Basketbawful Love for Nash

JohnVancouver · Post #1 » by **JohnVancouver** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 7:26 pm

"The tears of Steve Nash: And there you have it:

Watching this -- what probably should have been a private moment -- hurt me more than anything else, even more than seeing a team I hate beat a team I love. Nash finished with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting to go along with 5 defensive rebounds -- 3 more than Stoudemire! -- and 9 assists (with only 2 turnovers). Once again, he gave his all. Once again, it wasn't enough. He is still the person who has appeared in the most playoff games in NBA history without making the NBA Finals.

Ignorant, petty people will continue to use this as a slight against him, even now, after a season in which he led the Suns much, much farther than anybody thought he could...perhaps farther than they ever should have gotten. I mean, really, who thought the Suns could replace Shaq with Channing Frye and lean so heavily on guys like Jared Dudley, Goran Dragic and Louis Amundson and still come within a crazy offensive rebound by Ron Artest from maybe taking this series.

Don't laugh. It could have happened.

But it didn't. Early in the season, there was a great post on ESPN's Daily Dime that dissected Nash's decision to re-sign with the Suns rather than chase a championship elsewhere. His response to questions was that, for him, the journey is more important than the destination. That the chance to lead and teach young players is more important than chasing around a championship.

Someone related this to Kobe and his response was "**** that. Better him than me." No, really. That's what he said. Because chasing a championship is the only thing that matters to Kobe.

This might lead you to think that a title means nothing to Nash. Well, those tears say differently. It matters. Nash has sacrificed an awful lot. I always bring up the fact that he plays -- and in fact has played well enough to take his place among history's great point guards -- despite a chronic, incurable back ailment. He's had teeth knocked out, his face mangled on multiple occasions, and yet he never complains, goes out, gives his all, plays great against whatever odds...with relatively little fanfare. (I say "relatively" because, if Kobe or LeBron broke and reset their nose mid-game, minstrels would be singing about it for the next hundred years.)

There are people who are going to dis and mock him because he's never won a championship, never made the Finals. Those people are ignorant. How far do you suppose Kobe would have made with this year's Suns team? Do you think he would have inspired guys like Frye, Dudley and Amundson, or do you think he would have threatened and intimidated him, maybe even demanded a trade? Would LeBron have led this squad to a title?

Heck, even Nash's talented teams had flaws. Bad coaching (D'Antoni not trusting his bench comes to mind). Teammates who looked a helluva lot better alongside Nash than they do on their own (look at what guys like Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson, Quentin Richardson have "accomplished" on their own, and that's what Amar''''''e is in store for if and when he leaves Phoenix). Remember back when the Lakers pushed the Suns to seven games in 2006 and everybody was freaking out about how Kobe led a squad of scrubs against this amazingly talented Suns team that featured a starting lineup of Nash, Marion, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw and James Jones? When STATUE wasn't even playing and Tim Thomas was one of their most important bench players?

How that those players have migrated elsewhere and we've gotten additional evidence, tell me again how "talented" that team was. Go on. Tell me. Nash turns **** into salsa...but will probably forever be the whipping boy of people who can't see beyond titles even though those are team and organizational accomplishments.

But whatever. Am I disappointed the Suns lost? Yep. Am I bitter? Nope. A year ago, I might have been. But, like Nash says, the journey is more important than the destination. Heck, the dude is even teaching me."

+1

schnakenpopanz · Post #2 » by **schnakenpopanz** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 7:37 pm

post of the year. i feel bad for him and hill. he is all time great.

schnakenpopanz · Post #3 » by **schnakenpopanz** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 7:40 pm

if you allow i will take this to the general board.

