All posts tagged Steve Nash

NBA offseason in Dwight Howard’s Hands, Still.

Reinhold Matay / Associated Press / March 26, 2010

Andrew Upshaw

The NBA off-season has been exciting and many teams have improved or changed drastically. The NBA champion Miami Heat added Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. That’s a decent improvement but I wouldn’t call those moves home runs. The Celtics signed Jason Terry who is a slight improvement at this point in their careers IMO over Ray Allen. The Lakers made a move for Steve Nash, which I’m happy about. The Nets made themselves a playoff team by getting Joe Johnson and tried to get Dwight Howard to no avail. They have stated that they’re done trying to get Dwight. Dallas made a few moves that are good, I guess. Dwight Howard is still on the Magic and any place he goes to is gonna be the most improved team in the offseason. Likewise as bad as any other move a team makes this offseason, the Magic will end up being the biggest losers.

The Houston Rockets have gutted their entire team in order to trade for Dwight. That seems crazy especially since Dwight can leave next summer but it illustrates Dwight’s worth. Dwight Howard‘s presence alone ensures that any team that has him at least makes the playoffs. So there should be a lot of offers out there for the Magic. But there really isn’t for whatever reason and at this point I would say the Lakers have the most to offer the Magic in Andrew Bynum. Houston, clearly is the most interested. People in LA have been fantasizing about Dwight Howard becoming a Laker for 2 years now, and at no point until recently have I though that it was a possibility. Hell two years ago when the Lakers were the defending champs I wasn’t even sure if it was a good idea.

Unlike some of the more vengeful, and sometimes stupid Laker fans I like Andrew Bynum. Dwight Howard is better though. Way better and he’s a better fit for this Laker team. Bynum is slow and doesn’t always try hard defensively. Dwight Howard is the best defensive player in the league and is athletic in way that Bynum never was even before the knee injuries. Dwight Howard is so defensively he can cover up fro Steve Nash and Kobe(he’s still good but no where near his peak). Offenseviley Dwight can run the floor better and is better at running the pick and roll. Dwight apparently has reservations about playing with Kobe because Kobe told Dwight he’d have to get in line behind him offensively. But Kobe already recruited Nash and if that’s gonna work then Kobe is gonna have concede some control to Nash. If Kobe concedes to Nash then in theory Kobe conceding a little more to Dwight too isn’t too much of a stretch. Just convince Kobe that it was all his idea and try your best to give him as much credit as possible and I think it’ll work out. Listen to Coach K when he talks about Kobe during the Olympics or how Phil Jackson regarded Kobe in the last five years.

With Dwight and Nash added to the Lakers they are in the same league as The OKC Thunder and the Heat. The Lakers are hesitant to pull the trigger on this move because they are scared that Dwight will bounce after one year. What if the Lakers win the title that season, will Dwight leave after that? Kobe is the man in LA but Dwight would be loved right away and Kobe’s old. He said it himself earlier this week. Dwight could be the man in LA for years and years to come. The Lakers, Jim Buss in particular also have a thing for Bynum. He’s very good and they Lakers shouldn’t trade him unless the move is a home run that can win the Lakers multiple titles. Dwight Howard is that kind of trade, so try your hardest (According to Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times they are trying). Orlando would be hesitant to do the deal for Bynum because they’re weary of Bynum bolting on them too. I say that if these trade offers don’t get better than The Magic should risk it anyway. Bynum is more talented than any other center besides their current one and he’s never had a chance to be the best player on his team. He wants that, trust me. Bynum accepts playing besides Kobe but he wouldn’t mind being The Man. The magic also could offer Bynum a lot more money in free agency. Dwight Howard going to the Lakers finally makes sense.

Old-man Lakers (4hoopsheads.com)
Dwight Howard latest: Three-team deal with Bynum to Rockets in play (probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com)
Report: Lakers meet with Magic, push for Howard (tracking.si.com)
Andrew Bynum Trade Rumors: Dwight Howard, Lakers Superstar Must Agree To Contract Extensions With New Teams (losangeles.sbnation.com)

OLD-MAN LAKERS

Andrew Upshaw

Harry How/Getty Images

As every one now knows Steve Nash is now a laker. The Suns traded the two-time MVP to the Lakers for future draft picks and 3 million dollars. That’s it. The Suns apparently argued to trade Nash to LA after Nash guilt tripped them about being close to his kids, who still live in Arizona. Cool. The Lakers now have a good point guard. They went from Derek Fisher who was old and bad at basketball to a young and slightly above average Ramon Sessions to Steve Nash, who’s old and good. The Lakers and their fans have to be happy about this very good trade. One that makes sure the Lakers will still be relevant in the NBA title contender conversation. If the Lakers don’t compete for a title at the very least they’ll compete for the title of the OLDEST team with the Celtics.

