As part of Thursday morning's episode of Get Up on ESPN, Jalen Rose claimed that LeBron James will not win another championship if the Lakers “don't get it done this season.”
The NBA decided to suspend the 2019-20 regular season in mid-March due to ongoing concerns with the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, the Lakers, who have racked up a Western Conference-best 49-14 overall record, had an 18 percent chance of winning this season's championship.
During his appearance, Rose argued that the Lakers are constructed to win now:
“You look at LeBron James in his 17th year… At his age, when you build a squad around him, of course Anthony Davis is an anchor,” Rose said on Thursday's episode of ESPN's Get Up. “But then, all of a sudden, you look deeper into the roster. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley, Danny Green, Rajon Rondo — they don't have long-term situations with the Lakers. They were brought there to try to win a championship this year.
“So therefore, if this squad isn't playing, what happens next year to a Kyle Kuzma, who really didn't fit in with Anthony Davis and LeBron because he got injured as the season started. So for LeBron, other teams are ascending — the Clippers in their own building, the Bucks in the Eastern Conference with Giannis, who's probably going to win the MVP. So absolutely, this is LeBron's window. If (the Lakers) don't get it done this year, I don't believe it happens.”
"This is LeBron's window. If [the Lakers] don't get it done this year, I don't believe it happens."
—@JalenRose pic.twitter.com/vKNUJJ7pbc
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 9, 2020
James and the Lakers were enjoying a great season before the onset of COVID-19. In fact, with their recent win over Giannis' Bucks, the Lake Show clinched their first playoff berth since 2013. And furthermore, James was on pace to lead the entire league in assists for the first time in his career.
During a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, James noted that he would not have closure if this season doesn't resume.
“I don’t think I would be able to have any closure if we did not have an opportunity to finish the season,” James said, via Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.
Some league officials are hoping that play will resume at a later date this year. Ultimately, though, doctors and health officials will have the final verdict.
Follow Us
Subscribe