<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Steve Nash's right shoulder injury has sidelined the point guard through the All-Star break, slowing the Suns' frantic pace and their high-speed pursuit of the Western Conference's top postseason seed. "Steve's just not ready to play right now," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He needs the recovery and rehab time." The Suns have overcome plenty in this season's first half. Center Amar? Stoudemire found his explosiveness after missing almost an entire season. The Suns had one historic win streak snapped then turned and started another. But nothing presents a bigger obstacle to their championship hopes than Nash's health. With him, the Suns might be the best in the league. Without him, they struggle against teams they usually dominate. "Nash is the most indispensable player in the league, just because of how much more difficult the game becomes for his teammates in his absence," ESPN analyst Tim Legler said. "I don't think there's another player in that category." Last month, the Cleveland Cavaliers scored a season-high 124 points (and won) as LeBron James sat out because of a sprained toe. The Lakers are 3-1 this season without star Kobe Bryant. The Suns are 4-11 without Nash during his second Phoenix residency. One win came last week when Portland's Travis Outlaw missed a potential game-winning layup; another came at home in November against struggling Philadelphia. The others were against Dallas and the Clippers during the 2004-05 season, when the Suns torched each opponent with 56 percent shooting. Remove those results, and the Suns shoot 42.6 without the two-time league Most Valuable Player in uniform. "They're a team that completely relies on converting in transition," Legler said. "When Steve is out there, they convert 60 or 70 percent of the time. Even (Sunday night against Chicago) and this is no knock on (backups) Leandro Barbosa or Marcus Banks they had numbers advantages at times, but they ended up with turnovers or no shot." ESPN analyst Greg Anthony agrees. "That's the risk you run when you're built that way," Anthony said. "It's like, God forbid, if something happens to Steve they're going to have some struggles. You can't expect a guy to play 82 games. That's why most championship teams have great depth. If they miss a guy for four or five games, they can withstand it."</div> Source
