I've been told @SteveNash will be ruled out for the entire 2014-15 NBA season with nerve issues: http://t.co/wur5txQ3Ar. #Lakers
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) October 23, 2014
Maybe it was always going to end like this for Steve Nash. After years of having his back issues controlled and managed by the Suns training staff, maybe it was destiny that his career would end with him no longer able to manage physically and unable to stand the rigors of the game he gave so much to. Or maybe that collision with Damian Lillard really did change the course of these final moments of Steve Nash’s career, robbing him (and Lakers’ fans) of that last brilliance he had to offer. We’ll never really know, I guess. And that’s what makes today extra frustrating for everyone. For you, for me*, for the Lakers organization, and especially for Steve Nash.
I think it’s that last part that is often easiest to forget. While fans, many right here in the comments of this site, have blasted Steve Nash — cursing him for his injury, the draft picks the Lakers surrendered to acquire him, the fact he hung on trying to play rather than retiring after dealing with this issue for nearly two calendar years — it’s Nash who is probably most frustrated. For an entire career Nash was the player who took the limitations of his body and stretched them to seemingly impossible lengths to be one of the league’s best players. And now, for the past two seasons, he’s seen it all deteriorate; seen what he was always able to control and manipulate betray him in ways he probably never imagined. The amount of frustration that led to for us fans pales in comparison to what he experienced, I’m sure.
A great career is over now. And it ends not on the terms of the athlete, but on the terms of a bad back and malfunctioning nerve endings. Father time remains undefeated. I, for one, sympathize. Nash was always a player I loved to watch. What he brought to the floor offensively was poetry; it was art. His game was a derivative of Magic’s — it was cunning, passing, skill, and feel combined with an outward desire to simply win. It honestly makes me sad to discuss it all in the past tense.
But that is where we are now. We must all move on. In a way, this happening now, before the season, makes things easier for the Lakers. There will not be the “will he or won’t he play” question with Nash from night to night. There will be no waiting for him to return or relying on him to produce when he does. There is only adjusting to life without the player and slotting everyone into their roles under this new reality. The team has already gotten used to it this preseason so moving into the regular season it won’t be too much different.
We will see more Ronnie Price and Jordan Clarkson than expected a month ago. And Jeremy Lin will now move into the primary point guard role, even if (for now) he’s not the “starter”. Kobe will take up more ball handling responsibilities and will have to be both the “big” who posts and the wing who creates out of the pick and roll for himself and others. We will also (hopefully), over the course of the year, get to see more of Julius Randle the offensive creator who can operate as the fulcrum of an offense — even if only for limited stretches.
As for the other roster ramifications, unless Nash retires or the Lakers waive him he will retain a roster spot on the team. They currently have 15 players (not counting training camp roster invites who are strictly filler) and, thus, a full roster. Nash going down makes Ronnie Price a sure thing to make this team (if he wasn’t already), leaving only Wayne Ellington as a question mark**. The Lakers can file for an injured player exception which could net them up to $4.85 million to chase a player to help off-set their loss, but they will need a create a roster spot if they attempt to add a player with that newfound cash.
These are answers to be determined down the line, though. For now, this team will operate with what they have and determine what they need later.
*I know many fans will be bitter about Nash and I understand that perspective. The roots of the Nash acquisition were born from “the Veto” where Lamar Odom’s inclusion in the Chris Paul deal set off a domino effect that led to shoving him off to Dallas which created the trade exception used to absorb Nash’s salary. When losing Odom’s leadership is combined with draft picks the Lakers used to tempt the Suns to make the deal and the salary they paid him to only play 65 games over his 3 year contract, this trade will go down as one of the worst in Lakers’ history when judging it simply off of assets sent out versus the level of production Nash provided. I, however, will always look at the Nash trade as a perfect example of the process versus results argument. The results, of course, were awful. But the deal, at the time, was easily defensible and I was on board with it from the moment it was announced. Nash, though aged and with flaws defensively, was coming off an all-star campaign and another 20 PER and near 50/40/90 shooting season. He was not “prime” Steve Nash, but he was a productive player who would team with Kobe, Pau, and Dwight to form a short term super team that could compete for a title. Ten times out of ten any team in the Lakers’ situation makes that trade and I can’t use revisionist history to say they should not have done it. I wish it had gone differently, but I am not alone there.
