Simmons on Nash

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3797805

funny line about scott howard in the lead....one thing about nash that always bothered me was the fact that he never worked to get better on defense. i understand that d'antoni never coached it, but you would think that a player as accountable as nash would kill himself in the offseason to work on his one glaring weakness, and apparently he never did.

 

Bullshit, Nash's defensive limitations are due to his physical limitations, not a lack of effort or offseason work--the dude has always been tireless and devoted in both respects. No off season workout was gonna improve his wingspan, lateral quickness and foot speed any more than he already has.

There is some truth to Simmons' piece, though. A lot of Nash's dropoff is obviously due to the fact that he's now in his mid-30s and EVERY point guard has always declined at or before that age period. But the Suns really neutered much of what made Nash special when they ditched the 7 or less offense and traded for Shaq last year. Dantoni's was the offense Nash was born to run, he's much less dangerous in this one.

 

i agree that the shaq deal and the terry porter slowdown has de-emphasized nash's strengths. but there a lot of guys in the nba with physical limitations who find a way to keep their man from completely abusing them on the defensive end. nobody's asking nash to be bruce bowen out there, but he shouldn't be as deplorable as he is.

 

Stoney is dead on. You cannot criticize Nash for his work ethic, his physical limitiations are what make him a poor 1 on 1 defender.

 

I find it hard to believe that someone with such pronounced physical limitations could be so good on offense.

 

I find it hard to believe Simmons is pretending he's the first to realize Nash was a product of D'Antoni's system.

 

If Nash played for the Celtics, Simmons' hands would be so full of that guy's dick that he wouldn't be able to type this column.

 

there's been talk the knicks might make an add-on with lebron and bosh/stoudemire in 2010....by then nash should be about as mobile as brett favre.

 

There's been talks that about 9 other teams are going to add Lebron and Bosh in 2010. Including the Pistons.

 

Game. Set. Match.

Thank you everyone, drive home safely.

 

Simmons, overdosed on "Hoosiers," Larry Brown and the meatgrinder Celtics of the 1980s, apparently shits his pants if any basketball team burns off less than 22 seconds of the 24-second shot clock before taking a shot, and feels compelled to remind the world that There Is Only One Right Way To Play, and any team that attempts any other style of playing the game, isn't playing "real basketball."

And of course, everyone assumes that Nash is "gritty, hardworking" and "fundamentally sound." Of course.

 

I was trying to figure out why Simmons wrote about Kevin Nash.