Saturday, October 9th, 2010 at 8:00 am  |  76 responses

Top 50: Steve Nash, no. 15

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Ben Collins

What if he had a team entirely to his own?

It’s a question old and tired now. I remember first asking it feebly peering over a railing, trying watch this dude shoot jumpshots in practice. Steve Nash was on the Mavericks then, not a two-time MVP but a weird, side-kick character that got judged a lot for his bad defense. People started complaining a lot—that this bad defense was somehow contagious and was limiting Dallas from ever getting out of the second round of the PSteve Nashlayoffs—and, eventually, he left.

Good god, were those people ever wrong.

I guess saying he was “shooting jumpshots in practice” is kind of an unbelievably weak way of putting it.

Here’s what was happening: Steve Nash took a shot from under the basket, then a took a step back, then took another shot. Pretty classic drill. By the end of this exercise, he was about four feet behind the three-point line, still shooting. And you know how many shots he missed of the 20 or so he took from beyond the arc?

Zero. None. Practice ended, it seemed, when the ballboy got tired and everybody else had left. Steve finally recognized the social cues and bolted.

Of course, I repeated this later to friends and family, who handled it as if I told them I had just robbed a bank with Walt Williams after practice. Feel free to do the same.

But I’m telling you this story now to say this: Five years ago, Steve Nash was arguably the best pure shooter on a team that also had Dirk Nowitzki on it.

This is back when you were impressed that your friend’s cell phone had a damn calculator on it. It’s not like his shooting has gotten worse. He just never got a chance to show it.

Then he went to Phoenix. Shawn Marion put up those ungodly numbers, got a nickname and almost a rebounding title. Amar’e Stoudemire put up those ungodly numbers, got a nickname and almost a scoring title.

But now one has decided that he might be Jewish, so, naturally, he moved to New York. The other is a “defensive specialist” now, so we mustn’t respect his game ever again, no, never.

Hey, did anybody notice that Steve Nash has a team all to his own now?

Granted, he has Hedo “Permafrown” Turkoglu on his team now. That should expedite the ball movement and/or constant sadness and discontent. Jason Richardson and Grant Hill are two of the best, headiest vets in the league. Robin Lopez looks like a real-life starting NBA center. (He just needs to evade his conviction for trying to kill Bart Simpson all of those years.) And the bench is spectacular, yes, but it’s still a bench.

So this is not debatable: For the first time in his two-time MVP, seven-time All-Star life, Steve Nash is the unequivocal top dog on his own team. And he’s healthier than ever.

This is debatable: Is Steve Nash one of the top shot creators, shooters—hell, scorers—in the NBA?

Look puzzled. Laugh, maybe. I’m giving you some time now, so you’re not too frazzled when it happens.

SLAMonline TOP 50 PLAYERS OVERALL RANK POSITION RANK
Player Team Position 2010 2009 2010 2009
Ray Allen Celtics SG 50 36 10 9
Gilbert Arenas Wizards SG 49 34 9 8
Lamar Odom Lakers PF 48 33 14 10
John Wall Wizards PG 47 NR 13 NR
OJ Mayo Grizzlies SG 46 46 8 12
Al Horford Hawks C 45 NR 6 NR
Jason Kidd Mavs PG 44 45 12 10
Joakim Noah Bulls C 43 NR 5 NR
LaMarcus Aldridge Blazers PF 42 39 13 12
David West Hornets PF 41 31 12 8
Monta Ellis Warriors SG 40 NR 7 NR
Andrew Bogut Bucks C 39 NR 4 NR
Yao Ming Rockets C 38 NR 3 NR
Brandon Jennings Bucks PG 37 NR 11 NR
Zach Randolph Grizzlies PF 36 NR 11 NR
Stephen Curry Warriors PG 35 NR 10 NR
David Lee Warriors PF 34 NR 10 NR
Brook Lopez Nets C 33 NR 2 NR
Gerald Wallace Bobcats SF 32 NR 7 NR
Manu Ginobili Spurs SG 31 29 6 7
Tony Parker Spurs PG 30 15 9 3
Kevin Garnett Celtics PF 29 13 9 3
Rudy Gay Grizzlies SF 28 44 6 9
Josh Smith Hawks PF 27 40 8 13
Andre Iguodala 76ers SG 26 26 5 6
Al Jefferson Jazz PF 25 23 7 7
Russell Westbrook Thunder PG 24 NR 8 NR
Chauncey Billups Nuggets PG 23 19 7 5
Tyreke Evans Kings PG 22 NR 6 NR
Danny Granger Pacers SF 21 21 5 5
Carlos Boozer Bulls PF 20 32 6 9
Paul Pierce Celtics SF 19 17 4 4
Joe Johnson Hawks SG 18 20 4 4
Rajon Rondo Celtics PG 17 27 5 8
Amar’e Stoudemire Knicks PF 16 16 5 6
Steve Nash Suns PG 15 22 4 6