**I don’t have a very good feel for whether Ellington will make the team — injuries to Nick Young and Xavier Henry leave the team thin on the wing, but Jordan Clarkson may be seen as a viable option until those guys return — and a final decision on him may simply come down to whether the front office and coaching staff want the extra body or the flexibility that comes from an open roster spot. Since his contract is not guaranteed, he may end up making the opening night roster only to be cut down the line when Young and/or Henry are ready to play.
Oldtimer says
Good luck to Steve Nash, he is one of the best PG’s ever played the game and a future Hall of Famer. We are all made of flesh so everyone will undergo this stage, there is a time to be a rookie, a Superstar in the case of Nash at his prime and a time to retire to count his blessings. Perhaps Lakers could re-do his contract and offer him some special jobs like special coach for PG’s just like what the Cap did for Bynum that is if Nash would continue working as a special coach.
Darius, I just want to clarify on the roster count. The Laker site says that there are 17 players right now including Price, Wellington, Brown and Smith.
http://www.nba.com/lakers/roster?cid=nav_team_expanded
Even if Nash is not waived, there is a room for Wayne Ellington unless you are guaranteeing the inclusion of Brown or Smith in the roster.
Shaun says
Nash better just retire he can at least give us that or if the FO prefers he not retire and be used as a trade chip wait but one way id like the decision to be made soon
If we are really trying for the playoffs trade him in the next week or two… (edited for trade speculation) and i know some would rather us keep our space but with the cap going up by so much i would say taking on an unwanted but talented mid-tier player could be worth it to build our our roster to make it more attractive for a max guy or to build a dallasesque type team if like this summer no max guys were really available
And if we are not going to trade nash (relevant to topic as reported in the media) id prefer he retire and have the roster spot in case we have yet another injury happen to the team.
We could have had kyle lowry btw instead of nash or even dragic as i believe both left houston that summer for less than what we gave up in the nash trade … lowry went for 1 weird 1st rnd pic where we gave up what 3 1sts plus 2 2nds. We could have done a s&t for dragic…. terrible trade and terrible planning …. worst trade ever (comic book guy voice)
Darius Soriano says
Oldtimer,
I’m not counting Brown & Smith. They’re not likely to make the team and were mainly camp invites.
KenOak says
@Darius
Very well written. Pretty much how I feel about Nash, now, and then. As a basketball fan, I love the guy and wish him all the best for what he’s meant to the game. As a Lakers fan, I wish we never would have made the trade. (Fully admit that this is only in hindsight.) The trade for Nash has been one of the worst moves in franchise history, but darn if it couldn’t have been one of the best trades in history if his body didn’t break down and DH12 didn’t leave.
The Dane says
Even as a life long Lakers fan (as a kid I would sneak out of bed to watch Lakers games at 3 and 4 o’clock in the night on the sattelight in Denmark… muted not to wake my parents) I loved Nash (even in his Suns years).
What a great and honest personality, what a fantastic player. I wish him all the best. Maybe a vet min next year as a mentor for Lin and Clarkson?
Azzemoto says
Easily the worst trade of all time. Good riddance.
Agree says
I’m hoping that if LIn is on the 2nd unit, it’s just until Young returns from injury. I hope by then Davis can be put as our starting 5 and if they are not willing to put Hill at the 4–then they look to trade him. If it was a pure basketball decision I think they would consider putting hill at the 4 where he would still get tons of rebounds, he’s a bit undersized at the 5 anyway. But they have this glut of players at the 4 already on the roster.
Nash was certainly one of the best team players I have ever seen. He made other players better and man could he shoot. I was viewing him as the 3rd string occasionally playing guy to begin with honestly–so its no real surprise. I’m not sure who is out there they could get for 4.85mill med exception anyway? But it may be useful money combined with a Jordan Hill trade by mid season perhaps? I for one am still excited to see no D Harden hopefully get owned by Kobe next Tuesday and Lin to go off on his former team and the lakers pull out a unexpected victory!
