02-14-2014, 01:18 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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is all bout dat life
Can't knock the Hustle
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 15,083
Representing:
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Nash's return and future
Quote:
Nash is fighting pain and old age just so that he can play in a limited fashion for a team he knows won't improve his legacy. To me, that's someone to look up to.
To a point, that is. Nash's back problems have left him a shell of himself. The two-time MVP's nerve root irritation, reported here by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, is a chronic condition that won't be cured and can only be controlled. It took the Lakers' medical staff almost half of the season just to get it under control. The fact that it's come back so quickly doesn't suggest it can be pushed aside easily.
Plenty of non-athletes can understand both the pain and the chronic nature of a lower back injury. For many, that's a reality the moment they wake up each morning. Due to poor posture and a lack of focus on both core muscles and back extensors, lower back injuries are among the most common and most serious in the general population. Time lost for back injuries, treatment and surgery suck billions out of the economy each year.
For an athlete like Nash, it can be even more debilitating. Any movement, any jump, even any step can aggravate the back, leading to an increase in the pain/spasm cycle. An inflammation inside the back that impinges or even irritates the nerve is going to accelerate rapidly with every stress, and the game of basketball creates an environment that subjects participants to those stresses.
At this stage, the Lakers are pot committed to Nash. The training staff has to figure out a way to keep him as medically stable as possible while the coaching staff figures out how to use him on the court that still benefits the club. It won't be enough to control his minutes; the Lakers will need to focus on matchups, game situations and the rotations Nash is used in to maximize his effectiveness.
While Nash is unlikely to be able to play extended minutes at any point, he has shown in his limited outings that he can be useful. If Nash is only a steadying influence or even a contributor off the bench that allows his teammates a few minutes to refresh, there is value in that. It may not equal the value he's being paid, but fans should ignore that. The money is spent. Instead of focusing on whether it's a loss, they should hope the team can mitigate the loss.
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Steve Nash: Why Back Injury Isn't Getting Better and What Lakers Can Do | Bleacher Report |
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