Congratulations to the Lakers for trading for Steve Nash without really giving up anything. The Lakers addressed their need for a PG to pair with Kobe. While I am not ready to crown the Lakers "Best in the West", it is worth noting that the Lakers have upgraded. Nash may still be a defensive liability but with Kobe, Bynum and Gasol, the liability may not be that high. Kobe can still guard just about anyone in the league. Bynum, when he's engaged, is the 2nd best center in the league. If the Lakers pull of a trade for Dwight Howard then all bets are off and you have to make the Lakers the favorites. Health is another issue the Lakers had to take into consideration but Nash is a true PG. He doesn't have to be a scorer at all. His workload will consist of running the offense and setting up the high percentage scoring opportunities. I'm sure Nash can make 14pts and 10ast average work all season. It will probably be higher averages for Nash but we all know Kobe will have the ball and get his ISOs throughout each game. With Nash being 225 assist shy of tying Magic for 4th all time, he will have plenty of opportunities to get it done, in a Laker uniform no less. My only question is what number will Nash were. Will he pull a D Fisher and go with his age or transpose the numbers and go with 31? Not a big deal but still worth asking.The Lakers have not had issues putting together a good starting unit over the years. The Lakers woes have always come from the bench or lack thereof. Look at what the Heat did with timely performances out of 3 bench players. Now, if the Lakers sign Grant Hill and health isn't a concern then the Lakers will have a starting unit that can beat anyone and an actual fan in me(No the Bulls are still number 1 in my heart). I have to say, it would be a great starting 5: Nash and Kobe at guard. Hill and Gasol at forward and Bynum in the middle. Crazy part is all 5 could make the all-star team so the hype would be warranted. Before we go too far with this, let's see how things play out.
This deal does have a huge impact on the rest of the league. Nash was being courted by the Mavs, Knicks and the Raptors. Toronto could offer him the most money but the least chance of winning a title. Let's face it, at this point, that is all Nash wants. Before anyone starts with this whole "small market snubs" by players, OKC just proved how a small market team can compete with the major cities. OKC has been doing this for the last 3 years so you missed me with that argument. The Mavs have decisions to make having lost out on both Nash and Deron Williams and probably Jeremy Lin as well. With Nash going to LA, the Knicks will and should match whatever offer Lin will receive. Yeah I know that a contract that is backloaded could hurt the Knicks going forward, but what is the alternative? There isn't one. Not a huge pool of available PGs out there. Lin has proved that he can be an impact player in this league. He has some things to work on, mainly his defense but Nash isn't a defensive threat either so I will give Lin a real chance here.
At the end of the day, the Lakers did what they needed to and for the next 3 seasons, they will be in all the "favorite" talks. Now we have to sit back and see what happens when free agency starts on July 11.
D!
