Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash clearly isn’t himself this season. Nash has dealt with multiple injuries from his back, hamstring, neck and even nerve damage from the broken leg suffered last season.
Nash’s body is mess right now and it may have become clear to the veteran that the end of his basketball career is much closer than once thought. Nash missed the second half of last night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to back pain and was emotional following the loss via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com:
“It’s tough,” Nash said after the game. “I hesitate to even talk about it now because it’s probably not a good time. I’m a little emotional. It’s hard. I really want to play and I really want to play the way I am accustomed to playing.”
Although Nash hasn’t lost the desire to play or battle through his endless string of injuries, the Lakers’ floor general does admit that things have only gotten worse via McMenamin:
“I’m trying to play through it but at the same time be smart and try to overcome what I can and see,” said Nash, who added that the same issues had been bothering him for the last several weeks. “But it’s taken a bit of a turn for the worse.”
It’ll be interesting to see what direction Nash takes after a visit with Dr. Robert Watkins on Monday. Many have begun to speculate that retirement might be on the horizon for Nash with these injuries being overwhelming at this point in time.
Currently, Nash is one of the few players on the Lakers roster that is under contract for next season. The soon-to-be 40-year-old is set to make $9.7 million next season and has been reluctant to talk about retirement with so much left on his deal.
Along with retirement becoming a popular topic with Nash as of late, the trade rumors have also begun to circulate with the Toronto Raptors potentially interested in acquiring the Canada native. With persistent injury problems at an advanced age, it’ll be extremely difficult to move Nash’s contract, but if the Raptors are truly interested, the Lakers may pull the trigger.
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