Steve Nash will officially be out the next two weeks after he was diagnosed with nerve root irritation in his back and also his hamstring which stems from a broken leg he had suffered last year. The Los Angeles Lakers point guard was pulled the past two games as the injury grew worse. This is just another injury on the long list for Nash which could severely alter his future in the league.
Nash notes that he was experiencing constant pain after his leg injury healed in the offseason. He missed 32 games for the Lakers last year and he was hopeful that some rest would help solve the issue. That of course did not happen and Nash is admitting that his play was hurting the Lakers start to the season. He is well-aware that he was unable to be productive on the court. Head coach Mike D'Antoni supports Nash whether he is on the court or not.
"You're talking about one of the best professional, Hall of Famer, twice-MVP guys," D'Antoni said, via ESPNLosAngeles.com. "So, obviously he wants it more than anybody wants it and he's a little frustrated, I'm sure. We're just trying to keep his spirits up and get him healthy."
But what if the Lakers cannot get Nash healthy? This is Nash's 18th season in the league and there is a realistic possibility that he might have played his last game in the league. Nash is owed $9.3 million for the year and $9.7 million in the final year of his contract. If the point guard's injury is clearly a long ways from healing, he will become eligible for medical retirement.
The NBA would have to verify Nash's injury diagnosis first. Then the final year of his contract would be removed from the Lakers' salary cap since he played fewer than 10 games this season. Nash has played in six games this year.
Some of the Lakers faithful are calling for Nash to retire after this recent injury setback. D'Antoni would not address the idea that it could be the end of the road for Nash.
"There's always going to be a debate but we're not going to debate it, talk about it," D'Antoni said. "He's going to try to get ready, he's going to try to play and we're going to try to win. It's really simple for us. It's not real difficult."
Despite being outraced by Father Time, Nash does not believe retirement is in his future. The point guard claims he still has plenty of things left that he intends on accomplishing before calling it quits. The issue is that Nash might not be the one that gets to determine when his career is over, his back might make the call first.
"I don't think so. I'm already not the player I want to be and just [have] a different body," Nash said. "My body's different. I'm still trying to adjust and adapt and get my body to accept a certain amount of the pounding and forces and be able to adjust my game and still be productive. I still feel like I've got a lot of life left without basketball so I'm going to try to enjoy it and make the most of these last 18-20 months, whatever it is....."
