Has Showtime Returned?

I'm sure everyone has now heard, but Dwight Howard is now an LA Laker. Dwight Howard, by far the league's best center, has joined a team with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Pao Gasol. That's about as tough a lineup as any team can put out there.

The year long drama surrounding Dwight is now over, thank goodness. Dwight's now famously dubbed 'Indecision' has come to an end, for now. Dwight still has a year left on his contract and he may not stay in LA long term. The odds of Dwight leaving LA this year are about the same as for the Bobcats to win the NBA title this year, its not gonna happen. Players stay in LA because the Lakers simply win.

This off season has been a very busy one for LA, they fixed their two biggest weaknesses and kept all of their core players, except for Andrew Bynum who was a key part of the Dwight Howard trade. The Lakers struggled mightily at the point guard position. Derek Fisher and Ramon Sessions simply didn't cut it. The acquisition of Steve Nash, for garbage draft picks, is a gigantic upgrade.

Nash lead a team of overpaid and underachieving scrubs to within a game of reaching the playoffs. He had a great season, averaging 12 points a game and 10 assists. Not too shabby for a guy who is 38. Nash will be able to run the Laker offense and get everyone set up and make sure everyone gets plenty of touches. Sure, Nash is towards the end of his career, but given his stats from last season I don't think his age will be much of an issue. The Lakers should be more concerned about Nash's defense, or lack there of.

Don't get me wrong, I love Steve Nash. He is the closest player to John Stockton that the NBA has seen. He is selfless, a pass first point guard with a good jump shot. The biggest difference between the two is that John Stockton is one of the best defensive point guards of all time(Don't believe me, just look at how many steals he has, 3,265, and who is in second, Jason Kidd with 2,559.)

Nash is a poor defender, always has been, always will be. Nash will struggle to defend quicker and bigger guards. Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose(if he's healthy), and most importantly, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook is one of the fastest guards in the league, he is great at getting to the basket, using his speed and agility to break past a defender and score at the basket.

So what does LA do to counter for Nash's weak defense?

The simply acquire the best big man in the game, hands down. With Dwight Howard in the paint on defense, he can help deter and opposing players that try and break to the basket. Howard can protect the paint, grab rebounds and block shots better than nearly any other player in the league. The only other center in the league that's better on defense, in my opinion, is the Knicks Tyson Chandler(who won defensive player of the year).

The Lakers are always about winning, always have been and always will be. The past two seasons they have been bounced in the second round of the playoffs, so a change had to happen. The Lakers know that their biggest competition in the West is Oklahoma City. This is the team that beat them in 5 games during the playoffs. The Thunder went to the NBA finals, they are incredibly young, athletic and talented.

And if anyone recalls, the Thunder beat the Lakers by getting easy layups and dunks at the basket.

The Lakers just made an excellent counter move. With Howard in the middle the Thunder will no longer get easy looks at the basket. Oklahoma City will have to find new ways to score against the Lakers, and will need to find new ways to defend the now incredibly potent Laker offense.

So are the Lakers now the favorites in the West? Should they be favored to win the NBA title? Its hard to say at this point, but my instant reaction is this. The Lakers are now the best team in the West. With Nash running the offense, and running the pick and roll(second best P&R point guard in NBA history, behind Stockton) to set up easy looks to Kobe, Howard and Gasol, expect the offense to be one of the most efficient in the NBA.

I don't think the Lakers should be favored to win it all this year. I still anticipate the defending champs to repeat, and most likely face the Lakers in the Finals.

However, the Lakers are extremely relevant again, having added a top 5 point guard and the best center in the league. And to think they only gave up Andrew Bynum and a few draft picks for it.

Showtime is back, the Lakers are, again, huge contenders. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are going to struggle against the Lakers, simply because of their size and strength. Not to mention the addition of Nash, who can feed his teammates better than anyone in the league right now.

Many people are furious over this trade, they are upset because the Lakers always seem to get what they want. As a fan of the NBA, it is pointless to be upset over this trade. Its a done deal, time to move on and enjoy what should be an excellent NBA season that tips off at the end of October.