Nash as a Laker? Image Courtesy RealGM Forums

I really want to like the deal the Lakers made today, I really do. I mean Steve Nash is definitely an upgrade over Steve Blake and Ramon “there’s a reason I’ve been on 4 teams in 5 years” Sessions.

But don’t the Lakers always get beat by quick point guards? Russell Westbrook this year, JJ Barea and Chris Paul last year. And Steve Nash is the answer for that? This guy has had a bad back since Robert Horry hip checked him into the scorer’s table in 2007. He’s only still in the league because of Phoenix’s crazy good medical staff. If you’ve seen any Suns games in the past few years, you seen him get massaged, stretched, poked and prodded on the sidelines DURING the game.

Sure, the counter point to this is that the Lakers got him for his offense and his poise during crunch time. I mean Nash is a point guard’s point guard. But isn’t that a problem for the Kobe led Lakers? A point guard like Nash needs the ball in his hands to be properly effective… To slither thru the lane and find the open guy.. dribble around pressure.

But isn’t that what Kobe does? Doesn’t he need the ball to create his own shot and setup his teammates? Is he gonna be happy becoming a spot up jump shooter? Or a slasher without the ball? I hope so, but Kobe doesn’t strike me as a guy who’s gonna be happy sitting in the shadows.

Believe me, I hope I’m wrong. I hope I’m completely, totally, utterly devastatingly wrong. I’d like nothing more than Nash and Kobe to figure it out and head off into their career sunsets with a few more banners for Staples Center. I guess that’s why they play the game right. If anything, this upcoming season should be lots of fun to watch.