Are Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo — two mediocre-to-great players, depending on who you ask — set to leave their respective playoff teams after this season and bolt for the Lakers? According to Jalen Rose, who has predicted things of this nature before, yes.
I have no idea what Rose’s track record is with making predictions about NBA roster moves, but people tend to remember the successes more than the failures, and Rose did say that James Harden would end up in Houston (and later, that Dwight Howard would end up in Houston) before it actually happened. Thus, whenever he makes a prediction at any point about anything for the rest of time, Bill Simmons will chime in like Flavor Flav on a Public Enemy record and go “He knows things!”
That’s how it went down on the Grantland Basketball Hour yesterday, when Simmons, Rose and Zach Lowe were discussing the urgency level of several playoff teams. When the question of how much urgency the Cavaliers feel to win it all this year came up, Rose said very urgent, for the following reason:
“Kevin Love will be one and done with the Cavs- I think he and Rajon Rondo will be Lakers next year. I think Lakers gonna find a way to add both of those players.
[Love’s] considered to be having a down year- he’s averaging 17 and 10. He’s still one of the top 10 players in the eastern conference you wanna win while that guys on your roster”
There were rumors that Love might make his way to the Celtics back when Rondo was still in Boston. These two are often linked together, they’re both heading into free agency at the same time, and the Lakers are desperate to put good players around Kobe for one last one at relevancy, if not true competition. If the Cavs flame out before getting to the Finals, perhaps Love really does take the money and run back to L.A. Same for Rondo if the Mavs lose in the first round to Houston.
This isn’t the most out-there prediction Jalen Rose has made. Which is why it has a decent, if not likely, chance of happening.
