Bryant and Steve Nash have respected each other and agreed to disagree on a basketball court for their entire careers, both of which span 16 seasons. But, now, in a strange twist of basketball fate, Nash is joining the very team he said he could never see himself playing for—and holds the possibility of winning his first championship in Lakers purple and gold.
Strange as it seems, Steve Nash will now share back court space with Bryant in what promises to be a very entertaining and serious-contending Lakers team come fall. Having one of the game's all-time leading point guards will not only reinvigorate Bryant's game, but it may, in fact, help extend his career beyond the two seasons Mamba has left on his contract.
For 16 years, Kobe Bryant has played without a top-five point guard and, yet, he has won five championships. No disrespect to Derek Fisher, but Bryant has not seen the calibre of a Steve Nash playing next to him his entire career.
By virtue of his being one of basketball's top floor leaders, Nash will free up Bryant and take a lot of the burden off the game's best closer. The two spoke by phone before the deal was consummated, and both agreed that, together, Kobe could legitimately gun for No. 6 and Nash could point towards getting his first championship ring.
This is basketball's latest take on The Odd Couple. It will take getting used to.
As J.A. Adande of ESPN.com pointed out:
Kobe will have to get used to playing without the ball more often. There's no point in having Nash around if he's not going to run the offense. Then again, for most of Bryant's career he's never had (A) a point guard of Nash's caliber or (B) a need for one while playing in Phil Jackson's triangle offe...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