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’10-11 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jeremy Bauman, Maurice Bobb, Erildas Budraitis, Sean Ceglinsky, Ben Collins, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Manny Maduakolam, Eddie Maisonet, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Charles Peach, Branden Peters, Quinn Peterson, David Schnur, Todd Spehr, Kyle Stack, Adam Sweeney, Dennis Tarwood, Tracy Weissenberg, Lang Whitaker, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

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  • Moose Posted: Oct.9 at 8:35 am
    It’s kind of unfair how the best passer in the game also has one of the best three-point strokes in the game as well. Nash is an NBA immortal.

  • Twon Posted: Oct.9 at 8:42 am
    Great spot For Nash.

  • Overtime Posted: Oct.9 at 9:17 am
    I’d put him a few spots higher. Seriously under rated by so many.
    I will now wait for JTaylor to how up with his cap lock and multiple exclamation points

  • Samp Posted: Oct.9 at 9:19 am
    Heck 15th for a 36 year-old vet. man this guy is just incredible. where is jason kidd again? and i doubt kobe would rank any higher than 20 when he is 36.

  • James the Balla Posted: Oct.9 at 9:32 am
    lol @Overtime.
    I think he is a GREAT offensive player, but Defence wise, he is one of the worst in the NBA. You want him on your team for the regular season, but come playoff time … I don’t know. There are many pg’s I would pick over him come playoff time!

  • Samp Posted: Oct.9 at 9:36 am
    @james,
    defensive wise, i think ure right, worse in the league probs (give him credit for taking so many charges!) but playoff wise, not so much, come that time of the year, he’d be amongst the list of pgs that anyone’d pick, right up there with chauncey, cp3 and deron (maybe kidd too).

  • ANTONIS FOTSIS Posted: Oct.9 at 9:50 am
    @mOOSE……:Mark Price did the same and he is not considered an immortal…
    Seriously now, if Steeve is top-15 then Anna is at least top-10. i’m holding in my hands at this very moment issue 96 (with our favorite cartoon on the cover) and it says clearly: “ANNA the best player from the best draft ever”(you don’t believe me eh,,..).Nash ,already after his first MVP was ranked 5th (!!!!) even behind the geinous that used to answer to the name ‘Starbury!!!’…this might seem laughable to most now but back then i was the only one laughing with this ranking. (Just like it happens now with other isssues that after 5 years my assesments will be again considered common sense.)

  • ANTONIS FOTSIS Posted: Oct.9 at 9:51 am
    BILLUPS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>T.PARKER>>>>>>>>>>>>>>NASH.

  • Tim Posted: Oct.9 at 10:13 am
    One could argue that Nash should be in the twenties because of his lousy defense and the fact that age is catching up with him and because I’m still shocked Derek “The Snail” Fisher could handle him.
    But one could again argue that the Phoenix Suns have an uncanny ability to cheat age (see. G. Hill) and maybe Nash was what made Amare statistically good, not vice-versa, but who knows. Wait till the end of the season, and we’ll all know! But I reckon the Suns drift out of the playoffs unless they get an inspired effort out of Turkoglu.

  • Jer Dawg Posted: Oct.9 at 10:39 am
    If Nash went to Rucker Park, I could see him light people up and break ankles. Kenny Smith alluded to NBA bench guys giving 30. Well, how about Nash? He’ll probably drop 50! If he wanted to just shooting jumpers. I think he’s clever enough to play defense in streetball without being such a liability. If we judge starting NBA point guards on the hardwood, that produces at high level for so many years, why wouldn’t he be on SLAM’s top 15 list? Top 24 plays ranked are very much on All Star rosters. Nash gets nothing but respect for doing it the right way for so long.

