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Updates on Nash's decrepit oldness

With the regular season set to tip off in less than a week, some of Nash's teammates are starting to wonder when, or even if, they'll have the full services of the surefire Hall of Famer in their lineup this season.

Nash is admittedly having to teach himself to adjust to life as the oldest player in the NBA.

"It's a different stage in my career," Nash said. "I used to be able to get out, run up and down and feel like a world-beater every day, and now I have to try and get myself into some sort of form to try and execute for my team. It's a different frame of mind. It's a different challenge, but like I said, I'm up for it. I'm positive about it, I feel optimistic, I'm inspired by my teammates and I'm going to keep pushing through."

Pau Gasol followed this week, saying he was "concerned" about Nash after the point guard played only 15 minutes in the Lakers' win over the Utah Jazz, sitting out the second half because of a neck injury.

"Steve hasn't been able to complete a practice yet, so that's the bigger issue," Gasol said of Nash, who is averaging just 3.5 points and 3.5 assists in 16.7 minutes per game in the preseason

My initial thought was why should we drag the corpse of Steve Nash along for a season, but then I started thinking about how the corpse of Bill Walton was able to do basically nothing for the Celtics for a year and then made a last rally in the playoffs to win a Chip. Are we winning a chip this year? I highly doubt we sniff that level of competitiveness, but considering he's basically a player coach and if we do get the kind of development from Young, Johnson, and Farmar that propels us into the playoffs it would be great to watch Steve try to leave the world with a last impression of his ability and lay down the Nashty one more time for the road at a high level after resting all year.

plus we can't cut him til next season realistically, but I do wonder if he'll retire if this string of injuries keeps coming. I keep waiting for "DNP adult diaper rash"

I'm pretty concerned about Nash, he was good for a stretch of games last season after returning from the fracture. Now that he'll have to shoulder a lot of burden without Kobe, I really can't see him holding up for an entire season. Atleast the other options are Blake & Farmar now instead of Darius Morris and the corpse of Chris Duhon.

I think Farmar should be able to hold down the fort fine, but if Nash can't get healthy for even a playoff "run" then this greatly diminishes our chances of "making noise" (as Kobe states is his objective this season).

TBH, I don't care if he doesn't start the season off, but if he can't get a string of games together where we get to see flashes of the man, it'll be a pretty sad thing, and IMO take its toll on the team mentally.

Hasn't finished a practice even? That's alarming.

The writing is on the wall.

We need to start Farmar so that we can have some sort of consistency and not have chemistry screwed up by Nash being in and out of the starting lineup. This seems like a no-brainer. Unfortunately I'm not sure if D'Antoni has a functional brain.

This almost sounds like a veiled shot at MDA from Pau rather than critique of Nash, to me...
Could be wrong but it sounds more like a usage issue and a concern about prepping for the season, than it does a concern about health.

Kilroy wrote:This almost sounds like a veiled shot at MDA from Pau rather than critique of Nash, to me...
Could be wrong but it sounds more like a usage issue and a concern about prepping for the season, than it does a concern about health.

Bingo. Why not play the guys who are practicing and probably playing better then Nash now (Farmar or even Blake) and let Nash work his way back via practice. And I think Gasol/Nash don't really have complimentary games.

He got drafted in the 9th round in our boards' fantasy NBA league. Lakers fans are real concerned.

As a big appreciator of Nash's game throughout his career, it pains me that we're getting this Nash. I am extremely nervous and am anticipating a season where he gives it his all, but his body fails him. I truly hope I'm wrong though.

A huge Nash fan here always have been especially in his earlier days. I hope MDA Reads this or anybody who knows him and tells him we need to have Nash coming in off the bench and save him for the playoffs keep him to anywhere from 12-20 min a game and playing alongside with our 2nd unit < Farmer should be starting and Nash/Blake as our 2nd unit coming off the bench.

the thing is, ur fighting to make playoffs..so saving him is not agood idea.
at least for the first part of the season, where u will rely heavily on gasol - nash to carry u until kobe returns.

Easy solution, MDA and the organization has to come back to reality and realize Nash isn't a 35+ minute player anymore. Let's start the younger man with Farmar, and use Nash in limited minutes. Try to keep him loose enough for critical situations. But until MDA gets off the lust for Nash as a starter, we won't see what this team can do to it's fullest extent.

Especially with his system which Jordan is far more capable of running at full speed than Steve is at this point.

DEEP3CL wrote:Easy solution, MDA and the organization has to come back to reality and realize Nash isn't a 35+ minute player anymore. Let's start the younger man with Farmar, and use Nash in limited minutes. Try to keep him loose enough for critical situations. But until MDA gets off the lust for Nash as a starter, we won't see what this team can do to it's fullest extent.

Especially with his system which Jordan is far more capable of running at full speed than Steve is at this point.

Its been pretty obvious this preseason. I agree with everything you just said

Its going to be a tough season.

DEEP3CL wrote:Easy solution, MDA and the organization has to come back to reality and realize Nash isn't a 35+ minute player anymore. Let's start the younger man with Farmar, and use Nash in limited minutes. Try to keep him loose enough for critical situations. But until MDA gets off the lust for Nash as a starter, we won't see what this team can do to it's fullest extent.

Especially with his system which Jordan is far more capable of running at full speed than Steve is at this point.

everything you said should result in farmar coming off the bench leading the 2nd unit, not starting.

dockingsched wrote:

DEEP3CL wrote:Easy solution, MDA and the organization has to come back to reality and realize Nash isn't a 35+ minute player anymore. Let's start the younger man with Farmar, and use Nash in limited minutes. Try to keep him loose enough for critical situations. But until MDA gets off the lust for Nash as a starter, we won't see what this team can do to it's fullest extent.

Especially with his system which Jordan is far more capable of running at full speed than Steve is at this point.

everything you said should result in farmar coming off the bench leading the 2nd unit, not starting.

True, but it just seems having Nash on the floor to start games will lead to some rough starts. Especially against the guards we know Nash can't keep up with.

It's tough watching Nash get straight up trapped by one defender. Can't wait to finally move on from old, rundown PGs.

Steve Nash may sit out Wednesday back-to-back against Warriors

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow ... z2iyrlXmNP

It will just be game 2 and he hasn't practiced fully or completed a preseason game

This is another reason I'd be okay with cutting harris (giving him his 100k and a Dfenders spot alongside Landry and Kelly) and signing Shannon. You can retain Meeks till Kobe returns.

With Nash missing back to backs it becomes Blake and Meeks both getting starters minutes. Plus when Blake gets the yearly injury, which he has gotten the past two years and cost two months each year, we become way too short handed at the guard spots again like last year

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hopefully its not a sign of another injury..

Good thing we have Jordan Farmar