The veteran point guard is nearing a return from injury, but don’t count on Steve Nash to be the difference maker in an upside down season
When Steve Nash joined the Lakers last season, excitement among fans couldn’t have been higher. Not because there was hope of seeing the Nash of old return to his glory days, but because he “fit the system”, heck he WAS the system. A reunion of epic proportions they said, head coach Mike D’Antoni and his muse back together they said; like John and Yoko ready to make beautiful music throughout Staples Center. If “Showtime” was coming back, Nash was Magic and D’Antoni was Riley, Lakers fans could almost taste it.
And then it wasn’t…
It turned out to be nothing more than Rudy T. and Slava Medvedenko on a good night. Excitement quickly turned to dread as the reality set in that this wasn’t your parents’ Phoenix Suns…no sir. There was no Raja Bell, no Leandro Barbosa and no sign of Boris Diaw. The Lakers were too busy filling their roster with Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant…
See here is the thing: The Lakers went square peg, round hole when they signed Nash. You must remember that among the crowning achievements of his career are bringing groups of no-name chuckers to mid-round playoff glory. General logic would assume then surrounding Nash with actual capable NBA players would derive even greater results, but that was never in the cards. In reality, the Lakers would have been better off sending Nash out on the court with 4 Nick Youngs…
Just imagine for a second how much fun that would be.
Nash is the ultimate point guard boiled down to it’s more stereotypical terms, “he makes those around him better.” Yes. Steve Nash does. What has happened with the Lakers though, is one of the great NBA personnel experiments, answering an age old question; what if those players are already…better? It happens all the time in the NBA: Looks great on paper, stinks on the court.
Now, I know what you’re thinking…
Yes, I’m aware the Lakers have the biggest contingent of underachieving NBA players since…dare I say…the 06’ Phoenix Suns. It’s almost as if Kupchak is searching old draft boards looking for lottery picks gone terribly wrong (see Kendall Marshall). Maybe this is the next version of “Money Ball”…except who will Jonah Hill play in the movie? I digress. Regardless, do these recent roster developments point to an opportunity for Steve Nash to do what he has always done best? Not likely. I won’t discount the fun-factor here, but Nash is not getting the band back together. His last return ended swiftly and has created an alarming trend which points only to the twilight of his career. Another comeback doesn’t provide any long term benefits for the Lakers this season and only further distracts a young roster. His ability to provide consistency in any form has passed and for a team looking to find itself again; that is surely what they need most.
His greatest benefit now comes as a teammate and a mentor – off the court. Nash’s last 4 seasons in the league have seen a steady decline in the number of games he is able to play (75, 62, 50, 6)…also tomorrow’s winning Powerball numbers. There is simply nothing left for him to contribute to this roster specifically, except for one very important thing: Steve Nash should return to the Lakers and promptly call it quits. Save the franchise $9 million for next season, and join the team as an assistant coach. Everyone can agree that D’Antoni could use all the help he can get on the bench and who better to add than “his guy.” The man who effectively made him the coach he is today and showed the NBA that small ball can work. It would be just what Nash needed as well, solidifying him as the ultimate team player and providing the new lease on his basketball career he so desperately desires.
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