It was announced Wednesday night, as most of us were crushing hot dogs, watching Independence Day and doing other American things on the birthday of our nation, that the Lakers acquired Steve Nash for a pair of future first and second round draft picks. The 38-year old Nash, will join Kobe and Co. in LA for one last shot at a championship that remains the only thing missing from Nash's Hall of Fame resume. The two-time MVP, who has long been a thorn in the side of Lakers fans, is not only another box-office draw in a city full of them, but another piece to the puzzle for a team floating in Western Conference mediocrity the last two years. The synergy between Kobe and Nash will be interesting to watch, as Kobe may have to sit back and let Nash set other teammates up, something Kobe certainly is not accustomed to.
Kobe and Nash have been connected for quite some time. Both were drafted in the fantastic 1996 Draft two picks apart (Kobe went 13th to Charlotte and Nash went 15th to Dallas, respectively). But it wasn't until Nash became the face of the Phoenix Suns that their rivalry took form. After years of Kobe's Lakers being the bullies on the Western Conference block in the beginning of the decade, roles were reversed when the two teams met in the playoffs in 2006. The Suns were the most exciting team to watch under Mike D'Antoni and were poised to make a run to the NBA Finals. The Lakers were a 7th seed and Kobe was carrying a team of misfits on his back into the playoffs. The Lakers went up 3-1 in the series before the Suns reeled off three straight wins to break the hearts of every Laker fan. The teams would meet again in the playoffs the following season with the Suns winning in five games and then again in 2010's Western Conference Finals with the Lakers returning the favor, defeating the Suns in six games en route to the title.
It was during the 2005-06 season, Nash's second consecutive MVP year, that sparked a heated debate between the two players. Kobe was coming off his best statistical season, leading the league in scoring at 35 points per game and carrying a sub-par Lakers team into the postseason, but Nash took home the award for the second straight season, much to the chagrin of basketball heads everywhere, especially the ones that didn't think he deserved his first MVP. (Sidenote: Yes, I am a Kobe fan. I'm sorry I'm not sorry. I never had a problem with Nash winning the award the previous year. He took the Suns from a mediocre team to a Western Conference juggernaut and instantly made them the most watchable team in basketball. The only other person you could have made an argument for that year was Shaq, and he would have been deserving, but I couldn't argue with Nash getting MVP in '05. With that being said, in '06, it was an absolute travesty that Kobe didn't win the award, let alone place in the top 3 in voting. Kobe was still recovering from the debacle in Colorado a few years before as well as being the scapegoat the messy Shaq divorce. He was still in heavy PR-rebuilding mode and I'm sure that made a few voters shift their votes to Nash and others. Kobe at 35 ppg, in a season where he scored 81 in one game and 60 in THREE QUARTERS in a game against Dallas, not to mention him carrying a team into the playoffs that would not have won 20 games if not for him being on the roster, should have won the 2006 MVP. End rant.)
All that is behind them. Fast forward to 2012 and both are aging superstars looking for one last run at a ring (that elusive, historic, sixth ring in Kobe's case). With that in mind, we need to actually look beyond the headline of Steve Nash traded to the Lakers and actually dissect what effect this has on the Lakers going forward.
Nash is certainly an upgrade at point guard for the Lakers and regardless of his age, will be the best point guard Kobe has ever played with (with all due respect to Derek Fisher). Nash still averaged nearly 11 assists per game last year and will do wonders setting up the Lakers' big men, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Jared Dudley tweeted earlier tonight that Nash made a lot of people millions of dollars (Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw, Channing Frye, Goran Dragic, Leandro Barbosa, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Raja Bell among others). Dudley couldn't be more right (he would know) and Nash will continue to do that in LA. Gasol should benefit the most from the addition of Nash, as he'll be able to get plenty of open looks around the basket and his ability to knock down a mid range jumper will be crucial as Nash will find him in open spots. Bynum will see easy lobs and high percentage shots around the basket and Nash will make sure the offense doesn't stall as everyone gets into their sit-around-and-watch-Kobe mode. For Kobe, it relieves some of his ball-handling duties and it gives him someone he can trust in close games for the first time since he played with Fisher. Let's face it, with the exception of Fisher, Kobe has played with some brutal point guards during his career (Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar and don't let me say it...Smush...Parker, to name a few). He will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the addition of Nash.
Let's not get so caught up in the offensive upgrades to forget about the other side of the ball. Saying Nash is a defensive liability is an understatement. There is no way he'll be able to run with guys like Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker and Chris Paul in the Western Conference. Also, the Lakers are getting older as the rest of the elite teams are getting younger and more athletic. If there's anything we saw from this year's NBA Finals, you need athletes to compete in this league. The talented young guns on the Thunder and Heat turned the Finals into a track meet at times and I can't imagine the Lakers being able to keep pace, but with the offensive efficiency they should have, who knows. The Lakers are always aggressive and will look for ways to continue improving their team this off-season. A deal for Dwight Howard is still being discussed, but I believe they need a talented, athletic wing player to add some defensive intensity and can run the floor. No one fits that bill like Andre Iguodala (I never thought I would say that about him). Iguodala would be an ideal fit for the Lakers, as he essentially does everything Ron Artest does (defends, doesn't need the ball in his hands, can hit an occasional open 3), with the addition of running the fast-break better than most and doesn't come with Artest's baggage. Of course he would have to be acquired via trade, so that's just a hypothetical recommendation at this point.
The Suns meanwhile, are in full rebuilding mode. Nash and Grant Hill are out and they are reportedly pursuing Goran Dragic, Nash's former back-up who has quietly been a good player in this league for a couple years now. They just drafted Kendall Marshall to be the point guard of the future. They have a big man in Marcin Gortat, but their roster is mostly filled with complimentary players like Dudley and Josh Childress along with young, unproven guys like Markieff Morris and Robin Lopez. It will take some time and clever roster tinkering over the next couple years before the Suns can be a legit contender. It was also reported tonight that they signed Michael Beasley to a 3-year/$18 mil deal, Beasley being the perfect example of an unproven talent.
After David Stern vetoed the Lakers trade for Chris Paul last year (which was ridiculous) and never really being in on the Deron Williams sweepstakes, Nash was the best available point guard they could have acquired. Of course, it's only a short-term fix and this is a position they will have to address again in the near future, but in 2012 it makes the Lakers a legitimate contender in the Western Conference. I still see them slightly below OKC, but maybe this group of battle-tested veterans has one last run in them. Regardless, seeing Kobe and Nash share a back-court together will be something any basketball fan can appreciate.
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