Jalen Rose Talks NBA Season

Former NBA player Jalen Rose joined ESPN’s “Get Up” on Thursday to discuss the implications of the NBA’s hiatus and the potential return of the season.

Return to Play?

The first thing on every basketball fan’s mind is simply whether or not the 2020 season will be canceled. There have been varying reports on how league officials currently feel about a return to play. However, most feel it would involve games without fans. On Thursday, Rose shared this sentiment with ESPN’s Mike Greenberg:

While Lebron James said in March that he would be opposed to playing in empty arenas, he may be shifting his stance. On Wednesday, James stated that if the season were canceled, he would not be able to “have any closure,” according to ESPN.

Basketball Effects

Speaking of LeBron, Jalen Rose had much to say about his Los Angeles Lakers.

Days before play was suspended, the Lakers notched wins over the league-leading Bucks and Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers. Rose was impressed with what he saw, claiming LA was playing its best basketball and perhaps the title favorite:

However, Rose thinks that LeBron’s “closure” comments may have something to do with a closing title window. Outside of superstar big-man Anthony Davis, many Lakers are on short-term contracts, indicating that they are in “win-now” mode:

In addition, the ascension of younger Bucks and Clippers squads leads Rose to believe that 2020 is LeBron’s best shot at a fourth ring:

In fact, Rose went so far as to say that there may be a new favorite if the season resumes. With months away from play, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George should have plenty of time to get healthy for a deep Clippers playoff run:

Hopefully, fans get a chance to see how it all plays out.