Lakers get Steve Nash !

[Touch'EmAll]

Woo Hoo! Party time ! Mitch Kupchak is awesome! Lakers know their window is another 1 or 2 years with Kobe, then rebuild. So they get the veteran Nash - who is great pick and roll/assist MASTER - best point guard of the last decade - still has gas in the tank to give the Lakers all the marbles next year!

Deliriously happy !!!!!!!!

[Leon]

Nash is great. I have like him since he was on the Mavs. A great asset to any team.....probably has a few more good years left in him too.

[TUM301]

Nash always has the ball, Kobe always has to have it at crunch time. I see trouble in paradise. GO CELTS !!

[Touch'EmAll]

Such a reply from a Celtics fan - should have figured a Celtics fan would chime in. But Lakers just got the "difference maker" this time.

[barrysloate]

I had a different take on it. The Lakers gave up four draft picks to get a 38 year old player who is clearly a superstar but probably only has a couple of years left. I know the Lakers rarely get a high draft pick but I hate to see a team give up their future for a player well past his prime. I'm not a general manager and nobody consults with me first, but I'm a firm believer in keeping a team young. One or two of those draft picks could have become an impact player for years to come. I know the Lakers want to win now and Nash can help them. But he has a shelf life that will soon expire.

[barrysloate]

So the Knicks signed Jason Kidd today. They have a 23 year old star in Jeremy Lin who they may now not be able to keep, and they replace him with a 39 year old. I just don't get it.

[3-2-count]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

I know the Lakers want to win now and Nash can help them. But he has a shelf life that will soon expire.

Barry. Problem is Kobe's shelf life isn't much longer. He ain't no spring chicken. (excuse my grammar) Winning now was the sole goal behind this move.

[barrysloate]

I know Tony, many teams have the we have to win it now mantra. Unfortunately, very few of them actually win.

[3-2-count]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

I know Tony, many teams have the we have to win it now mantra. Unfortunately, very few of them actually win.

Agreed. I don't necessarily agree with the move, but it did no doubt make them a better team today.

[frankbmd]

Gary Payton and Karl Malone came to LA for a ring with old sneakers.

Didn't happen. Will History repeat itself with Nash? I tend to think so.

Time wlll tell.

[Touch'EmAll]

When Malone and Payton came to the Lakers years ago, their declining stats/injuries clearly showed rapid aging.

Now take a look at Nash's stats last year - no decline, no injury factor.

[xdrx]

Originally Posted by 3-2-count

Barry. Problem is Kobe's shelf life isn't much longer. He ain't no spring chicken. (excuse my grammar) Winning now was the sole goal behind this move.

This is the point. Losing in the second round of the playoffs and hoping to get lucky with late first round draft picks is not going to rebuild the Lakers. The worst thing in the NBA is to be good but not "good enough".

I'm OK with them gearing up for a last run or two at a ring with Kobe. They may have to hit rock bottom after that to start a true rebuild, but the Lakers have been very good at avoiding that eventuality over the years. We'll see.

Nash-Kobe-Gasol-Bynum (or Howard) is intriguing. Hopefully Kobe will let Nash run the show on offense. It could really open up the court and lead to many easy baskets for the bigs and for Kobe.

[alanu]

I'm not a big Lakers fan, actually the opposite, but I see them trading Bynum for Howard too. I just don't see Bynum with his off and on again play being the star of the future for the Lakers.

[GasHouseGang]

I am a Laker fan and I keep waiting for the Comish to step in and void the move. Nah, that would never happen...

[tiger8mush]

Lakers need a 3-pt threat. I wonder if Battier or Miller will be expandable now that Miami has Ray Allen?

Teams can clog the lanes vs LA. Having a 3pt specialist out there will open them up!

[GasHouseGang]

Now the Lakers look to be back in the mix of possible teams Howard might go to. I know they were interested in picking him up before, so I'm sure they are still interested. It's rumored they would trade Bynum for Howard. That would certainly give them a force in the middle and should be a positive for the Lakers, but it still doesn't give them the 3-point threat you mentioned to help unclog the middle. If they could get Howard to go along with Nash and Kobe, it might make them contenders next year. What do you think?

[Touch'EmAll]

Last year was the first and only year Bynum was injury free. As a Lakers fan, I always hold my breath when Bynum makes an awkward move.

And Dwight Howard has back issues - missed games end of last year, and is missing Olympics due to bad back.

Can Bynum stay away from injury? Or should Lakers get what they can while Bynum's trade value is high?

And what is the latest about Dwight Howard's back injury? Lakers sure wouldn't want Howard sitting on the bench nursing his back.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Gary Payton and Karl Malone came to LA for a ring with old sneakers.

Didn't happen. Will History repeat itself with Nash? I tend to think so.

Time will tell.

Watched the Laker game for a while last evening and remembered an old

thread. Hmmmm