Lakers News: Latest on Steve Nash, Wayne Ellington and More

It took 18 games, but the Los Angeles Lakers have win No. 5 on the season.

Granted, four of those five have come against the downtrodden Eastern Conference, but that is neither here nor there as the Lakers continue to pick up the pieces around Kobe Bryant and eyeball the future.

The future is quite a long way away for a franchise not accustomed to rebuilding mode, though. A plan to get younger players experience has backfired thanks to a wealth of injuries, and there is little flexibility for the front office to actually improve the roster.

The result is a news cycle of "What Ifs" more than anything. With few resources to move, the Lakers are stuck in a holding pattern for the time being and must face the present with open arms.

Wayne Ellington and Roster Details

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General manager Mitch Kupchak continues to find it difficult to just keep his team's head above water at this point.

He has injuries to thank for that. Steve Nash is gone, Key young pieces Julius Randle and Xavier Henry are out for the season and Ryan Kelly is on the shelf for the time being.

No young relief is on the way, either, thanks to moves of the past. The Lakers in spirit have no draft pick to deal. Carlos Boozer cannot be moved. Jeremy Lin can, but not with that contract. Nick Young and Ed Davis are locked in until December.

Hence the Lakers' finding it necessary to file for a disabled player exception. Hence the news cycle pertaining to Wayne Ellington. According to the Los Angeles Times' Eric Pincus, the 27-year-old pro just got a bit of a financial guarantee from the team:

"On Monday, his contract became guaranteed for $581,692, locking in almost 55% of his total salary."

The report also notes that Ronnie Price is well on his way to almost doubling his salary this year if he is on the roster by December 15. Given the above factors, that seems to be a lock.

Ellington is the focal point, though. While his age prohibits him from being a younger piece the team wants to build around, his contributions to help keep the Lakers competitive have surely not gone unnoticed around the league.

In 11 games this season, Ellington is shooting 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from behind the arc with averages of 7.6 points, 2.5 boards and 0.6 assists per game. As Lakers Nation notes, he has certainly earned more looks from the staff:

Price deserves credit as well given his averages of 3.4 points, 3.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game. He is a critical piece of an injured rotation with Jordan Clarkson out of the picture and has more than earned his keep, but at 31 years of age he is not exactly a focal point of a rebuild.

On the other hand, Ellington might be at this pace. Should he continue at this clip with an uptick in usage, that guarantee in his contract will prove much deserved.

Steve Nash Latest

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It is all quiet on the frontier between the Lakers and Nash. 

Despite a lofty contract worth nearly $10 million, Nash and Lakers coach Byron Scott rarely communicate at the moment and have not since the team declared the veteran point guard out for the season back in October.

Scott obviously has bigger things to worry about at the moment but did reveal recently that the lack of dialogue between the two sides is not a major concern.

“Steve’s a busy guy and I’m a busy guy as well,” Scott said, per Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. “I don’t think he misses sleep over it and I don’t miss any sleep over it. He’s a great guy and I have known for Steve for a long time. Not to have [contact] with one another at this particular time, to me it’s not a big deal.”

It should go without saying that the team needs and surely wants him back, though. 

Nash has experience few coaches can offer a young roster at this point. While his time away to deal with the impending life after basketball is a noteworthy allowance by the Lakers, the team eventually would like to see his wisdom bestowed upon younger guards to aid in the rebuild.

Jeremy Lin (12.4 points, 5.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds per game) is experienced but could benefit with Nash on the sidelines at each and every break. The same goes for a player such as the 22-year-old Clarkson.

The question becomes simple—when do the Lakers decide to lay down the law and force Nash back to the sidelines? Do they?

For now the questions seems, well, out of the question. There are bigger concerns. But for a team in the face of its biggest rebuild in quite some time, perhaps the question needs to be asked sooner rather than later.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.