I love Steve Nash. He is a great player and a greater man. My main complaint about most museums is that they don't have enough Steve Nash exhibits. I write weekly letters to the Hall of Fame to ask why they haven't started building him an entire wing. If asked to choose between the powers of Superman and Steve Nash, I would answer by saying, "What's the difference?"
With that said, we can move on to discussing the news that Nash is now a Los Angeles Laker.
Unfortunately for all parties involved—Nash, the Lakers and my heart—there's no way this arrangement is going to work. As much as it pains me to question anything Nash does, I have to say that he simply doesn't fit on the Lakers.
The reasons why Nash and the Lakers are a poor match run the gamut from practical to psychological.
From a practical perspective, Nash's skills do not mesh well with the rest of his new Lakers teammates. Since abandoning the triangle when Phil Jackson retired, the Lakers' offense has devolved into post ups and isolation plays. The crisp passing and off-ball movement that marked teams coached by the Zen Master (and Tex Winter, the triangle offense guru who accompanied Jackson in Chicago and L.A.) are long gone.
Nash excels in a free-wheeling offense where shots come fast and furious. He was never more effective as a player than in Mike D'Antoni's "Seven Seconds or Less" system. Basically, Nash is best when he's surrounded by athletes and three-point shooters. Give him the ball with guys like that around him, and he can run pick-and-rolls or penetrate and create open three-point shots all day long.
The Lakers, you may have noticed, have neither athletes nor three-point shooters. Those two critical absences alone decrease the efficacy of a Nash-run offense.
But there's more.
We also know that Nas...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
