№39: The Pain of a Steve Nash Fan
January 21, 2022
Welcome to the tedi.substack.com weekly newsletter! At the end of each week1, this newsletter will touch on any number of entertaining, informative, or (possibly) useful topics.
The focus of this week’s newsletter is on a Steve Nash article that I wrote for the old NBA.com/Philippines website (discontinued) back in early 2014. At the time I wrote this, it was unclear if Nash was ever going to make it back onto the playing court to finish out the remainder of the season and hopefully surpass Mark Jackson for third place in the all-time assists ladder.
On the last day of the regular season, Nash (10,335) did pass Jackson (10,334) for third place by a single assist.
The article after the jump is the original article. I literally stumbled upon it as I was cleaning up my hard drive.
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The Pain of a Steve Nash Fan
Words by: Dr. Tedi Gustilo Villasor
Unlike some of my past pieces here in NBA.com/Philippines, I have found this one on the Los Angeles Lakers’ Steve Nash one of the hardest to write. Difficult—because he has always been one of the players that I have looked up to and now, at the twilight of his career, a litany of past and present injuries have slowly robbed the former back-to-back MVP of his health and—indirectly—an opportunity for us all to continue on watching him play in basketball biggest stage.
Currently ranked fourth all-time in the NBA’s career assist ladder, he is in my opinion, my generation’s last true past-first point guard. Like Earvin “Magic” Johnson, John Stockton, and Jason Kidd before him, Nash has that special ability to make his teammates better (and potentially wealthy come contract negotiations). Today’s point guards—outside of Rajon Rondo, Ricky Rubio, and to a certain extent Kendall Marshall—are built a little more in the mold of a Russell Westbrook, John Wall, Kyrie Irving, and Derrick Rose: Scoring point guards who are relied upon to be their team’s primary or secondary scorer rather than their main facilitator.
As traditional player roles expand (e.g., scoring in lieu of pass-first point guards, stretch fours and fives versus traditional big men who operate exclusively in the perimeter or inside the paint, etc.), we can expect to see a lot less of players like Steve Nash in the coming years. Change is imminent…if not already upon us. Which is why it is so unsettling to hear all the calls for his immediate retirement.
Business is business
In an interview with Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles, Steve Nash shares that his thoughts are far from retirement, “We'll see. But I still enjoy being back there on the court so much that this (nerve irritation) is nothing compared to that feeling of being one of the guys and being on the team and trying to win games. So, it's still well worth it to me.”
But with the Lakers injury-riddled season going nowhere and the team currently languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference (along with the Utah Jazz), the storied franchise may start setting their sights towards next season and what could be an offseason free agent bonanza that the league has not seen since The Summer of LeBron (2010).
What is the stretch provision?
Under the new NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), teams have a one-time “stretch” provision that they can use to waive a single player and spread out his salary over a three-year period. The move could be viewed as beneficial for both parties as it would provide the team with some salary cap flexibility and the released player with the freedom to choose his next team. Should Los Angeles decided to use their provision on Nash, who is set to make $9.7 million in his final year of his three-year $27 million dollar contract next season, only $3.2 million will count against the Lakers cap over the next three seasons. The move will also leave Kobe Bryant and center Robert Sacre as the only Los Angeles players under contract in 2014’-15’.
Steve sounds off on the stretch provision
In a recent Grantland.com Web series interview with agent Bill Duffy, Nash learned about the stretch provision and admitted that given his injuries, he could be a likely candidate for it. The 18-year veteran also provided some key insight in the likely event that he is let go by Los Angeles.
"If the Lakers release me this summer, this is it. I finally got my kids here in L.A.; I'm not going to move them again, I'm not going to be without them for a year. So, it's either back with the Lakers next year or I'm done."
However, the Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak informed reporters in late February that the future of the former all-star would be his to make. In another interview with Dave McMenamin, Kupchak shared, “It’s really his decision. He’s under contract to play basketball next year. There’s a lot of moving pieces in something like this. For us to sit down and influence one way or the other is not ethical.”
Are we losing a chance to witness history?
Since the signing with the Lakers in July 2012, the 40-year old point guard has only been able to play in a total of 60 out of a possible 141 games (through March 2, 2014) because of recurring nerve root irritation stemming from a broken left leg he suffered the year before.
This season alone, the 6’3’’ Nash has only been healthy enough to suit up in only 10 of the Lakers first 59 games. He has not played since February 10, 2014, but based on a number of sources, Nash is working on his medical issues with the hope of possibly playing again before the end of the regular season.
Personally, I am hoping that Nash would be healthy enough to finish the season strong as he is currently 39 assist shy of surpassing (current Golden State Warriors head coach) Mark Jackson for third place all-time in career assists. It would be a pity if his injuries were to keep him from reaching the career milestone and the fans from witnessing it—A historic feat that we may not see again for maybe another 20-to-25 years.
You see, with how the next generation of point guards have evolved, they may not be able to put themselves in a position to rack the necessary assists to challenge the career numbers of a Stockton (15,806 | 1st), Kidd (12,091 | 2nd), Jackson (10,334 | 3rd), Nash (10,296 | 4th), Johnson (10,141 | 5th), Oscar Robertson (9,887 | 6th), Isiah Thomas (9,061 | 7th), or “The Glove” Gary Payton (8,966 | 8th). In fact, of the top 25 NBA career assist leaders, only Nash and newly acquired Washington Wizards guard Andre Miller (8,070 | 9th place) are active.
That said, let’s cheer him on one last time.
***
About the author: Dr. Tedi Gustilo Villasor obtained his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology (2009) and Masters of Science in Guidance and Counseling (2002) from De La Salle University-Manila (DLSU). He has also completed a Certificate in Sports Counseling (2006) from San Diego University for Integrative Studies (SDUIS). Aside from his private practice at the Makati Medical Center, Dr. Villasor was a columnist for Baby Magazine wherein his column, "Rules of Engagement" (formerly known as “Understanding Your Child”), focused on children 10 years of age and above. For more, you can visit his website or follow him on Twitter/Instagram. ■
About
Tedi Gustilo Villasor, Ph.D. is a former columnist for Baby Magazine (Philippines) as well as a past contributor to NBA.com/Philippines. His other works include the indie comic books Lindol and OBIsessions.
Click here for more information on his work as a psychologist.
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