Blake Outlaw or Webster Frye Our 1st round pick Would Phoenix do it? Would you? ...Then we sign Artest. Steve Nash Brandon Roy Ron Artest Lamarcus Adridge Oden Looks good on paper!
In a heartbeat. Doubt they would though. For some reason, Nash is more untouchable than Amare to them.
I don't know, they missed the playoffs and they are an old team. I think Nash could be had for a reasonable price.
I'd love to get Steve Nash here if for no other reason than for the entetainment value in seeing Nate be forced to loosen up the rope arounf the players necks on offense. Nash and Nate together would be awesome. Maybe it would force Nate to leave for a nice cushy college job? Oh to dream.
No kidding, The showtime Lakers were very dominant Then again Nate has won just as many titles with being the slowest pace team in the universe.
Yah, 20 years ago. Whats the last running team that won a title? Defense wins titles, not fast paced offenses. Otherwise Phoenix, Dallas and Golden State would be multiple title winners. Defense is the key to winning titles. Just ask Detroit, San Antonio and Boston last year.
3 of the 4 remaining teams are in the top 12 in pace. Denver is 5th, the L*kers are 6th and Orlando is 12th. Last year the L*kers again were 6th, and Boston was 19th. Still ten spots higher than Portland.
Farther than Nate got Portland? You said fast paced offenses don't win titles, and I was just showing you that they can compete for one. I couldn't agree more though that defense wins titles. I am just saying the pace of the offense really doesn't have a lot to do with it.
For me this has nothing to do with Nate and his system (well, that is a minor consideration), it has everything to do with the kind of player Nash is now and will be going forward; they guy has had major back issues and is breaking down in a hurry. It's one thing to bring in an older vet if they've had a great history of durability, but quite another if they are showing major signs of physical decline. At this point we'd be getting a player living off of past exploits and a name. Steve Nash 2 or 3 years ago? Yeah I'd have been all over that. Now? Not so mcuh.
Much closer than Nate sniffed in his playing AND coaching career. Blake/Bayless/Outlaw for him It'd save them almost 6 million next year (and they're cheap!)
So when Nate went to the Finals with the Sonics in 1996 that wasn't as good as Nash getting to the Western Conference Finals somehow? As for the deal you posted, the Suns would take that and run ... which pretty much tells me everything I need to know about how good it would be for the Blazers.
If Phoenix trades Nash, I think that a primary consideration is that they get cap relief equal to or greater than Nash's final year. I think the Suns are going to pin their rebuilding hopes on using cap space in 2010 to restock the team. After Nash and Shaq expire they will have big room. As for them trading Nash now rather then keeping him on the team for his final year, why would they do that? Nash is very popular and the Suns don't have a young PG being held back. So, to induce them to trade Nash they would need to be compensated with a good pick, good cheap young player or extra cap relief. As for the Blazers trading for Nash - WHY? Nash has lost half a step. Nash has a chronic injury. Nash doesn't play the style we do, and he WHINED (possibly for the first time in his career) when Terry Porter tried to play like Nate (successfully this season) plays. Oil and Water people. Nash knows that and wouldn't even want to come here. He stays in Phoenix. Unless they get a new PG to feature, in which case maybe Nash goes to New York where he can play his game. Nash also does nothing to solve one of the Blazers current flaws - fatal in the playoffs - which is perimeter defense and the ability to slow penetration. Masbee says no Nash.
The Showtime Lakers wren't just a great running team. They also played great defense. All five Laker championship teams from the 1980s had a player make 1st team all-defense. They were also a great half-court team with Kareem - who was still 1st or 2nd team all-NBA during four of those five championship years, won the league MVP in 1980 and was finals MVP in 1985. The Suns running teams during Nash's MVP seasons were weak defensively, and weren't a great half-court team. They added Shaq to address the latter, but it was too little, too late. Now, they are neither a great running team, nor a great half-court team - and they still play poor defense. Of course, you can't blame all of those things on Nash (although he is, at this point, absolutely one of the worst defenders in the league). It's more of a style thing. The 7-second or less offense works great during the regular season when teams don't have extra time to prepare for a "gimmick" offense. But, come playoff time, when teams have extra time to prepare, you better be able to score effectively out of your half-court sets, and most of all, you better be able to play defense (and rebound). While Nash would be an upgrade offensively over Bake, it wouldn't be as huge as it would have been three or four years ago. His offensive stats have been in steady decline and his DRtg of 115 makes Blake look like a lock down defender. BNM