  • B1DK Posted: Oct.9 at 11:44 am
    Way low. Nash has been the best pg in the L for the past 7 years, no doubt. Whoever says he’s a regular season guy doesn’t know anything, he not only made a decent-at-best roster the most exiting team in the L, he took them to the conference finals 3 times. Has CP3 done that? DWill? And those guys had as good a roster as Nash. The fact that he hasn’t won a championship is obviously gonna hurt his rep, but he has still done a great deal in the playoffs, defence or no defence.

  • J Posted: Oct.9 at 11:50 am
    Six years if I’m right.. So many changes came. Teammates, coaches, age.. and Steve Nash only does one thing.. prove haters wrong. Yes he’s still eluded by a ring, but is that solely his fault? Seriously? Then Fisher is considered a good defender. Yet Nash is as good in drawing fouls. Fisher is guarding Allen most of the time instead of Rondo. Why? Because he would get abused by Rondo. Yet Fisher is a good defender and Nash is that atrociously bad? And also I’ll tell y’all this. Steve Nash is the toughest pointguard, if not player, in the league.

  • J Posted: Oct.9 at 11:58 am
    And he’s as clutch as clutch goes.

  • SpaceJam Posted: Oct.9 at 12:08 pm
    @ J, Fisher guards Allen b/c Kobe needs all the energy he can get on offense to do his job. Score 25+ ppg and dish out 5+apg. Rondo can’t hit a consistent jumper so it allows Kobe to somewhat roam and play passing lanes. He can rest a bit more on defense. Nash gets abused by almost every pg in the league.

  • JTaylor21 Posted: Oct.9 at 12:12 pm
    Come people I can’t hear you; OVERRATED! OVERRATED!

  • Overtime Posted: Oct.9 at 12:19 pm
    Cosign J absolutely.
    @ James, Im not gunna say he is a good defender, however, I would say its not as bad as some people make out, and its also not from a lack of effort.
    He puts his body on the line for charges, he does exert himself on D, it just doesnt work great.
    But for effort, he scores another point for me, I’d rather have that than those who will just watch people dunk and then occasionally get a swat and be called a decent defender

  • James the Balla Posted: Oct.9 at 12:23 pm
    B1Dk … he has no D for the playoffs. Not only has he not won a championship, he hasn’t made a finals … Nash has one defensive move, sliding in under people and taking charges. If you watch any game from Nash, he plays D on his heels.

  • J Posted: Oct.9 at 12:30 pm
    @ Space.. I know that. But part of it is because Fisher would get abused by Rondo’s speed 1-on-1 or pick and roll. Example 2. In Westbrook. Kobe is guarding Russ yet he’s the most exhausting player to defend in their team. Fish was put most in Thabo. Answer? Fisher is getting molested. And I don’t believe Nash is getting abused everytime. Where he’s great at drawing charges and interrupting on D. Point is Fish is highly regarded on D, yet the gap between him and Steve on that end is small. Nash is not good but a crafty defender so he should not be considered atrocious.

  • J Posted: Oct.9 at 12:43 pm
    Many can shoot/play with one or two fingers banged.. But I doubt any of them can play with a bloody-broken nose or a swelling-bloody-no-vision one eye at the PEAK OF PAIN.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.9 at 1:06 pm
    Here’s what irks me about Steve Nash haters: He wasn’t the worst defender in the L when he was at his prime. He was subpar, but hovering around average. Gary Payton said his defense was passible. Danny Ainge called him scrappy.
    Now Nash is thirty-f’ing-six with a bad back. HE’S THIRTY SIX. Of course he can’t play defense. Hell, Magic Johnson couldn’t play a lick of defense when he was thirty two.
    And yet, people look at Nash and say “man, his defense was worst in the league from day one”
    Er, no. Not really.
    Nash never had a true defensive bigman to guard the paint for him. Ever. In Dallas, he had DIRK. In Phoenix, he had AMARE. Honest to GOD, Robin Lopez is the best defensive bigman Nash has ever played with, and that’s just an awful thought.
    Surprised James the Balla is hating on Nash too, after how Nash manhandled the Lakers last year, especially absolutely owning Gasol on every single switch.
    Nash has become universally underrated because people are reacting for him being universally overrated. But check this— Nash is still in the top-10 point guards ever. EVER.
    And he’s the best shooter out of that bunch. Think about that one.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.9 at 1:07 pm
    And if anyone mentions Billups I will gauge their eyes out. I spent hours on this website arguing that Billups was a top-15 all-time talent but Mr. (Rushed) Big Shot cannot lead a team like Nash can.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.9 at 1:09 pm
    My favorite part about the double standards with Nash:
    Andre Miller drops 20 on Nash and people bash Nash for it. It is Nash’s fault they lost game.
    Nash is switched on Fernandez and Fernandez barely does anything. Let’s not thank Nash for any of that. No no, god no.

