CaFormer Indiana Pacer and current ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose spoke to Hoops Hype about the FIBA World Cup, the dynamic in Cleveland created by LeBron James, Chris Webber’s documentary, and his aspirations of being an owner.
On that final topic, Rose says he has dreams to be a minority owner of the Pistons or, if that fails, to run a team’s basketball operations.
"What would it take for you to consider leaving the media business and do something else?JR: I have a few NBA goals. One of my goals is that I would love to be in a minority ownership of the Detroit Pistons. Potentially be a general manager or a president of operations for any team – the right opportunity at the right time."
In addition to talk about the Pistons, Rose discussed another Central Division foe of the Pacers: The new-look Cleveland Cavaliers.
"How do you think is going to work out in Cleveland with the new Big Three?JR: It’s going to work out very well. You’ve got one guy who has won four MVPs, two championships, he’s one of the best players in the league. You’ve got two guys that have been All-Stars, but never played in the playoffs.Who’s going to be the No. 3 guy?JR: Kyrie.Not Kevin Love?JR: No. Because Love is one of the best rebounders and scorers and three-point shooters in the league. If I had to pick a player that I felt would be the most compatible of any player in the league with LeBron James, it would be Kevin Love. How about this? When is the last time he played on a team when one guy got a rebound, another guy got an outlet and he’s actually able to run the wing? That’s what he’s going to be able to do in Cleveland. It’s going to be exciting to watch."
As for the World Cup, Rose thinks that the loss of Paul George — not to mention some of the league’s biggest stars not playing — is what caused many fans to tune out.
"Why are Americans not interested in watching Team USA playing the World Cup in Spain?Jalen Rose: I think that’s a misconception. I think if the USA was playing vs. Spain, it would be a highly-viewed game just like an NBA Finals game. The anticipation for the fans is there. What happens is, great players have already had their turn: Kobe,Wade, LeBron, Kevin Love had to deal with his trade speculation, Kevin Durant had to deal with being tired, Blake Griffin had a back injury and Paul George got injured. So we did not have a lot of our top players ready to participate. So while it’s not the Olympics, it’s still basketball."
You can read the rest of the interview at Hoops Hype.