BigCitySid says
Strictly from a basketball personnel point, this comes as no surprise. With Nash “officially” going down for the season, Abbott’s Laker piece w/ the help of Laker whistle blower, and Lady Buss’ interviews all over ESPN yesterday, the Laker front office is once again, or as some of us believe, continues to be in the spotlight.
So the question is “now what”? According to http://hoopshype.com/salaries.htm , the Laker’s backcourt of Kobe (#1) & Lin (#24) are already the 2nd highest paid backcourt @ $38,418,938 in the NBA this season. Only the Brooklyn duo of Joe Johnson (#3) & Deron Williams (#10) top them @ $42,935,255. Many believe the Russian billionaire is a free-spender…at least their team has a legit chance to make the post-season.
Pertaining to the next move of our beloved Laker organization…I’m waiting to see. Maybe it’ll give us a clue about which direction the franchise is going this season.
the other Stephen says
I’m not one of those Lakers fans who is on Nash for “stealing money.” This news, while unsurprising, is still like a kick in the gut. What an awful thing to happen to such a great teammate and player.
Lin should immediately be playing as many minutes as possible (at least his previous high mark of 32 minutes per game) with both the first and second unit. Ronnie Price is, as RR said, a sub-replacement level player who is shooting at a 40/20/70 clip this preseason, which is right in line with what we know about his career. His energy would be an invaluable asset to any team, and I can see why he has been a locker room and fan favorite at every stop, but minutes should not be allocated to him at the expense of Lin and the development of Clarkson into a rookie-scale contract contributor. I imagine Byron hopes that Price’s frenetic defense will set the tone for the rest of the team, and make up for a general lack of personnel and talent on that end, but that is unlikely to change the course of this season.
Treylake says
Lakers trade for Nash was one of the stupidest executive moves in Lakers history. Nash’s aging game and back problem was clear to see his last year in Phoenix. However, defense was why I was 100% opposed to this trade when it was announced. Lakers already had trouble defending quick PG’s when D. Fish was regularly torched by 2nd unit PGs like Aaron Brooks and JJ Barea. Nash couldn’t defend those players either and Nash really couldn’t defend Chris Paul, Tony Parker or Russell Westbrook — PG’s on the top teams in the west.
Lakers perimeter defense was atrocious and bringing an over the hill Nash to the Lakers was an obvious blunder. Even D12 saw through counting on Nash is a dependable player.
Darius correctly stated, “this trade will go down as one of the worst in Lakers’ history when judging it simply off of assets sent out versus the level of production Nash provided”.
NBA is a business, results are how all trades are judged.
The emotional, touchy feely “wasn’t Nash a HOF great player” comment is for the Phoenix Suns blogs. Nash trade didn’t advance Lakers championship aspirations. On a Lakers blog, Nash trade was terrible decision. Nash didn’t help the team and Lakers move forward without Nash in the discussion — except as an expiring contract.
Darius, and the others who applauded this trade at the time should re-evaluate. There were many people who thought it was stupid day 1 — and unfortunately for the Lakers fans — are now saying we TOLD YOU SO!
Please next time Darius or anyone else advocates trading assets for 38 yr. old player consider the Nash trade disaster!
George says
While I’m not a fan of Max Kellerman, from the Max and Marcellus show, he did say something regarding Nash that I can buy into. He indicated that Nash’s retirement will likely put Lin into the starting lineup. Additionally, Lin’s minutes will increase and so it follows will his stats. Max feels that Lin’s inflated stats will make him a very attractive trade piece at the deadline.
We have raging debates on this board about whether the current Lakers are a .500 team or a 30 win team. That really doesn’t matter – what matters is that the Lakers are not a championship team. In my mind the focus of the FO should be to get better players whenever they can. So I would definitely look to move Lin, Hill and possibly Young at the deadline if I could pick up assets (young talent or picks).