  • bashmo Posted: Oct.9 at 1:15 pm
    Nash should be in the 20′s?? First of all, why is Rose over him? Offensively, Nash is superior. better overall jumpshooter, and without a doubt the best passer in the league. Even if Rose is better defensively Nash is 37. THIRTY SEVEN and is playing just like he was in his mvp seasons. Nash > Rose..if D-Rose is higher up than Bosh ima cry

  • The Philosopher Posted: Oct.9 at 1:22 pm
    Again, Nash’s defense is underrated…
    An all time point guard.
    Ranked pretty high up here, which I think is good and adequate.
    Charges are almost as good as steals, for it gives said team a better opportunity to exact their offense in a less spontaneous manner.
    As I’ve stated before, and as Jukai is alluding to, Nash defends bigger, slower guards better than smaller, quicker guards, for he does lack lateral quickness.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.9 at 1:26 pm
    AND ANOTHER THING:
    Every single superstar over 30 who isn’t Michael Jordan is always switched to a weaker offensive player so they can SAVE ENERGY for the offensive load they carry.
    Exactly why does Nash not get a pass for this when Kobe is switched off Durant for exactly this reason?

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.9 at 1:28 pm
    bashmo: Has to do with team production. Nash is 37, will have less minutes than Rose, will share the ball with Goran and Turkyglue…. while Rose can dominate the ball all to himself, since the next two best players on his team are just finishers.
    Whether or not you think Nash is better, Rose is in a position to do far more.

  • thalilbigkahuna Posted: Oct.9 at 1:59 pm
    @Antonis: If you can’t spell “genius”, don’t use it in a sentence. Especially when sarcastically referring to someone else as such.

  • ai come back Posted: Oct.9 at 2:06 pm
    NOOOOOO d rose is NOT better than nash HES NOT IM FROM chi town i love rose but u tlkin a 3rd year player who averaged 20 pts 7 assts is bettern nash who has 15+and 11???

  • Young C Posted: Oct.9 at 2:21 pm
    Most egregious names left off the top 50: Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Kevin Martin, Stephen Jackson, Chris Kaman, Antawn Jamison.

  • tony knorr Posted: Oct.9 at 2:35 pm
    Im canadian and grew up in a town two hours away from steve nash, i played againts his high school learned from his coach at camps and hung out with his parents over dinner and i can vouch for the upcoming facts 100 percent. Steve Nash is the greatest athlete canada has ever produced period. hockey players don’t count they make up half our population. this cat has made it where he is by pure hustlemania. Every canadian basketball player since the 90′s has grown up trying to emulate this guy for a reason. this spot is as deserved as any in fact I would have him higher but hell I’m biased as it gets. good job slam. and to all who think he is a pure shooter know this, he is a pure shooter because he shot 1500 makes per day in high school and college thats right 1500. practice makes perfect. well for him it did i still can’t hit j’s consistently in games. Damnit!

  • Overtime Posted: Oct.9 at 2:45 pm
    Great points by Jukai.
    And the toughness thing is under rated (seriously, i know espn or whoever likes the show replay after replay when Nash gets the hit or whatever, but people dont take enough notice) that shooting with one eye was incredible, he teamates tried in practice next day and could hardly hit the rim.
    He gets back up, and comes right back at you.
    There is also a good article on nba.com at the moment where they have him as best shooter in league, and possibly ever (which is an argument I’m willing to listen to)

  • Overtime Posted: Oct.9 at 2:48 pm
    AND ANOTHER THING (in Jukai style)
    Is everyone having as much trouble ordering international nba league pass broadband as the UK is?

  • fizzrocket Posted: Oct.9 at 3:11 pm
    Derrick Rose is in the top 15 over Nash and Rondo? B*tch please.

