Steve Nash has given up and officially announced his retirement over the weekend. Nash, who has been a joy to watch with his magnificent playmaking and passing has been beset by injuries and try as he might, Nash has decided to hang up his sneakers and walk away from the game he loves.
The Lakers had high expectations from the Canadian star despite his budding age. Nash had hoped his brand of play could somehow light up the Laker fans. But with Nash spending much of his time in sick bay, it was apparent that father time had caught up with two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (2005, 2006).
With Nash' exit, the next concern for the Lakers right now is who would take his place. There have been many names surfacing and that includes the likes of Rajon Rondo and Goran Dragic.
But in the event that the Lakers do fail, who can they turn to?
At the moment, they have Jeremy Lin and rookie Jordan Clarkson. Lin, who has had his issues with Kobe Bryant, is not expected to return which leaves them with 46th overall pick from the 2014-15 NBA Draft.
Clarkson, who incidentally is half-Filipino, has been doing great as of late for the Lakers. However it remains to see if his game brilliance would be enough to catapult him to the regular starting point guard role despite close mentoring from coach Byron Scott and star Kobe Bryant.
Even if this should be the case, experience could be severely lacking. This sheds more light on why the Lakers could likely succeed in luring Rajon Rondo to their fold next season.
Rondo had initially been traded to the Dallas Mavericks by the Boston Celtics but his stay there has been far from enjoyable. He is best remembered for engaging head coach Rick Carlisle earlier this season and from the looks of it, Rondo may be opting out by season's end.
So could Rondo head to the Lakers next year? From all the names in mention, the buzz on Rondo's potential coming is certainly leaning on a possible YES.
