When Steve Nash arrived in Los Angeles, he did so amongst much pomp and circumstance. Sure, there were some people who weren’t excited about it, for reasons that all proved to be valid, but c’mon! The Lakers had just been cheated out of signing Chris Paul because the NBA owners hate teams more successful than themselves, and teams who have better climates. This was a huge blow to Lakers fans who are used to not only getting stars, but to getting what they want. So, when Steve Nash came along, jumping ship from the rival Phoenix Suns, people got excited that SOMEONE still wanted to come to Los Angeles. But let’s be honest, this move was doomed from the start.
Nash had already been experiencing injury issues, and he was only getting older, logically. Then, intrinsically tied with Nash was coach Mike D’Antoni who was just THE WORST. There are a million stats to prove it, but we don’t need to keep re-living those. He was the WORST. So, he waited around all season for Steve-o to get better and save his system’s reputation.
That never happened, and Nash never panned out. In all, it’s a disaster that many people would like to pretend never happened, and now it’s over. The Nash era of underachievement is finally over. Sure, he tried really hard to come back, no one’s questioning that (in fact he made an entire web-docuseries about himself documenting his fight to return), but he didn’t, which makes this a completely underwhelming chapter.
This week, a couple of important things happened that will finally allow us to pretend nothing I’ve referenced ever happened: Steve Nash retired, and the Lakers waived Steve Nash. Frankly, I didn’t realize that Steve Nash hadn’t retired yet. He’d been ruled out early-on in the season, and the Lakers received medical exemption cash for him, but yet he was still hanging onto… wait, what was he hanging on to? Hope? Also, wouldn’t retirement mean that he’s not playing anymore? Anyways, rules like this are dumb, but the point is this: the Lakers are moving on.
The team reportedly, and specifically, waived Nash so they can get a better look at Jabari Brown. According to the team’s press release:
Brown, previously signed to 10-day contracts on March 10 and March 20, has appeared in 10 games for the Lakers, averaging 9.4 points on 50.0% (32-64) shooting, including 45.8% (11-24) from three-point range, in addition to 1.7 assists, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 24.5 minutes per game.
Monday, Brown had the best performance of his NBA career, scoring a career-high 22 points on 7-10 shooting (3-4 from beyond-the-arc), playing 34 minutes in an overtime victory at Philadelphia.
Both Brown and Jordan Clarkson have shown that they could have significant roles on the team’s roster going forward, and signing young talent is the perfect thing to wipe away any memory of Steve Nash (though, who can forget two of the worst seasons ever?).
KOBE MONTANA 