LiAngelo Ball is leaving UCLA and its men's basketball program, and the only thing wrong with this development is that coach Steve Alford should have had the foresight to make this decision himself.
That doesn't mean Alford and the university were wrong to indefinitely suspend Ball and two teammates after they were arrested in China on charges of shoplifting, an offense they acknowledged upon their safe return to the U.S.
There was no need to expel anyone. Freshmen Cody Riley and Jalen Hill are right where they ought to be: enrolled in school, still not full members of the team, awaiting their restoration.
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In regards to Ball, however, Alford should have had the wisdom to recognize, after LaVar Ball "happened," that the family's positive impact on the Bruins would end with eldest son Lonzo's final NCAA Tournament game regardless of how many of his siblings followed him to Westwood.
It would have been a ruthless maneuver to cut loose a committed prospect, to tell LiAngelo to find another home. It might have had repercussions with those who admire LaVar Ball. As the majority of his "fans" appear to be teenagers, however, the impact might have been limited.
As it stands, LaVar Ball has done Alford an extraordinary favor by removing his middle son from the program and positioning youngest son LaMelo to pursue a professional career without a stop in college.
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Lonzo Ball was a first-team all-American who revolutionized Bruins basketball in his one season on campus. As most of the histrionics that came to define LaVar Ball occurred toward the end of that season — and escalated dramatically beyond — UCLA's relationship with the family would have remained a smash had it remained a dalliance.
Welcoming LiAngelo this fall was not going to produce even a fraction of the on-court success. The talent is not there. And, as LaVar's voice somehow refused to dissipate during the summer months, as he became emboldened by his stubbornly persistent fame, it stood to reason the marriage between the Balls and the Bruins eventually would fracture.
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LiAngelo Ball's involvement in the China caper accelerated that fissure. It was a colossal embarrassment for the university, the program and college basketball generally. The sport already had been beaten around pretty good by the U.S. Justice Department.
It is not clear where LiAngelo will end up next; it is certain only that the coach who accepts him will need a sturdy soul.
As the circus departs Pauley Pavilion, though, even the memory of Lonzo's deep 3-pointers and dazzling passes does not resolve the debate about whether it was all worth the bother.