If the season begins to slip away the FO should push the eject button on this year. Lin, Hill and Young would be a great bench on a championship team – as starters they only make the Lakers competitive losers. The only untouchables at this point are: Kobe, Randle, Davis and Clarkson.
By keeping our top 5 pick, developing our youngsters, adding young talent/picks with deadline deals and signing a top FA this summer (eg: Monroe to a one year max deal so he can be a FA again in 2016 to take advantage of the rising cap) then the team will be much more competitive next year.
To me, the 2015/16 is the important year – we need to put a talented team around Kobe for his final season. To do so, I think the FO should be willing to let this season go.
Craig W. says
Those posters who want to ‘trash’ Nash and the trade are welcome to their opinion, but they also expose their utter lack of objectivity about the business of NBA basketball.
For those who opposed the trade for Nash at the time – well you were proven right – but it certainly isn’t the same number who are ‘screaming’ about it now.
Darius’ piece certain covered all the pieces surrounding that trade and should put an end to anyone trying to ‘add more information’ to the situation. Thank you Darius! And now we move on.
Lil pau says
The argument for trading for Nash was all about structuring the offense around the pick and roll. After the cp3 disaster, the lakers scrambled and assembled a package of: the best PNR finisher in the league (DH), perhaps the best PNR passer in history (Nash, or Stockton), the wing player with the highest 3 pt percentage out of PNRs the previous year (Meeks), the best PNR coach (MDA), and, hanging out on the weak side for ball reversals, Kobe. It was an absolutely defensible scheme and IMO, it should have worked.
Blame age, blame conditioning, blame Howard’s desire to play back to the basket, blame d’antoni, blame the misfortune of injuries (my choice), but it was conceptually solid and worth the picks at the time.
Nash has been a disaster as a laker, but I admire the beauty of his play and his intelligence and gentlemanliness on and off the court. Wdnt be surprised if he agrees to a unilateral buyout to return some of the lakers dough (a buyout without any hope of recouping the money with a new contract). Is he THAT classy, the way Bird was at the end if his career? Well see…
rr says
Moved over from other thread:
I will go with Jackson and agree that it was not a good idea at the time.
—
I actually went and re-read the threads in the day of and the day right after the Nash deal. In those threads, only one poster that I saw, Chris J, was loudly against the deal. Aaron came out against it as well, but not day of or day after that I saw. I myself supported the deal, with the caveat that I was concerned about the 2015 pick and thought Kupchak should have held it out of the deal if at all possible–and here we are.
Does everyone think that clarkson will not get 20+ mins per game or dk you think that price will vulture those mins because of Scotts coaching
—
What he does with Clarkson/Price now that Nash is out will be the first big personnel litmus test for Scott IMO. Price has clearly established that is a 3rd-string PG in the NBA, if that. If the Lakers are still thinking of Clarkson as a 1, and they think he is NBA-ready, then he should play rotation minutes immediately. Clarkson needs reps. Also, Lin and Clarkson are both tall enough to cover 2s and play at the same time. So, I think Kobe and Lin should play 30-32 minutes apiece, Clarkson should play about 25, and Price about 7-10. I would rather have a younger guy than Price in that job, but it is what it is.
Put in simpler terms: if Clarkson isn’t good enough to play ahead of Ronnie Price, then Clarkson should start his pro career with the D-Fenders.
However, I could see Byron liking Price’s grit etc and playing him a lot. It would be a mistake.
Treylake says
Trashing Nash and opposing the trade are different issues. Many who opposed the trade at the time, think highly of Nash and his game. The argument was at trade time, “Nash was past his prime and can’t defend top PG in the west.” Argument was, “if Nash can’t defend Westbrook, Paul and Parker now, Nash certainly won’t be able to defend them when he is 41.”
True.
Accolades for Nash’s career with the Suns … but Mitch K / Buss goofed.
Moving forward …Julius Randle is the future.
Will he develop like Eddie Jones and Andrew Bynum to become a huge Lakers contributor.
Mid-Wilshire says
I am so sorry to see Steve Nash go out in this manner. Whatever the merits of the trade that brought him to the Lakers (or lack thereof), I always thought he was a class act and a classic offensive point guard. I wish him health and happiness going forward.