Post #4 » by **Miklo** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 7:41 pm

Great read, +1

DBrimstone · Post #5 » by **DBrimstone** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 7:54 pm

Great article. Kind of puts in light the fact that if you don't win 4 games in the finals, you can still enjoy the season as a sports fan. Just because we didn't win it all doesn't mean it wasn't fun watching J-Rich hit a game winner in OKC, Dragic drop a bomb on SA, or Amare man a rebound out of 3 magic players and dunk it with 2 seconds left for a 3 point lead. It was a fun season with alot of fun memory's. So oh well, it was fun getting to where we're at

MaryvalesFinest · Post #6 » by **MaryvalesFinest** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 7:58 pm

Let's just say I disagree, posted my analysis on the GB article so no one gets upset or anything.

grumpysaddle · Post #7 » by **grumpysaddle** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 8:45 pm

MaryvalesFinest wrote:Let's just say I disagree, posted my analysis on the GB article so no one gets upset or anything.

reeeeeeeeeeeally? neeeeeeeeever would have guessed that MVF would make a negative post about Steve Nash... :roll:

Solar Sun · Post #8 » by **Solar Sun** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 10:23 pm

I wish we could give rep to people for a good post. +111

HootieRules · Post #9 » by **HootieRules** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 10:24 pm

Great read and **** Kobe, giftwrap Pau Gasol to Nash and let's play these last 3 years all over again.

mkot · Post #10 » by **mkot** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 10:47 pm

Nash being on this team is the ONLY reason why I'd like us to have Amare back...with 1 or maybe 2 MVP type of years left in him, we just don't have time to rebuild by ditching Amare. The question always been who's going to replace him? He's still a top 5 PF. Let's just live with the good with the bad and go find a defensive rebounding big to play alongside him. Give Nash and Hill another good chance. These two guys stayed with us when things aren't looking good. Treat them right. They deserve better.

albasuna · Post #11 » by **albasuna** » Thu Jun 3, 2010 11:31 pm

Thinking about it now... Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Stoudemire would all have been free agents this summer, if Nash didn't sign that extension. Imagine those three going to New York with LeBron James.

Nash 11 mil a yr
Hill 4 mil a yr
LeBron MAX
Amare 17 mil a year.

I don't get why Nash signed that extension!! Why not wait till his contract expires?

Calvin Klein · Post #12 » by **Calvin Klein** » Fri Jun 4, 2010 1:52 am

Because Nash is loyal and he knows that ring chasing is bull.

This is why he is my favourite player ever. He is just too different from everybody else in the NBA. He has a different mind.

Steve Nash gets it. That's it.

Sandra · Post #13 » by **Sandra** » Fri Jun 4, 2010 3:54 am

Thank you, JohnVancouver. And thank you for re-posting it on GB, Schnakenpopanz. A great article, indeed
There's really something wrong about the culture the NBA is promoting nowadays. "Every man for himself," "The goal justifies the means," is it what we value in RL, too? I hope not. And I do believe in the virtue of such qualities as dignity, loyalty, and manliness
I particularly liked those lines in the article "if Kobe or LeBron broke and reset their nose mid-game, minstrels would be singing about it for the next hundred years". Are our guys really that much worse than the Canucks? I hope not, but this is the type of promotion that makes me think that our guys should learn a thing or two from our northern neighbors. No wonder that players of two NHL teams (the Hawks and the Flyers, the NHL finalists) have recenly said that Nash is the only man in the NBA, the rest of the league are a bunch of sissies. How do you like it? I don't, but it's well deserved, IMHO

PS And to JohnVancouver, again:
rispek

Sandra · Post #14 » by **Sandra** » Fri Jun 4, 2010 4:18 am

And shame on you, MVF. Now, methinks, there are quite a few more people on the forums who think that Suns fans are just a bunch of idiots. You know, it's pretty often that people judge the whole band/family/team/nation/you-name-it by the most noticeable person, even though it's wrong. Like, say, 3-5-8 years ago many people abroad were saying bad things of us just 'cos they didn't like GWB. And I assure you, quite a few members of the forums noticed you on GB ("The silliest post I've ever read on this boards" was rather a regular response, wasn't it?)

