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While the Toronto Raptors pursued free agent point guard Steve Nash, the Los Angeles Lakers have completed a sign-and-trade deal to acquire him from the Phoenix Suns. Numbers Game breaks down the Lakers acquisition of Nash. The Lakers Get: PG Steve Nash. Nash, 38, is obviously nearing the end of his career, but he remains a premier playmaker. In the last seven seasons, there have been a total of 18 point guards to average a double-double (points and assists) for the entire season and Nash has done it seven times. Deron Williams, with four, has the second-most in that time. Even at this stage of his career, Nash is a remarkably efficient shooter. His .532 field goal percentage last season tied the best mark of his career, though 9.0 field goal attempts per game was his fewest since 1999-2000, the last season that he wasnt a full-time starter. Last seasons 31:36 per game was also Nashs lowest court time per game since 1999-2000. There are additional signs that age is catching up to Nash. After more than a decade of hitting better than 40.0% of his three-point attempts, hes fallen below that threshold the last two seasons, with last seasons 39.0% the second-lowest percentage of his career. Nash also hit 89.4% of his free throws -- which is still great -- but its his second-lowest percentage in the last 10 seasons. These ever-so-slight declines in shooting could indicate that Nash is slipping as he hits his late thirties and, at this age, it isnt likely that the trend will reverse itself. The question now is how gradual the decline will be. With a strong supporting cast in L.A., it should be slow enough for Nash to remain productive into his 40s. A legitimate area of concern is that Nash, who has battled a wonky back for years, has thrived in Phoenix, in part, due to the Suns superb training staff, so if the Lakers staff cant keep Nash on the floor, that obviously will limit his effectiveness. Going to the Lakers, fewer shots for Nash shouldnt be a problem, since he will be paired in the backcourt with one of the games most prolific shooters, Kobe Bryant as well as frontcourt scorers that will get a lot of touches. From the Lakers perspective, Nash will be a massive upgrade on Ramon Sessions, who was the starter at seasons end, but opted out of his contract at seasons end. While Nash is often considered a liability defensively, the pressure he puts on opposing point guards at the other end of the floor tends to result in Nash not being exposed as often. For example, according to www.82games.com, with Nash on the floor, the Suns outscored opponents 110.2-102.5 (+7.7) per 100 possessions. With Nash on the bench, the Suns not only scored less (106.2), but allowed significantly more (109.5) points per 100 possessions (which is a net -3.3). That isnt all due to Nash, of course, but it shows how effective he is, even if he doesnt have the strength or quickness to keep athletic point guards out of the paint. Nash will make $27-million on a three-year deal with the Lakers. The Suns Get: Two first-round picks (2013, 2015), two second-round picks (2014, 2015) and $3-million. Getting Nash doesnt guarantee that the Lakers will be picking at the end of these drafts, but its pretty safe to project the first-round picks falling from 21-30. In the 60 picks in that range from the drafts from 2005 through 2010 (allowing time for the 2011 class to sort out career paths), 15 are starter-calibre, which would equate to a 50% chance of landing an NBA starter with one of those two first-round selections. The second-round picks are, naturally, less valuable, with six of 60 selections in that time frame becoming regular parts of an NBA rotation, equating to a 20% chance that those picks ultimately yield an NBA player. Without Nash, the Suns will have to address their point guard position. That could include trying to sign free agent point guard Goran Dragic, the former Sun who played for Houston last season. In the short-term, though, its virtually impossible to conceive how the Suns will be nearly as competitive next season. They havent been good enough to make the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and theyve just lost their best player. