Well, the wait is finally over--the Los Angeles Lakers have finally hired a head coach in Byron Scott.

Having previously played for the franchise in the '80s and winning three NBA championships with the Lakers, Scott will be replacing Mike D'Antoni, who had a rough two years in Los Angeles. Scott has also has success as a head coach, doaching the New Jersey Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals, losing both to the Lakers and Spurs respectively.

The Lakers had a rather disappointing offseason, especially for their standards. Pau Gasol is no longer with the team, and they were not able to acquire a high profile free agent. They did, however, trade for Jeremy Lin.

It's still not known who Scott will go with as his starting point guard for next season.

If the Lakers want to be competitive next season and even have a remote possibility at the postseason, they have to start Lin instead of Steve Nash.

The future Hall of Fame point guard and two-time NBA MVP has had his great moments and will always be remembered for what he has done. But his prime has come and gone. Nash is now 40 years old and will be making more than $9 million next season.

In each of the last four seasons, Nash's total assists, assists per game, and games played have all decreased.

Betting everything on a 40-year-old point guard whose playing time and performance has been declining for half a decade wouldn't be wise. Lin is just 25 years old, and he's more excited than ever to be playing with the Purple and Gold, most notably with Kobe Bryant, who is entering his 19th season in the NBA. Bryant needs Lin's endurance and energy in the starting lineup.

Lin coming off the bench would provide a spark, but the Lakers need more -- they need an explosion.

As many (especially Lakers fans) remember, Lin once scored a career-high 38 points against the Lakers at Madison Square Garden. Lin isn't the most prototypical point guard, like a Chris Paul or a Ricky Rubio, but his scoring capabilities are just what head coach Scott will need to be successful. Steve Blake and Gasol were average scorers, but neither one is with the team anymore.

This could also work out great for Nash. His decline in recent years has become obvious by his stat sheet alone. He can't demand double teams like he used to. Nash coming off the bench would be beneficial to the Lakers, but especially for Nash. Receiving limited minutes would preserve Nash for the entire season while unleashing Linsanity on other teams.

Scott isn't just an accomplished coach, but he knows the game as a former player. Eventually, after seeing both Nash and Lin in multiple practices and preseason games, it's likely he will choose Lin as his starting point guard.

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