I still don’t see them getting past the Miami Heat or even the OKC Thunder I’m excited though. Nash addresses many of the Laker’s weaknesses. Number 1 is shooting. The Lakers didn’t have any good outside shooters last year. Now they have one of the best shooters of all time on their team. The Lakers had a bunch of white guys on their team last year but honestly none of them were that good ( except Pau, who’s Spanish). Now they have one of the greatest white guys of all time of their team. As much as Nash will help the lakers with his scoring ability his biggest contribution will come from his ability to create for others. That’s also the biggest question mark for Nash.

WIll Steve be allowed to do his thang or will Kobe go Kobe and jack it up again. Kobe adjusted his game a bit to accommodate Sessions last year, but for the lakers to fully utilize Nash he needs to adjust even more to Steve’s game. Nash’s passing ability will generate easier shots for Pau, Andrew, and Kobe. Pau Gasol is most suited to play with Nash as he can run the floor and pass as well as any big man. Bynum is gonna have to run to floor more and take less time in the post. Kobe is gonna have give up the rock a lot more and settle for less isolations. That, to me is the most awesome thing about this trade. Kobe had two all-star caliber big men to pass it too in the last few years and it still didn’t stop him from putting up two of the highest usage rates of his career. But now Nash will have the ball and not only will the Lakers benefit from his passing so will Kobe. Kobe knows this. Kobe played well off the ball with Sessions and that will have to be how Kobe plays with Nash for this to work. Steve Nash also brings a nice-guy veteran leader to the lakers(something they have been missing since they traded Fisher). Whenever Kobe screams at a guy, Nash will be there to pat him and on he back and reassure him. I can’t wait for the moment when Kobe gets pissed off at nash. Will he yell at him too?(John Hollinger of ESPN) Or does he respect Steve too much? I could see Nash yelling right back at the Black Mamba. Steve is much more feisty than he’s given credit for.

Kevin Ding of the OC Register wrote here about Kobe and Nash’s connection. They both are really hard workers who breathe basketball. This right here is reason to be excited about the Nash and Kobe back-court. Kobe respects hard work more than he does anything else. Shaq was Kobe’s most gifted teammate ever (more gifted than Kobe, actually) but Kobe always questioned the big man’s work ethic and desire. Pau Gasol is Kobe’ s second best teammate and without Pau Kobe wouldn’t have his last two titles. Kobe thinks so much of Pau that when he was presented the MVP trophy in the 2010 Finals the first thing he did was thank Pau. Kobe also knocked Pau for being too passive in the playoffs the last couple of years. Kobe respects Andrew Bynum as well, but the (former)teammate he respects most is Derek Fisher, a guy who works as hard as he does. Steve Nash is that guy, except he’s good. Kobe and Nash were rivals for years dating back to 06 when the Suns came back form a 3-1 deficit to beat the Lakers in the playoffs. Nash and Kobe weren’t all that friendly with each other but out of that competition their respect for each other grew. Now they need each other to stay relevant.

Remember this?

The Nash trade means the Lakers will be better but it also shows management’s commitment to winning, as the Kamenetzky brothers of ESPN say here. The lakers have cut salary in the last year in a half and many expected Pau Gasol and/or Bynum to be dumped partially to save money. But the fact that the lakers went after Nash like this means they still are willing to go over the salary cap to win. The Lakers have reportedly said that this is team they want to have for next season and if this is it, I’m happy. I think we all want Dwight Howard though. I understand that Andrew Bynum is Jim Buss’s boy. Pau is my boy and I don’t want the lakers to part with him either. But unlike Bynum Dwight can run the floor. Dwight is better at running pick and rolls, which is Nash’s bread and butter. Dwight is the best defensive player in the league and would instantly cover for the Laker guard’s defensive shortcomings. Andrew Bynum is probably the best player the Orlando Magic can get in any trade involving Dwight, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t better overall offers out there from other teams. The Lakers may not get Dwight but they HAVE to TRY.