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- Steve Nash has been ruled out for the entire 2014-15 NBA season.
- The Lakers cited his back injury as the reason.
- With Nash out, Jeremy Lin is the prospective starter at the point.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash will sit out the entire 2014-15 NBA season due to a recurring back injury, the team announced on Oct. 23.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash is out for the entire 2014-15 NBA season.
The Lakers issued a press release on their official website on Oct. 23, citing a “recurring back injury” as the reason:
“Due to a recurring back injury, Lakers point guard Steve Nash will be out for the season, it was announced today. After consultations with Lakers medical staff, both Nash and the organization believe it is best to focus on on rest and rehabilitation at this time.
“‘Being on court this season has been my top priority and it is disappointing to not be able to do that right now,’ said Nash. ‘I work very hard to stay healthy and unfortunately my recent setback makes performing at full capacity difficult. I will continue to support my team during this period of rest, and will focus on my long-term health.’
“‘As disappointed as we are for ourselves and our fans, we’re even more disappointed for Steve,’ said Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak. ‘We know how hard he’s worked the last two years to try to get his body right for the rigors of the NBA, and how badly he wants to play, but unfortunately he simply hasn’t been able to get up there to this point in time. Steve has been a consummate professional, and we greatly appreciate his efforts.'”
NBA players react to news of Steve Nash’s season-ending injury: http://t.co/tbz1ADMTif (@ForTheWin) pic.twitter.com/gbVMaf07yL— USA TODAY Sports (@USATODAYsports) October 24, 2014
The Los Angeles Daily News’ Mark Medina adds more details about the 40-year-old Nash’s latest injury:
“Nash is not traveling with the Lakers for their preseason game on Friday against the Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas. Since Nash remains under contract for this season, the Lakers are deferring to him on whether he wants to rehab and stay around the team or retire. Under the team’s labor deal, the Lakers will likely qualify for the disabled players exception, allowing them to either sign or trade for a player making $4.85 million. But the Lakers need to trim their roster to 15 once the regular season starts next Tuesday.
“If the Lakers pursue acquiring another player, training camp invitee Wayne Ellington could become a casualty. The Lakers have three point guards, including Jeremy Lin, Ronnie Price and Jordan Clarkson. Lin appears the favorite to start because of his effective playmaking.
“Nash’s latest setback marks the last chapter of a depressing story with the Lakers. The Lakers signed Nash to a three-year, $28 million deal in a trade with (the) Phoenix (Suns) two years ago, costing them both two first-round and two second-round picks. Instead of bolstering the Lakers’ point guard needs, Nash appeared in only a combined 65 games, averaging 11.4 points on 42.2 percent shooting and 8.5 assists per game.”
ESPN’s J.R. Adande weighed in on the Nash saga in Los Angeles in his Oct. 23 blog:
“Nash’s contract just grew more lamentable.
“I don’t blame the Lakers for taking on Nash for $28 million over three years in 2012, just as I don’t blame them for taking the one-year risk on Dwight Howard. It seemed like a good idea at the time, right?
“But history has no choice but to record it as a bad deal. For the money paid to Nash and the two first-round and two second-round draft picks sent to the Phoenix Suns in the 2012 trade to get him, the Lakers got Nash for 65 games — and he was limited in the vast majority of them by the nerve issues that developed from the leg injury he suffered in his first game wearing the purple Lakers road jersey.
“The Nash deal goes in the same stack as the hiring of coaches Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni: The Bad Decision Pile.
“The Lakers still have their lore. The league’s move to put little Larry O’Brien trophies on the jersey necks is a style touch that suits the Lakers particularly well, since there will be a ’16X’ to remind everyone how many championships they’ve won. What the Lakers don’t have is a run of recent good decisions made by the front office.”
Nash has averaged 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists in 1,217 career regular-season games with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, per ESPN stats.
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