Hope reigns supreme in the offseason, which is why many early assessments of the Los Angeles Lakers suggested that oft-injured point guard Steve Nash would be able to contribute significantly in 2014-15. Even Nash claimed that it would likely be his last season, but that didn't stop trainer Gary Vitti from professing optimism that he would have a relatively healthy year.
A few weeks into training camp, though, it looks like the player who missed 32 games in 2012-13 and 67 games in 2013-14 is headed for another season of frustration. As such, head coach Byron Scott is heavily considering turning Nash into a permanent backup for Jeremy Lin at the point guard spot. From Mike Bresnahan for the Los Angeles Times (via PBT):
Lakers Coach Byron Scott indicated that Jeremy Lin might become the starting point guard because of Nash’s recurring back problems, a switch that makes sense due to Nash’s on-again, off-again availability.
Nash played well in the Lakers’ exhibition opener but sat out their second game and took himself out of their third because he didn’t feel right. [...]
“I have no doubt in my mind that if I went to Steve and said tomorrow, ‘You know what, I’m going to start Jeremy and the games that you’re available, we’re going to bring you off the bench,’ he’s such a professional that I don’t think it would be a problem whatsoever,” Scott said.
Lin might not be able to play in Thursday's exhibition against Utah because of a sprained ankle, but he should be ready to go against Phoenix on Sunday in the fifth of the Lakers' eight preseason games.
As noted by Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell on Twitter, Nash has not specified his health issues. However, it's believed that he's dealing with the same problems that kept him sidelined in recent years:
Moving forward with a partially healthy or sidelined Nash is obviously a blow to the Lakers. While the team's postseason goals were always a little unlikely regardless of health, Nash would have played an important role as a facilitator given the number of players on the roster — to name a few: Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Carlos Boozer, and Julius Randle — who require a reasonable or large number of shots to succeed. Lin excels in the pick-and-roll, but he is a score-first point who certainly can't match the output of the man with the third-most assists in NBA history. The Lakers were always going to need a lot of luck to have a good season, and it now looks like they're already playing without a full deck.
Apart from the impact on the team, it is unfortunate that the basketball world will have to say goodbye to Nash when he's not at his best. That doesn't make him unique — very few players are lucky enough to leave the game on their own terms. Regardless, fans should be on the lookout for the handful of vintage performances we get from Nash this season, because they might be few and far between.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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