Nash has never won a championship with Amare, Dirk, Marion or Shaq as his team-mates. Why would he win with Roy, Aldrige and a couple of rookies (even very good ones) next to him? Look at his numbers this year - both points and assists per game or per 36 are down. You know why - because he is not a great half-court PG and Phoenix is more of a half-court team this year. If Nash was not able to bring a championship to PHX or Dallas as a younger player, with great players next to him, laying his favorite style - why would he take a half-court offense based team like Portland with players that are not as good (yet) as some of his past team-mates at their prime and get a ring? The entire premise of this trade is wrong... it's a trader Bob deal - no chemistry... Yes, Nash would work great in a high-octane offense with Rudy doing the catch and shoot - but he takes the ball out of Roy's hands minimizing Roy's strong point. If PHX were not the cheap bastards they are - they could have had Rudy on their team next to Shaq and Amare (or Marion if they did not do that trade) - and D'antoni would still be their coach. That would have been a real title contender...
He was one Robert Horry check away, and they were definitely in contention to win the title, that's good enough for me. He has NEVER played with a good defensive big man. Dallas slowed it down all the time man, they ran on opportunities but not all the time, and Dirk lumered up the court last, he had a great 2 man game with him. Who in Phoenix is at their prime? Shaq? Grant Hill? Amare is the only guy at his prime, PERIOD. Roy/Rudy/Aldridge Oden > Amare/Shaq IMO He would help Lamarcus and Oden develop immensly (as he hits bigs backdoor constantly), he's helped Amare a TON, Roy and him would work together, they can both shoot, Nash moves w/o the ball, and Roy has the strength to develop a very good post game (that dissapeared after his rookie year when the ball went in his hands all the time. Roy would develop more to his game w/ Nash and still would be our go to clutch guy. Look at how good Finley was in Dallas Nash's first couple of years. Roy would be better and more of a ballhandler.
Nash gives us a chance to win now and later. He fills the hole we have and immediately makes us a top 4 team. Can we win it with him now, maybe, maybe not but why waist years, try to win now. If your not playing to win for championships every year your waisting your time. That said I wouldn't give up a ton to get him but more than willing to sacrifice Travis/Bayless and Raef's contract. BTW- Nash is one of those guys I think can play into his late 30's giving him another 4-5 years of very high production and while his defense isn't great his offense more than makes up for it (similar to Rudy).
History and Statistics (and Nash's back issues) are not on your side ... which is not to say that he won't be productive for several more years, but I wouldn't count on it. Need some proof? he's so far showed a pretty substantial drop in production per 40 minutes already this season in points and assists (down 3 each) from years past, and while some of that is attributable to Terry Porter playing in a slower system, that ought to be equally alarming and tell you just how much of a system guy he's been under D'Antoni. I fear trading for Nash at this point of his career would be somewhat akin to Whitsitt trading for Rod Strickland on the backend of his career.
He played in Dallas with a prime Dirk. He played in PHX with a prime Marion and a prime Amare. He did not win anything there. Nash is beyond his prime, he is not as good a half-court PG as he is a fast-break, organized chaos PG - which takes away from Roy's game. Nash is not going to win a championship here this year... This team has a plan as was noted repeatedly by KP - he wants to build a team that will be competitive for years to come. Is there a reason to do a consolidation trade? Yes. But the key incoming player from that trade should be someone entering their prime or about to enter their prime - not someone over his prime with a short-window...
No Kidding. The Suns have lost out on so many good player. *Rudy Fernandez *Joe Johnson *Luol Deng It would be interesting to ask Steve Kerr about what he thinks of Rudy these days.
The guy's been to the WCF like four times, that's SOMETHING to me guy. He's never played with one good defensive big, before this season he'd never played with a good post presence (dirk is a face up shooter and has added post since Nash left) and he has no backcourt scoring whatsoever right now. No shooters to feed, no scorers to feed off of. Between Bell, streaky Barbosa, Hill, and Dragic who is scoring but Nash? Portland would be the most talented and balanced team the guy's even been a part of, besides the Mavs with Finley and Dirk (who were awesome but just missing an Oden) but had very little depth. On Portland Nash makes Rudy, Webster, Batum, Aldridge, and Oden SO MUCH MORE DANGEROUS and Roy in due time. Roy will not stop being our go to guy with Nash, it'd be fine between both of their shooting abilities, but whether next to a good PG or not Roy needs to learn to cut backdoor and go back to his post game more (that we saw his rookie year) it would be an easy 6-8 extra points a game for him, and it's how Lebron and D-Wade score a lot of their points (and they "need the ball"). He can't drive it everytime. Roy extends Nashs' career, Nash helps Roy improve, it's perfect.
The Suns would ask for so much in return for their aging PG. He wont come cheap and most likely they would ask for Rudy. Just forget Steve Nash.
I am just not buying it. A prime time Amare was better than Aldridge is now. A prime time Marion was nothing to scoff at. Roy would take time to be effective (if ever) in the kind of offense that Nash thrives in. Oden will take time, period. By the time the team will reach their potential to work on a fast reckless offense - Nash would be way over the hill. This team has the wrong coach and the wrong personnel for him to thrive in the time he has something in the tank - and he is not going to be around when they do enter their prime. It is just not worth it for either side (even if Phoenix thinks they can not make one last run at it with a motivated Shaq and Amare).
I'd love to go for a championship, but don't believe that Nash is the missing piece to get us there. I'm just not interested in giving up quality players to rent Nash for one season. There's no guarantee he'll re-sign with Portland.
We would not have to play reckless, that's just rediculous. Dallas did not play reckless, they just are associated with it because they were bad on D. Steve Nash has never played on a team with good backcourt players and good frontcourt players that play O and D. Phoenix is making the move for cap savings and the future. They get some lottery level talent (Bayless), without ever having to go into the lottery and slash a bunch of salary.
1. two seasons 2. you're going to have to give up "quality players" down the line anyways (same time Nash expires likely) 3. The experience the players we keep from going deep in the playoffs w/Nash is worth something also.
This is not ridiculous at all - just compare his stats when playing under D'antoni and his stats when playing on a team that does play some half-court including the current PHX team. Steve Nash is a great PG in fast fast fast offense. He is not MVP PG in any other system. The only think that is ridiculous is being unable to look at evidence and draw the obvious conclusions from it.
Don't forget the Blazers bought Sergio from them as well. Sergio might be a top 3 PG if he was running that team.
Anyone else think Nash wouldn't have too many problems finding friends on our team? I mean, if nothing else, he can go to the spaniards' houses and play soccer video games with them and Batum.
Trading Joe Johnson was their biggest mistake of them all, not wanting to pay him and then going back to pay an aging Shaq even more. And getting Boris Diaw in return, who had a one good season and then got fat and 'underwhelming' on a fat contract they gave him.
I sort of like Nash for the Blazewrs but not sure he plays good enough defense. I don't think the Suns would trade Nash unless the Suns had a long losing streak and seemed out of the playoffs just before the trade deadline. I also think it would have to look like Nash wasn't happy and wouldn't sign back with them.
