Last night, Canadian basketball superstar Steve Nash became a Los Angeles Laker, effectively dashing the hoop dreams of an entire nation, and leaving Toronto Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo with his pants down. 

Getting Nash was a back-door steal for the Lakers. Officially a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns, the deal puts Nash in L.A. for three years to the tune of $27 million. The Lakers gave up four draft picks to sign the point guard, which for a contending team, amounts to pretty much nothing.

The dinos — consensus favourites to land Nash this past week — went balls-to-the-wall to court the point guard. Their pitch included lucrative endorsement deals, a video solicitation from Nash’s childhood hero Wayne Gretzky, and a contract worth upwards of $36 million. Colangelo even offered Knicks restricted free agent Landry Fields a $20 million contract in an effort to fiscally knock New York out of Nash contention. But in the end, like lots of Canadians, Nash chose Hollywood over Toronto.

The deal leaves both Nash and Toronto in an awkward position. Nash, remember, is the new general manager of Canada’s senior men’s basketball team, headquartered in Toronto. A big part of his job is to galvanize Canadians and get them excited about the sport. But his decision to not play in Toronto raises a lot of questions about his commitment to the country. Expect beat grunts to be relentless, brutal, and unforgiving every time Nash crosses the border.

The Raptors, meanwhile, have to once again answer to a dejected fan base, and fill major talent holes on the roster. As far as we’re concerned, Toronto has no point guard. Jose Calderon is on the wrong side of 30 and looks like a pylon when defending opposing guards. Jerryd Bayless gets props for loving Toronto the city, but he’s not a true point guard and seems to have peaked in his development. According to Colangelo, the Raptors are supposed to do some damage this season, but his inability to woo Nash royally screws Toronto’s chances.

And what about this Landry Fields business? If the Knicks don’t match Toronto’s offer, the Raptors will be stuck with an overpaid shooting guard who last year shot 25 per cent from distance. Had Toronto landed Nash, the Fields signing would have been shrewd brilliance, but it now it just looks, well, dumb.

The sense of defeat and disappointment surrounding the Nash loss is familiar among fans. Besides making the Raptors a perennial lottery team, Colangelo’s consistent high-wire gambles have had few positive effects, and his most recent wager has alienated Canada’s only true basketball star. No matter how you spin it, the Raptors look like losers in the Steve Nash sweepstakes. We’re still optimistic about the future of this team, but the hurly-whirl drama and false expectations have to go.