No Off-Season in the NBA

One Monday afternoon here in California, I watched Rachel Nichols' ESPN show The Jump while I was enjoying my day off from my supermarket work.

Nichols and her guests Amin El-Hassan and Scottie Pippen had a very lively discussion on the aftermath of the Golden State Warriors' recent title win in the NBA and the future of LeBron James.

Both these topics are expected to dominate the NBA off-season particularly in the case of James whose legacy is being tarnished by his recent 4-0 shutout loss of his Cavaliers against the Warriors.

As I have posted previously, there is a lot of interest from many NBA fans, particularly over there in the Philippines, on where LeBron is going next.

It is no secret that LeBron has a strong following back in my former country and whatever move he makes this off-season will surely be followed by many Filipinos who have experienced his four visits to Manila.

Among the teams reportedly interested in LeBron are the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, Sixers, Rockets and Heat. Even the Warriors were mentioned in rumors although the odds of that happening are very slim.

Many NBA experts here in the US say that they won't be surprised if LeBron does leave Cleveland a second time. It's no secret that he and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert have long been at odds over the way the team is being managed.

The massive shake-up at the trade deadline which saw Cleveland acquire George Hill, Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson and Rodney Hood for Isiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert was initially met with approval but when it came to the last finals, the new guys were inconsistent and LeBron did all the heavy lifting by himself. The Warriors took advantage and the Cavs were done.

As for the Warriors, the team is set to celebrate its latest championship with a parade and now comes the hard part -- how to keep this team together.

Rumors of Anthony Davis leaving New Orleans to sign with the Warriors have been circulating in social media although if you were to ask me, this Warriors team should stay together. After all, its management has done a good job maintaining harmony among the players.

One major issue the Warriors could face, however, is the NBA's luxury tax which could make it difficult for the team to maintain its high-priced players like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

This off-season also saw some teams find new coaches like David Fizdale at New York, Steve Clifford at Charlotte and, just now, Dwayne  Casey with Detroit.

Then there is the NBA Awards later this month, followed by the NBA Draft and the NBA Summer League.

So clearly, there is no off-season in the NBA. And expect Nichols and her gang of NBA analysts to be there where the action is before the new season tips off in October.