Steve Nash Probably Done

[Soda Popinski]

This really sucks. Hate to see him go out like this, especially after watching the youtube series they did last year

The [URL='http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/lal/']Los Angeles Lakers

’ prospects were never going to be all that swell in 2014-15. The team is thin, injury-prone, lacking defenders, and featuring a questionable mindset when it comes to attempting three-pointers. One saving grace that fans did have to look forward to was the potential, at last, for a pairing of a healthy Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant. Though the two would have been diminished by age and injury, the throwback backcourt would have been fun to take in.

We’ve, again, been denied a chance at watching as much. Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report was the first to drop word on Thursday evening that Nash will be ruled out for the entire 2014-15 season because of ongoing nerve damage in his back. The two-time MVP has said repeatedly that he has no interest in moving his family away from Los Angeles in order to join another team, so barring an unexpected contract offer from the Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers next season, Steve Nash will effectively retire after this diagnosis.

It’s an incredibly unfortunate end to a career that, as recently as 24 months ago, seemed to be aging better than most other players in NBA history. Nash played All-Star level ball in his final year with the Phoenix Suns in 2011-12, leading the NBA in assist percentage and working in 62 of that season’s 66 games. The Lakers were all too giddy to send a pair of first-round draft picks Phoenix’s way for the right to sign Nash to a three-year, nearly $28 million contract during that offseason, teaming Nash with Bryant and eventually All-Star center Dwight Howard in the Laker lineup.

Things fell apart almost immediately, as Nash fractured his left leg in Los Angeles’ second game of the season, and his subsequent rush to return from that injury resulted in the back, neck and nerve pain that limited his 2012-13 run, and benched him for nearly all of the next season. With nearly a year and a half’s worth of rehab to his credit including the lost 2013-14 season, Nash seemed prime to give it one last go this year, and give his career a proper, if lottery-bound, send off.

Nash started his team’s first two exhibition games, but had to ask out of the first quarter of the second contest against the Golden State Warriors. Days later, he reportedly re-injured his back while carrying luggage, which resulted in the future Hall of Famer missing practice. Now Nash has this diagnosis, and we have the grim knowledge that we’ve probably already watched Steve Nash play his last NBA game.

What we should then do with that knowledge is thank our lucky stars that we ever got to see him at all.

Some 14 years ago, around this time, Steve Nash was battling Howard Eisley for the role as the Dallas Mavericks’ starting shooting guard. Following two injury-plagued and ineffective seasons with the Mavericks, the team smartly signed the well-regarded Eisley as starting insurance should Nash’s Achilles and back injuries continue to limit his play. Nash instead beat Eisley out and turned in a stellar season, as the Mavericks made the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Steve went on to make the All-Star team in his next year, the first of eight such appearances.

There was a real chance that the Steve Nash that we grew to know and admire may never have come to fruition had his injury woes sustained. Nash could have limped out of this league a decade ago, never thrilling us with his work with Dallas’ fabulous offensive outfit or Phoenix’s legendary Seven Seconds or Less revue.

(On a personal note, Nash’s ascension meant quite a bit to the guy currently writing this. He was one of two bench afterthoughts, Darrell Armstrong being the other, that I hopped on as role players that could eventually take a star turn in this league – especially after watching Nash dominate the late goings of these two games in the first month of his rookie year. He seemed like a quicker Mark Price, or Kevin Johnson with deeper range, and to a game tape-hoarding teenager that wanted to eventually make a living covering the NBA, having Nash eventually take off meant a whole hell of a lot for my confidence in my choice of career.)

Nash has yet to comment, to officially retire, and we don’t blame the guy. Having the ability to play a game that you mastered at for so long taken away from you is quite the shock, even if Nash’s nerve issues have been in place for nearly two years now. It’s just as cruel a blow to NBA fandom, with less than a week to go before the season’s tipoff, to learn that one of the greatest point guards of all time is being taken away from us.

We got him for a while, though. A great while. Never forget that.

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[Stark]

What a shame.

 

[Simon]

That sucks. The Lakers got bad luck out of that trade.

 

[killerkev369]

Used to be my second favorite player next to LeBron James back in the early 2000s. Sad to see.

 

[spydy13]

That sucks. The Lakers got bad luck out of that trade.

It was an incredibly dumb trade to begin with. Nash was way too old that this wasn't bound to happen.

 

[theSTEREO.]

Terrible news.

Also, you can probably change the name of the thread. It's offical. Lakers announced it.

 

[Man Called X]

A damn shame he played his last couple years with the Lakers. If only he could've just went back to Dallas or retired with PHX. Would've made a better ending to a great career.

Gonna miss seeing his wizardry with the ball.

So, is it too soon to try to sign him for a front office position somewhere? We've got Griffin, Raja, and Marion and Amundson playing for us. I mean, what the hell.

 

[theSTEREO.]

A damn shame he played his last couple years with the Lakers. If only he could've just went back to Dallas or retired with PHX. Would've made a better ending to a great career.

Gonna miss seeing his wizardry with the ball.

So, is it too soon to try to sign him for a front office position somewhere? We've got Griffin, Raja, and Marion and Amundson playing for us. I mean, what the hell.

Bring along Leandro Barbosa and the team will be complete.

 

[Simon]

If the Lakers waive him later in the season, it would be a nice gesture for the Suns to sign him to a one day contract so he can retire as a Sun.

 

[Man Called X]

Bring along Leandro Barbosa and the team will be complete.

But we still can't have STAT, as a player or in any other capacity.

 

[Cavatt]

I swear we traded our bad luck to the lakers with Sessions.

 

[Man Called X]

Poor Sessions. His career fell apart when he went to the Lakers. Damn near ruined him completely.

 

[Ohio]

Poor Nash, he needs to retire.

Lakers failed miserably with the trade for Nash.

 

[Man Called X]

Poor Nash, he needs to retire.

Lakers failed miserably with the trade for Nash.

They've done nothing but fail miserably since their last championship.

And Kobe is seriously hated by 99% of the league that they can't sign anyone until he's gone.

 

[MirORich]

So in review, to get Howard(who bolted after 1 year) and Nash(never a good idea based on age and now done) the Lakers traded away first round picks in 2013, 2015(only top 5 protected), and 2017(only top 5 protected) The 2015 pick will likely be in the 6-9 range. If they don't strike gold in FA next year(who could they even get) or in 2016, that 2017 pick could also still be a lottery pick.

I have Lakers fans for friends who assume its just another down year or two before they're right back up to being the Lakers of Showtime or the earlier Kobe years, but they could really be terrible for multiple years + years of mediocrity after that. The recent CBA deals, the loss of Dr. Buss/Phil/Jerry West, and the shrinking of the world and media in general have created a much different NBA world and dynamic than the Lakers are used to dealing with.