  • Caboose Posted: Oct.9 at 3:18 pm
    Cosign Jukai on everything. The only thing keeping Nashty out of the top 10 TODAY is unfortunately his defense. Indeed, he was a passable defender at one point, but age has slowed his defense.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.9 at 3:41 pm
    Caboose: Not just age, but his back. He can’t really bend his back too much because of the condition he has (spondylolisthesis), which is why he always looks stiff out there.
    No excuses, certainly, you have what you have. But I’ll say it also irks me (I’m liking that word today) that people accuse Nash of not working on his defense and don’t take into account the issues he deals with.

  • Anton Posted: Oct.9 at 3:50 pm
    The Michael Jordan of point guards.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.9 at 3:52 pm
    Anton, I’m pretty sure since you write for the website now, you no longer are contractually obligated to keep boosting up the Suns and Steve Nash as per my request

  • reflex Posted: Oct.9 at 5:02 pm
    Cosign the comments re Rose- love DRose’s game but come on SLAM!. He’s not on Nash or even Rondo’s level, you guys are usually on point 99% of the times, guess this would be one of the few times you slip up. I still <3 Slam tho!

  • vtrobot Posted: Oct.9 at 6:04 pm
    nash>d.rose, rondo>d.rose. thank you.

  • ANTONIS FOTSIS Posted: Oct.9 at 6:09 pm
    Diamantidis>Nash.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.9 at 7:24 pm
    Diamantidis is the biggest waste of potential either. All that height and great ball handling skills, and what is he known for? Defense. HE’S TWICE THE SIZE OF HIS OPPONENTS and barely cracks nine a game. Wow. What a warrior. An overrated player on a stacked team, if he had to do it himself he’d crumble immediately.
    But I wouldn’t expect someone who only watches cartoon basketball to know anything about that.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.9 at 7:25 pm
    Diamantidis is probably the anti-nash. Anti-clutch, anti-killer instinct. He’d rather sit back and let his team do the work.

  • M Cho Posted: Oct.9 at 7:42 pm
    Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought we were discussing and ranking NBA ballers here. I mean it’s been in the headline for 35 entries now. What the f*ck is the point of greek dude comparing Nash to a euroleague player, except to prove that he’s an ignorant troll?

  • TrailBlazing&SportingLisbon Posted: Oct.9 at 8:11 pm
    co sign Anton, fair spot for Nashty and FOTSIS, you are a fool dude.

  • Caboose Posted: Oct.9 at 10:06 pm
    My bad Jukai, totally forgot about the back issues. He tries to work on defense, he just physically can’t. A shame really…

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Oct.9 at 10:52 pm
    BEHIND DERRICK ROSE?! WTF!!!!!

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Oct.9 at 10:53 pm
    This Rose hype is getting out of hand. Wow. I see 20 and 6 gets you into the top 14.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Oct.9 at 10:55 pm
    Jukai said: “Nash has become universally underrated because people are reacting for him being universally overrated.”
    Co-sign this 100%. The same goes for Amare Stoudemire, who people just underrated the sh!t out of.

  • Shan Posted: Oct.10 at 12:47 am
    whos next? I say its between Derrick Rose and hmmmm, maybe Duncan? Roy? Why do people hate on Rose? His first step is unstoppable, his athletic ability is OUT OF THIS WORLD and he is still young as hell and he still leads his young team to the playoffs. Pretty soon he will be right up there with CP and DWill when we consider PGs. It wont take long. Nash is here becasue he embodies the world clutch, he is still one of the best passers, he shoots 90% + from the ft line, really his only weakness is his aloof defense but he makes up for it with his heart and smarts. He deserves to be 15, IMO.

  • ANTONIS FOTSIS Posted: Oct.10 at 5:32 am
    in Tony Parker’s and Boris Diaw face!!!!

  • kos87 Posted: Oct.10 at 6:05 am
    No way is Rose better than Nash!In a couple of years maybe…Nash is bashed for his defense,he is not that bad,just average.All the other aspects of his game,shooting,clutch,passing,floor awareness,quickness,finishing in many possible ways,toughness,etc make him one of the best PG’s ever.Not 2-MVP material, but still..

  • kos87 Posted: Oct.10 at 6:38 am
    Diamantidis is a great player no doubt,but with his signature move being a pirouette and a pass 20 feet away from the basket,he cannot even be mentioned in the same sentence as Nash.But with Greek journalists (Skountis,Hatzigeorgiou etc) hyping him all the time,brainwash is inevitable.