At this point, I expect the following:
* Jeremy Lin will start at PG and play 34 minutes per game;
* Ronnie Price will back up Jeremy Lin initially;
* Jordan Clarkson will learn from the bench, play hard during practices, have an occasional stint during the D League, and, from time to time, enter games at either the 1 or the 2; in fact, Clarkson’s challenge will be similar to Julius Randle’s — to convince the coaches that he deserves substantial minutes and can be relied on throughout the year.
I would not be surprised if the Lakers waive Nash to free up a roster space (if that’s do-able). But Lin and possibly Clarkson should be the major beneficiaries of Nash coming to the end of his career. It will be interesting to see, given the recent turn of events, how Clarkson develops and if he earns a spot in the rotation. Randle’s and Clarkson’s stock could rise in the 2nd half of the season depending upon how they perform in the first 30-40 games. We’ll see what happens.
In the meantime, good luck to Steve Nash.
Robert says
“process versus results argument. The results, of course, were awful.” – I certainly understand the point, but results are what really matters in the long run. Having a good process is really just a mandatory thing and those that don’t will probably fail more than not. However the process requires execution. You can have perfect form as a shooter (good process) and miss every shot in a game (awful results). If it happens one game, it could have been a fluke. Happens for most of a season, then you are simply a bad shooter (in spite of your good form). The FO does not always have good process. The handling of DH, the handling of Phil, the handling of the KB contract, and the handling of the coaching search are all examples of poor process (threw the last one in because even though I wanted Byron – we all thought the process was flawed). Undisputedly, the FO has been having bad results for 3+ years and that coincides with Jim’s rise to power. We can look at each of his decisions for process or we can look at the totality of his results.
Darius Soriano says
“Having a good process is really just a mandatory thing and those that don’t will probably fail more than not.”
Robert out here agreeing with me without even knowing it.
mud says
yeah, that stupid FO shoulda KNOWN that Lillard would Break Nash’s leg!
what a bunch of spoiled little babies! need your momma? (sorry for the taunt, it’s not like i’m all that special, just a gut reaction)
this happened. it sucked. there’s still a season to be played.
why does Lillard think it’s cool to be called “Dame Lillard”?
Everclear says
I want to feel bad for Nash, but unless he officially retires and give us back the money he doesn’t deserve (not that he deserved it last season), then I can’t.
It’s like he’s still secretly playing for the Suns.
Agree says
Nash accepting a buyout or something would be nice. The “I need the money” stuff doesn’t sit well with me given he has made over a 100mil in his career. I’m sure he could get paid millions more as a coach as well if he wanted. I know LA is expensive and all but just this year for being hurt he will make more than me and my wife together in our entire lives–with decent jobs. When professional athletes that make 10mil a year whine about money at all it irritates me. The only thing that irritates me more is when they go bankrupt for living beyond their means, when their means represent the .02% of the wealthiest people in the country.
I honestly thought Lin was going to play 30mins+ a game this season regardless if Nash played or not. I don’t think many people thought he could really play more than 18mins a game anyway, it just so happens that his body can’t handle any minutes any longer. I hope the play Clarkson at the 2 quite a bit this year–he doesn’t strike me as much of a passer. But he could be our future two after Kobe retires. Is Henry going to play this year or is his Knee hurt enough that we are looking at lots of DNP’s this year?!
Robert says
Darius: I am agreeing with that point. I agree with many things you say : ) However – the process is just 1/2 of it. Then there needs to be execution. I am pretty sure for example you did not agree with the coaching selection process that resulted in Byron. We can evaluate the execution when his tenure is over. Like I said I can miss some jump shots due to poor form (bad process), but if I miss all my shots consistently – I am a bad shooter. Jim’s major decisions alternate between bad process and doomed from the start, to good process but bad results (VETO being best example).
barry_g says
recent report from Abbott indicates that it’s all Kobe’s fault (he basically got on Nash’s last nerve and proceeded to annihilate it)
Aaron says
Treylake,
rr is right. Everyone www over the moon the summer the Nash trade was made. I myself even didn’t find it appropriate to tell everyone my take on Steve Nash until 3-5 days after the trade was made because people already hated me enough. He didn’t look good his last year with the Suns. He was slow robotic. The all star nod was a lifetime achievement award. But I said at the time I would be thrilled if we got that Steve Nash. But as I said he wouldn’t be the same player at 37 as he was at 36. Just as he wasn’t the same player at 36 as he was at 35.
