Can Steve Nash be the Difference?

Last night I got a text message from fantasy baseball podcast-contributor Jesse Pereira asking me how I felt about former Suns point guard Steve Nash being traded to the Lakers.

Like most Lakers fans, I am really, really, really, really, reallyreallyreallyreally excited.

With two MVPs under his belt, the 38-year old Nash will instantly turn the Lakers into a more interesting and relevant team. He can and will be the difference between the Lakers remaining relevantor fading into the background of the league. Nash will be the difference between the Lakers working to deal with other teams from a position of power or a position of “we just have to get rid of one of these big guys” weakness. Nash can mean the difference between Pau Gasol being average and him being the great player he has been in the past.

If he can play as well as he has in the past three years (during which time he has led the NBA in assists), then the Lakers could be serious contenders. But even if he can only play 25 minutes per game and has to sit some games out during the season, he’s a name — in Los Angeles, that’s what matters.

How he will fit-in with Kobe Bryant remains to be seen. A previous experiment with Hall of Famers like Karl Malone and Gary Payton did not go well. Nash might be different though. His prototypical point-guard personality might be just what a guy like Kobe can effectively work with.

So, while I’m relatively certain that Nash will be able to bring relevance, excitement, and fun back to the Lakers, the real question is whether the Lakers can actually compete for a title with Nash at the helm. And this question is far less clear and leaves me far less optimistic. A 38 year-old guard who can’t guard anyone presents a huge set of challenges both for an over-matched coaching staff and for the remainder of the players on the team. The move makes the Lakers REALLY old. And while old teams can make runs in the playoffs (see Spurs and Celtics of last year), the result generally isn’t a title.

Which brings me back to the alternative. Without trading for Nash, the Lakers would not only have been out of the title hunt from the beginning, they would have been less and less relevant over time. In Los Angeles, not being relevant is much worse than not winning.

So, can Steve Nash lead the Lakers on a march back to the promised land? I don’t know, but at least they have a chance now. And that DEFINITELY beats the alternative.