Well, who knew? When I was asked by KHTK sports talk host Scott Marsh last weekend about Steve Nash, his free agency, and where he would be signing (New York? Toronto? Dallas?), I suggested - and this was a gut reaction - that the best fit was with the Lakers. At the time, the Lakers were not even thought to be a possibility. And then, on Wednesday, the former MVP prodded the Phoenix Suns into facilitating a three-year, $25 million sign-and-trade deal with the Kings' longtime rivals. The Suns receive four draft choices (two firsts and two seconds), but basically, move emotionally into the post-Nash era.
On a personal level, this made perfect sense for Nash, who has an ex-wife and three youngsters who live in Phoenix. L.A. is only an hour flight away. On a professional level, this makes much more sense that Nash signing with the flawed (ballstopping) Knicks, the aging Mavericks, and certainly with the rebuilding Raptors in his native Canada. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak probably has another move in mind, say, to add some youth, but a roster featuring Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and now Nash, is aging, but formidable. The Lakers of 2012-13 could be the Dallas Mavericks - teamwork, unselfishness, incredible ball movement, maturity - of 2010-11.
In the NBA, it's all about today. With Nash (10.7 assists per game last year) running the offense, I suspect there will be considerably less grumbling about Mike Brown's offense.
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