Mud,
We saw what Nash was for all eight preseason games and one regular season game against the Mavs. And he wasn’t very good. He was a 37 year old little PG.
Mud,
the other Stephen says
@RR,
Yes, I like that Lin and Clarkson’s interchangeability on defense may offer some sort of respite in terms of defending the 1 and 2. Not that they are plus defenders at the moment, but this should be interesting to follow: both offer excellent defensive rebounding and good length at the guard position, but will they improve at reading and disrupting P&R actions, navigating multiple screens, and stopping the ball in transition?
Also, I notice that Lin needs to learn how to get down and keep his dribble low through tight spaces. Several of his turnovers in the preseason have been a result of him not doing so, and if he wants to probe the defense carefully like Nash does (as he is clearly learning to do), then he needs to develop handles like his as well.
Darius Soriano says
Robert,
My point wasn’t about anything else than the Nash trade. You trying to translate that to other things is you arguing with something I never said or just trying to make a point you’ve already made 100 times before while piggy backing off my comment.
Gurndogg says
I think that the Lakers need to do some thing cause Price is not good enough to play as a back up point we will get crushed. Lakers need to used what they have to get a player by any means
they can a player like Jordon Crawford would be a very nice pick up to play the point he has size
& can play both PG/SG. So Lakers should look into it. we need more than Price & Clarkson (I like him a lot)
Quin says
Honestly, I wouldn’t trade Lin. He’ll probably want to stay with the Lakers, given how much he has been traded already, which means he would likely take less than his market value to sign with the team long-term. Plus, with all the scrutiny over his last contract, he’s probably wary of leaving something that works for him to pursue more money.
The Lakers need to look at the good things they have going for them and hold on. As far as I’m concerned (at this point in the year), they should build the Lin/Davis chemistry and look to lock those guys in. If you trade away the working pieces you have, “re-building” will last forever.
Lock in the good things long-term (at a good price). Trade away the pieces you can live without (duplicate power-forwards, maybe).
the other Stephen says
I always picture Darius being embattled/beset/besieged/frustrated on all sides by frivolous arguments. I hope running this site isn’t giving you too many white hairs, haha.
david h says
robert/darius: you two need to get a room. actually, we’re just jealous that Roberts’ getting all the attention from dad darius; but for all the wrong reasons.
and of course, darius, you sound bored by all the day’s latest events. I’m with you, one more preseason game and on to the new season starting where? at home versus Houston? the problem child.
Happy Friday.
Go Lakers
KC says
I wonder if Lakers are considering adding another player at PG position or will just go with the current roster. What about Bo McCalebb? Isn’t he available at a reasonable cost?
Aaron says
Great news… Price is our starting PG tonight and probably for good. The reason this helps the Lakers chances of keeping their draft pick is not because Lin is going to play less. Lin himself is at best a good back up PG. Lin is going to play the same amount of minutes off the bench or in the starting lineup. The reason this is great news is it keeps Clarkson on the bench. MDA would be starting Lin and Randle and playing Clarkson big minutes.
Brian says
I hope that the Lakers shock the world and win their first 10 games through a combination of guile, strategy, and luck! I would shell out good money to hear Colin Cowherd and the haters stumble through their broadcasts, or (worse) jump back on the bandwagon during the Lakers brief resurgence. If they went 0-72 the rest of the way, it would almost be worth it just to hear the shock and mayhem that would ensue from a 10-0 start!! #Lakeshow #VanExelForever
KO says
Nash WAS a great player.
I for one am glad the charade is over. He can stop pretending by warming up before games.
