Such is the nature of the NBA. Some moves are strokes of genius, others are lapses in judgment. Acquiring Sessions was a panic move, pure and simple.

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That Sessions is now reported to be on the verge of inking a two-year deal with the Charlotte Bobcats says it all. The Lakers were and still are desperate for a quality point guard. Kupchak did well to unload Walton’s dead weight deal but still had to crack the glass covering the panic button again to acquire Steve Nash.

Hopefully Nash won’t disappear in the pressure of the playoffs like Sessions did otherwise this will go down as the move that might end the Kupchak era. The Lakers could have easily lost out to the Thunder with Derek Fisher in the fashion they did with Sessions. By no means am I blaming the Lakers’ second straight second round collapse on Ramon’s Houdini under pressure act. Just saying that if he was supposed to be a difference maker the only difference made was not getting swept.

Desperate times do call for desperate measures…or something like that. The Lakers are clearly desperate. That they gave up a first round pick for a man that will keeping the job warm for Kemba Walker says it all.

We all liked what Sessions brought to the team. But even Kupchak had to realize why Ramon has made so many stops in such a short period of time in the NBA. Putting on a Lakers jersey doesn’t remedy shortcomings. Quite the opposite in fact, it magnifies them.

Sessions saw all his blemishes appear like a super model looking at her skin through magnifying mirror in sunlight. There were flashes of brilliance for sure. But the difference between the really goods that populate the NBA and the greats that dominate it is consistency. Sessions has never displayed that as a pro and Kupchak knew it. But he rolled the dice anyway.

Every move is a gamble. Nothing guarantees success. However these are desperate times around Lakerland and the moves keep getting more and more risky with less reward for the troubles. The reality is the Lakers tried to put a point guard now playing for the worst team in the league into the highest pressure packed situation he’s ever faced and got nothing in return but one more playoff win. The truth could be that Nash is only good enough for one more W in the postseason. That’s still not going to be good enough and the desperation will be all the more palpable.

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There has been some pretty blasphemous talk going around L.A. since Steve Nash ditched the desert for the beach. Local sports talk radio has been blowing up with discussions of a revival of the Showtime era.

Now before we even dive into this let’s get something clear. There is only one Showtime era and there will never be another.

Please don’t confuse fast break basketball with Showtime hoops. The two are not the same.

Nash led an attack in Phoenix that featured very little half court ball but that doesn’t mean just cause he’s a Laker it equates to a return to Showtime.

Never forget Showtime was led by arguably the greatest player in the history of the game (Magic Johnson) being coached up by one of the most successful minds to ever enter the game (Pat Riley) that had a team comprised of Hall of Famers (James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and iconic role players (Byron Scott, Michael Cooper).

May 8, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers fans pose in front of statue of Magic Johnson (not pictured) before game five of the 2012 Western Conference quarterfinals against the Denver Nuggets at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

These Lakers feature an all-time great in Kobe Bryant and some legitimately talented players that are among the best to play during their generation. Yes, I realize Nash is going to get a Hall call but to me his accomplishments are slightly out of step with his true talent. Needless to say those two MVP awards were a little more political than they were deserved. But that’s another topic.

Today we’re talking about why the Nash era (which hopefully gives us at least two quality seasons) won’t be anything at all similar to Showtime.

Sure, the Lakers are going to get out in transition much more. They’ll be playing pick and roll hoops the way God intended it. They’ll even be scoring with more ease than we’ve seen since Showtime. But that does not equate Showtime.

Keep in mind the vets pulled aside Ramon Sessions to tell him he needed to ease off the gas pedal last season. Now Nash is sure to know when to run and when to walk but even his style will have to adjust. You’re just not going to be monopolizing the ball with KB24 on the roster.

No matter what you might think of the unselfish nature of Nash his game is predicated on controlling the game by keeping the rock in his possession as often as possible. Not saying Nash is Carmelo Anthony but like all point guards they need to control the flow by controlling the rock 90% of the time.

With Mike Brown’s inability to orchestrate a two man parade much less devise an effective offensive game plan you already know it’s going to be on Kobe and Nash to develop a hoops philosophy. Safe to say there will be stretches when Nash is more decoy than orchestrator. Which is fine because dude can still stroke it. Just don’t tell me were going to be watching the rebirth of Showtime. Magic never played with a Kobe and neither has Nash.

This is going to be a learning process as much as it is an experiment. In the past the general consensus has been to build around a big man. Then along came Michael Jordan and that theory was crushed under the weight of six Larry O’Brien trophies. Soon the hybrid of Kobe and Shaq created to a new approach to building a dynasty. Now we’ve got the Miami Heat who is exclusively a perimeter oriented attack.

That makes the Kobe and Nash experiment a true first of its kind. An elite level perimeter player paired with a top tier point guard while also featuring a true post player in Andrew Bynum not to mention Pau Gasol who was completely lost in Coach Brown’s offense.

Obviously the Lakers offense will instantly improve with Nash. He’ll make this team among the league’s elite in scoring through efficiency and effective decision making. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking this is going to become Seven Second or Less L.A. Style. Definitely forget about Showtime II.

This is going to be a new breed of offense the likes of which we’ve never seen. It’s going to be a learning process. It’s going to be fun. It’s also going to be painful at times. It will be an exciting new brand of ball but please don’t dare compare it to Showtime. Only way this becomes Showtime II is by hanging at least two more banners. Showtime wasn’t about entertainment. It was about winning after all.