LOL c'mon man? Seriously? Kobe declining is still a top 5-10 player in the game. With Nash along, it only preserves his career. Gasol with Nash makes our pick and roll offense pretty f'n scary as well. Gasol has an excellent mid range game and Nash should help that out a lot. Are they declining? yes. Are they declining to the point that we should be worried about it this upcoming season? No.
I'd say the trade would make the Lakers the second-best team in the West, ahead of the Spurs, but still behind OKC. Nash is not as good as Westbrook at this point in their careers, and for that reason, I don't see this trade giving them a really good chance of winning the West next season. I am disappointed that this will be the way Nash ends his career. Would've preferred to see him land almost anywhere else (Miami would've been just as bad...).
Comparing Nash to Westbrook, you're just doing it individually. Look at how everyone on Nash's team becomes a shooting star. Look at the pace. Those pluses greatly exceed the minuses, his deficiencies individually.
I hear Karl Malone and Gary Payton are going to sign with the Lakers also. more supermodels for me. barfo
Good comparison. 35 year old Gary Payton vs. 38 year old Steve Nash. Payton was also producing at a higher level coming into his contract with LA, yet for some reason, I feel better about Nash's odds competing with this current Lakers core. (BTW - To the people in the first page of this thread talking about Nash's family... didn't Nash's wife birth Jason Richardson's baby? Was that all bullsh*t, or did he really stick with his wife after that?)
Regardless of where I was born, I'm certain my parents would still have taught me the difference between right and wrong. To cheer for an adulterous rapist who only escaped prison and the sex offenders registry because he's obscenely wealthy is wrong. In a way, Lakers fans are all guilty of being accessories after the fact to rape and witness intimidation.
C'mon, that is complete bullshit. I've never been partial to Kobe Bryant, and I hate when professional athletes get preferential treatment, but there's no way that Kobe raped that woman. Yeah, he cheated on his wife, but rape? He's a good looking, very wealthy, and extremely famous professional athlete. If Kobe Bryant wanted to, he could have the hottest woman either of us know, and he'd have her ten times 'til Tuesday. Every aspect of that case just seemed like the crazy, unattractive woman who Kobe "raped" was just hoping for a broken condom and a fat baby check, but when that didn't happen, she sued for rape. Now, Kobe's got to live the rest of the live with 99% of the world thinking he's a rapist. I hate the Lakers; I hate Kobe Bryant. However, the rape allegations just seemed fallacious.
I do wonder how Nash/Kobe/Gasol/Bynum would compare to these guys. [video=youtube;HkjYfetLLZQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkjYfetLLZQ[/video]
Nash is a perfect guard for the lakers. All that opposed getting him will see just how important a player with his talent and ability to make others better will be. Damn I wished we had a chance with him. Sucks that the lakers will get better. We could have given them out picks if that were the case. I just don't see how this works "cap wise" since the lakers are so far over cap to absorb his 10+ mil per.
What's missing here is, the lakers just got older (albeit, better) and traded away picks that would/could help them with youth. I think it makes it harder to trade for Howard though, lack of picks they can trade.