My biggest issue was the FO allowing him to play that one extra game last year that locked him in and locked the team out of moving his full salary.
That was a farce to season ticket holders to keep them buying tickets.
I don’t like feeling scammed.
P. Ami says
I would have loved to see Nash produce with the Lakers. It was amazing to see him do so against us with PHX and Dallas. The pride, skill and mindfulness with which he played was gorgeous. I wish we could have taken him off the list of guys like Barkley, Malone and Stockton which, to me, is really a short list of MVP-types who never had the matching luck to win a ring. He did have the pleasure of conducting championship quality teams. He felt the brotherhood of a dominant team. He transcended a game and transformed it into a symbol of passion and excellence.
Of course it is not the same for us, as Lakers fans, to have shared in his career. He didn’t do his best work for our team and he didn’t win a ring with us. The “might have been” was worth it and hopefully the young guys got some salt and pepper off the old man’s temples.
I wish Nash well in transitioning into this new phase of his life. He has earned the comforts and challenges he will face. I hope his body finds balance and that the pain settles down. I for one thank Steve Nash for his career and the effort he put out to the game I love.
Chris J says
My final take on Nash is merely to wish him well.
I despised him as a Sun mainly because I believe he benefitted from the media’s post-Eagle disdain of Kobe that gave Nash two MVP awards that rightfully belonged on a mantle somewhere down in Orange County. (That, and I hated the fact that Nash palms/carries the ball with every dribble and was never called for it — but that’s the case throughout basketball anymore.)
As a person, Nash has always gone about things the right way, in my eyes. I believe he sincerely regrets the way things worked out in L.A., and had hoped to contribute more to the organization than his body ultimately allowed. It’s not like he simply quit or played with little effort; his lack of productivity was not a conscious decision. Given that, I can’t harbor any ill will toward him.
My initial and ongoing hatred of that deal wasn’t personal — I always felt the Lakers paid way too much in draft picks, and even had Nash been healthy enough to play the past three seasons, I didn’t believe his game would put the Lakers ahead of those other teams with younger and/or faster guards — Parker, Westbrook, Paul, etc.
P. Ami says
So, I have my feelings for the man and how he conducted himself as a player. In terms of criticism of the Lakers acquiring him…
Nash was never a guy who shut people down. He played position basketball on defense. He did not make stupid decisions on defense, he played with effort, and his feet. Keep in mind, that poster that Kobe produced when Nash tried to take a charge in the playoffs but Kobe elevated and finished over him? Nash was in position. His athleticism didn’t let him make a play but his mind had him in the right place. So, my thought was that with Ron harassing the best scorer, Kobe not falling asleep on backdoor cuts too often, and with Howard there to cover for the inevitable blow by at the point, it was not a bad thing to have Nash play D on that team. To further make my point clear, that “inevitable blow by at the point” is inevitable for just about any team. CP3 does not stop dominant PGs. The refs let him manhandle Curry in game 7 last postseason and Dell’s kid still scored over 30. Nobody stops Westbrook. Conley might be the best defensive PG in the league and Westbrook still gets 20 per 36 min. Against CP3 he gets 22 per 36 minutes. No question, I would rather have a dominant defender than a bad one but there are defensive liabilities and then there are guys who find a way to be effective in spite of some limits. BTW, Westbrook scored 23 per 36 against Nash. I’m not thinking Nash was that big a liability on defense as he seems. Had Nash and Dwight been healthy, and Dwight bought in, I think the D would have been fine. I can’t prove it, so my opinion ain’t worth much.
Anyway, I guess we have a new season to look forward to. I hope everyone here is healthy and happy. Lets see how the team responds to the current situation and I want to find out if our young guys are worth being excited over. I don’t see a playoff berth and even think 30 games may be a little high but we’ll see. Best case, the team is fun, the young guys develop and we get lucky in the lottery.
Again, good luck in life Steve Nash.
Azzemoto says
Do add insult to injury, the first round pick they gave to phx could be a lottery pick!
Robert Fiore says
The Nash deal was a crapshoot. One possible outcome of a crapshoot is snake eyes.