RaisingArizona · Post #15 » by **RaisingArizona** » Fri Jun 4, 2010 4:51 am

Sandra wrote:And shame on you, MVF. Now, methinks, there are quite a few more people on the forums who think that Suns fans are just a bunch of idiots. You know, it's pretty often that people judge the whole band/family/team/nation/you-name-it by the most noticeable person, even though it's wrong. Like, say, 3-5-8 years ago many people abroad were saying bad things of us just 'cos they didn't like GWB. And I assure you, quite a few members of the forums noticed you on GB ("The silliest post I've ever read on this boards" was rather a regular response, wasn't it?)

Sandra · Post #16 » by **Sandra** » Fri Jun 4, 2010 5:56 am

ginobiliflops wrote:
Sandra wrote:And shame on you, MVF. Now, methinks, there are quite a few more people on the forums who think that Suns fans are just a bunch of idiots. You know, it's pretty often that people judge the whole band/family/team/nation/you-name-it by the most noticeable person, even though it's wrong. Like, say, 3-5-8 years ago many people abroad were saying bad things of us just 'cos they didn't like GWB. And I assure you, quite a few members of the forums noticed you on GB ("The silliest post I've ever read on this boards" was rather a regular response, wasn't it?)

Wow... are you Canadian, then?

PS Oh, have I missed something, Ginobiliflops? I must be really silly. Not that I ever thought otherwise, though

PPS Frankly, I even tried to click. Never worked

RaisingArizona · Post #17 » by **RaisingArizona** » Fri Jun 4, 2010 6:27 am

Sandra wrote:
ginobiliflops wrote:
Sandra wrote:And shame on you, MVF. Now, methinks, there are quite a few more people on the forums who think that Suns fans are just a bunch of idiots. You know, it's pretty often that people judge the whole band/family/team/nation/you-name-it by the most noticeable person, even though it's wrong. Like, say, 3-5-8 years ago many people abroad were saying bad things of us just 'cos they didn't like GWB. And I assure you, quite a few members of the forums noticed you on GB ("The silliest post I've ever read on this boards" was rather a regular response, wasn't it?)

Wow... are you Canadian, then?

PS Oh, have I missed something, Ginobiliflops? I must be really silly. Not that I ever thought otherwise, though

PPS Frankly, I even tried to click. Never worked

Oh, no. Now I'll never know what you chose!

PS: A girl who completely owns Mary on a Suns forum is super model status in my eyes.

PPS: I hope its not awkward now :sad:

dantian · Post #18 » by **dantian** » Fri Jun 4, 2010 8:45 am

Joe Johnson did great without Nash. Dirk did even better than JJ without Nash. They would not have been the better player they are now, had they been on the same team as Nash. Nash is a great player, but only a limited set of skills will be needed from teammates on his team. In order to develop into a complete player, they have to duck ball dominance by Nash.

Post #19 » by **lilfishi22** » Fri Jun 4, 2010 2:57 pm

Big fan of Bawful because of his Kobe hate but also because he writes great stuff.

Post #20 » by **lilfishi22** » Fri Jun 4, 2010 3:03 pm

dantian wrote:Joe Johnson did great without Nash. Dirk did even better than JJ without Nash. They would not have been the better player they are now, had they been on the same team as Nash. Nash is a great player, but only a limited set of skills will be needed from teammates on his team. In order to develop into a complete player, they have to duck ball dominance by Nash.

Agreed. This is no slight against Nash but Amare could've been a much better offensive player than he is now if it wasn't for Nash's ball dominance. I think Amare would've had to develop a post game without Nash because without those lobs and the PnR, all Amare would've had is the dunk and jumper.

That being said, I think it's unfair to criticize Nash because JJ and Dirk were better players by themselves. That would be like if Lebron and Rudy Gay had played together for 5 seasons and then Rudy went to play for his own team, obviously he would come out of Lebron's shadow and be a better player.