Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash just couldn’t get a break. Already dealing with sciatica problem these past few days, the former two-time NBA MVP playmaker reportedly hurt his back while carrying his luggage on Wednesday.
Lakers head coach Byron Scott confirmed that Nash will sit out in Thursday’s preseason game against the Utah Jazz because of the injury. With Jeremy Lin already dealing with a sprained ankle, the Lakers will likely lean on third-stringer playmaker Ronnie Price to start at the point in their fourth preseason game.
“Nash hurt his back carrying bags today, Byron Scott said. Did not practice. Wouldn't count on him playing Thursday vs. Utah,” according to Lakers beat writer Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
Coming off a nice offseason, Nash entered training camp with lots of optimisms as he looked to finally contribute on the floor for the Lakers after sitting out the majority of the past two seasons with various injuries.
However, luck hasn’t been on his side as of late and the back problems is just the latest setback of Nash’s grueling battle to stay healthy for perhaps the final season of his surefire Hall of Fame basketball career.
Why the Lakes should consider parting ways with Nash?
There’s no doubt general manager Mitch Kupchak is very much disappointed with the outcome of his Nash experiment. After all, the Lakers threw away two first-round picks in exchange for Nash in the summer of 2012. After that, as everybody knew, the Lakers suddenly went free-fall, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in four games and missing the playoffs last season.
Other than the Dwight Howard blunder, trading for an ageing Nash must be the biggest letdown in Kupchak’s reign as Lakers general manager. The Lakers just took hard blows after hard blows everytime Nash was sidelined with an injury, and of course, Kobe Bryant’s absence didn’t help at all.
As the Lakers’ struggle to form a competitive unit takes another chapter, Kupchack and his team should now consider dispatching Nash for the interest of both parties.
Nash, who will turn 41-years old February, is still searching for his first championship ring. Obviously, the Lakers have no chance for competing for the title this year, but they definitely have plans to reload for 2015-16 campaign – the final year of Kobe Bryant’s contract.
The first option for the Lakers is to find a trade partner willing to absorb Nash’s $9M paycheck. The Philadelphia 76ers are the only teams capable of acquiring Nash without going over the salary cap. Kupchack could send Nash along with a first-rounder to the Sixers in exchange for young studs like Alexey Shved or KJ McDaniels, who reportedly showed tremendous upside on the defensive end.
If no teams want no part of Nash’s hefty contract, then the only remaining option for the Lakers is to make a sacrifice by waving the playmaker and hope a contender will pick him off the waivers. The Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and even the San Antonio Spurs would surely try to acquire Nash, who could provide leadership and big shots in postseason games.
To make the story short, it looks like the end of Nash’s ‘futile’ tenure with the purple-and-gold is coming soon.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