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. cheapjerseysnflwholesalestore . Leipheimer was Armstrongs teammate for five years during stints with the U.S. Postal Service, Astana and RadioShack teams before joining Quick Step this season. The team said in a statement Tuesday that Leipheimers contract was terminated in "light of the disclosures. Wholesale Jerseys . Theyve now set the Open-era Grand Slam title record, but the pair doesnt plan to stop adding to that total anytime soon. The American twins won the U. http://www.cheapjerseysnflwholesalestore.com/ . Diving Canada Plongeon reiterated Friday that the two-time Olympic silver medallist has not suffered from any concussion-like symptoms, but will remain under doctor observation. Cheap NFL Jerseys . The 15th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Lopez has struggled with consistency and temperament. He averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in four seasons with the Suns and served as starting centre Marcin Gortats backup last season. Cheap Jerseys . 1 Lleyton Hewitt knocked out Juan Monaco of Argentina 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round of the Valencia Open on Monday, ending a 10-match losing run against top-10 opponents. Carolina released 15-year NFL veteran kicker Olindo Mare on Monday just one year after giving him a four-year, $12 million contract. They also parted ways with punter Nick Harris, an 11-year NFL veteran who was signed as a free agent earlier this off-season. Justin Medlock, a journeyman kicker who last played for the CFLs Hamilton Tiger-Cats, appears to have won the kicking job. The Panthers went with rookie sixth-round draft pick Brad Nortman as their new punter. "Both of those decisions at kicker were very difficult," Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. "In both situations we felt like we had two young kickers with strong legs who had very good training camps. So did Olindo and Nick, but we made a decision to go with the younger guys based on their performances." The Panthers also placed cornerback Brandon Hogan on injured reserve for the second straight year after he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last Friday. Wide receiver David Gettis, who has missed all of training camp with a hamstring injury, was placed on the physically unable to perform list with a hamstring injury. Gettis was hoping to battle for the No. 3 receiver spot after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. Gettis can be activated to the 53-man roster after the sixth week of the season. The team also waived wide receivers Darvin Adams, Rico Wallace, Brenton Bersin and Michael Avila, running backs Josh Vaughan and Lyndon Rowells, tight end Greg Smith, guards Will Blackwell and Roger Allen, and defensive end Eric Norwood, a former fourth-round draft pick from South Carolina. Mare had the unenviable task of replacing veteran kicker John Kasay, who was cut last season after spending all 16 years with the team. Mare connected on 22 of 28 on field goals attempts last year but had two key misses in losses to Atlanta and Minnesota. With a chance to send tthe game into overtime he pushed a 31-yard field goal wide left in the closing seconds resulting in a 24-21 loss to the Vikings.dddddddddddd A few weeks later he missed a 36-yarder against the Falcons in another late-game situation. The Panthers still must pay Mare $3 million, the remaining portion of his signing bonus. But Medlock, who also played in the CFL with Edmonton and Toronto, is a much cheaper alternative in terms of base salary. Hes set to make the league minimum of $390,000. Mares base salary would have been $2.1 million this year. Mares departure doesnt come as a surprise. The kicking battle had been one of the most competitive in training camp and Medlock appeared to have edged ahead because of his ability to make longer field goals. Mare struggled on kicks around 50 yards out, while Medlock had plenty of leg to get it there. The big question for the Panthers was if Medlock could handle the pressure of kicking in a game. He was perfect during the preseason. Medlock was drafted in the fifth round in 2007 by the Kansas City Chiefs and was 1 of 2 on his field goal attempts before being waived. He hasnt attempted a field goal in the league since. However, hes performed well in the CFL. He earned a tryout with the Panthers after connecting on 49 of 55 field goals last season for the Tiger-Cats, including a 57-yarder. "That was one of the big things that attracted us to Justin is he had a strong leg," Hurney said. "He was a highly touted kicker coming out of UCLA. But sometimes it takes kickers awhile to gain some experience. He went to Canada and really did a nice job there and we decided to bring him in." Hurney said running back Jonathan Stewart will be listed as "day-to-day" after injuring his ankle during Sunday nights preseason game against the New York Jets. X-rays on the ankle were negative but its unlikely Stewart will play in Thursdays preseason finale at Pittsburgh. ' ' '
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