed his displeasure with how  [TGT]was using his son in the fourth quarter of games.
The Lakers already have held a meeting with the elder Ball and asked him to tone down his criticisms of  Walton  to foster a better atmosphere for Lonzo Ball and continue a positive relationship with the organization.
LaVar Ball's latest comments left the No. 2 overall pick having to answer several questions Sunday morning about the state of the Lakers' locker room and his relationship with  Walton .
"He is going to speak his mind. He is not going to change " said Lonzo Ball  who says he hasn't spoken to LaVar since his father and two brothers landed in Lithuania  where LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball are playing for the pro team Prienu Vytautas. "... I don't think [ Walton  has lost the locker room]. I mean   he 's our head coach. We are going to play for  him .
"That is just  his  opinion.  He  has coached me  his  whole life. So  he  is definitely going to have a strong opinion about it. That's just what it is."?
"I don't see that the players aren't playing hard "  Walton  said. "I think the players are playing very hard. We've been through a hard stretch  but they are giving us what they have  and we're going to keep working  and we'll be fine."
"I'm fine with it. It doesn't bother me "  Walton  said of LaVar Ball's repeated criticism of  him . "My only concern with any of it is for Zo. As long as Zo's fine with it and Zo can come out and play  and it doesn't affect mine and his relationship  then it doesn't bother me at all."
Lonzo Ball said that he focuses on playing basketball and that he has told  Walton  before that his father's comments don't affect him.
 Walton  was asked whether LaVar Ball's comments could possibly influence what management is thinking about its coach and the team's rebuild.
"I would hope not  but it doesn't influence what we're doing "  Walton  said of the coaching staff. "I've said all along there's always parents  and parents are going to get mad at things -- that's what they do. And it's our job as coaches and coaches in the organization to do what's best for our team and our players  and we make those decisions based on what we see every single day in the facility and on the court."