By Brian Suk
It’s happening again. Steve Nash’s seemingly never-ending string of injuries. The 2x mvp, 8x All Star, and 7x All-NBA selection player has now been withered down to a 40 year-old man who struggles to stay on the court. These last couple of years have been a nightmare for Steve Nash. He’s been fighting injuries and absorbing criticism from fans nonstop. First was his year with Kobe and Dwight Howard on the Lakers. Everyone expected this team to be a powerhouse. But the team turned out to be a bust, and Steve Nash was consecutively on and off the court with injuries. He missed the entire season after that, and tried to play some soccer instead. The next season , he almost missed the entire season again playing only a couple of games because of back problems. He was unable to play a full week of games. He stated that his problem was that he could still be productive in games, he just couldn’t do it in practice. Everyone thought that this season would be his bounce back season. But after hurting his back trying to carry bags (yes), he was reported to be out for the full season with nerve damage in his back. So the real question is: should he retire?
Steve Nash has officially become nothing but a money-eater. For the past couple of seasons all he’s done is hurt himself and continue to assure fans that he would be back only to fall victim to father time again and again. The contract the Lakers gave him was a gamble, one that the Lakers thought would work during the season with Kobe and Dwight. They lost that gamble and are now stuck with this 40-year old who can’t play. This is definitely not the fault of Steve Nash. He is a future Hall of Famer who is 40 years old. Of course he can’t play anymore. What annoys me is his constant negligence to the fact that his career is over. He continues to hurt the Lakers organization with his stubbornness. He is not only hurting his own body, but he is preventing the Lakers from giving the full time job to Jeremy Lin, their new point guard. I think it would be best if Steve Nash retired. For the sake of himself, the Lakers, Jeremy Lin, and the fans, Steve Nash needs to face reality, deal with the fact that he is 40, and move on. He could easily find a great job after his playing years. He is definitely a smart guy with his uncanny passing abilities and his unbelievable court vision. I feel like he could become a good coach or analyst.
The era of Steve Nash was over long ago. The sharpshooting, play making, highlight reel, and passing maestro himself his long gone. Age has caught up with him, and he is feeling the wearand tear of it on his body. Thanks for all the memories Steve Nash, and I hope you choose to retire for the good of everybody.