  • Ronald Posted: Oct.10 at 8:27 am
    Is there any good point guard that has decent defense in this league? Don’t say Rondo, or I’ll link the damn youtube clip where Fisher(!) blows by Rondo for the game winning layup.

  • Ronald Posted: Oct.10 at 8:31 am
    And D-Rose hasn’t shown the ability to freaking run a team and he’s above Nash. Yeah, jumping damn high and running damn fast is important. But isn’t passing, running a team and shooting the most important qualities of a point guard? Freaking D-Rose is a walking turnover.

  • Allenp Posted: Oct.10 at 9:25 am
    Jukai
    Why doesn’t he back affect him more on offense?

  • Hursty Posted: Oct.10 at 9:55 am
    Allen- different movements.

  • The Seed Posted: Oct.10 at 10:34 am
    Nash is overrated, I would state facts, but who cares, because he has fooled alot of yall, by running a run a gun offense that has not produce anything. Nash has had some great teams in PHX and they have failed, but he is the leader. Those two MVPS, is a BLACK STAIN on the league and history books will wonder what was wrong with the NBA during those years. Nash is number 30, because Amare got him alot of easy assits, but people will say Nash made everyone better, so why did Dallas with a defensive point guard in Devin Harris make it to the NBA Finals, should have won, but (ref gate) after Nash left. People answer or riddle me that. BOOK IT!!

  • The Philosopher Posted: Oct.10 at 11:43 am
    Co-sign Allenp…

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.10 at 1:34 pm
    Allen: Do you shoot jumpers with your back scrunched up? That’s a pretty odd question to ask.
    Perhaps you should ask yourself, how GREAT would his offense be without that back problem?

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.10 at 5:08 pm
    Iverson > Diamantidis >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Spanoulis

  • Harry Twatter Posted: Oct.10 at 8:44 pm
    @ SHAN I second what your saying. Rose compared to Nash
    Rose: Younger, Faster , Stronger, More hops, Underrated Mid Range shooter, WAY tougher to guard, Better Defense, Bigger Nash: Old (dinosaur in basketball years), better court vision, more range on jumper, better free throw shooter, had better team around him in 09. I’m taking Rose for 2010-2011 without a doubt and i bet Phoenix would too if they had the chance

  • rob Posted: Oct.11 at 12:28 am
    why is everyone saying rose is sooo good? russell westbrook is a bit better than he is. did you not see the FIBA games? couldnt shoot an open jumpshot against them slowass euros and couldnt effectively drive it enough like russ did to be very effective, and he’s not as tough as russ is either.russ still does what he does all the while defering to KD and J green while rose is the “leader” of his team. I dont need stats to prove anything, theyre a misconception. its what ive seen from both that tells the truth

  • JoeMaMa Posted: Oct.11 at 6:17 am
    Steve Nash is, and has been for the past few years, the best shooter in the league, and one of the greatest of all time. 50%+ from the field AS A POINT GUARD. 40%+ from 3. 90%+ from the line. He’s a 180% player, done it 5 times…also done by Bird (X3), Reggie, Dirk, Mark Price. I don’t go on stats, but numbers like that cannot be ignored. One of the best pick/roll artists ever, as well. Deadly if you switch, deadly if you show/recover, deadly if you try to fight under/over the screen. Also, from a fan’s standpoint, is how fun the game is with Nash. Phoenix games are a joy to watch: the running game, when successful (50 wins+ qualifies to me) is the reason why the NBA has fans: athletic plays, lots of points, a crowd constantly engaged.

  • Armando Posted: Oct.11 at 9:17 am
    Rose is not that much bigger than Nash, if I’m not wrong both measured at 6’1.25″ w/o shoes. More athletic yes, but that doesn’t mean he’s a good defender. Better 1-on-1 than Nash, yes, but not good. The danger here is to overrate Nash because he’s been underrated. I agree that he’s not a good 1-on-1 defender, but overall he’s not horrible. Decent rotations, good at getting charges, scrappy. So, yes he’s not a good defender, but not among the league’s worst. I’d rather have a guy that tries and does what he can with the tools he’s got than someone with all the physical tools who just can’t seem to bother or seem unable to learn how to defend like Stoudemire or Magette…

  • Armando Posted: Oct.11 at 9:21 am
    @Harry Twatter: Rose tougher to guard? Seriously? 100% with you JoeMaMa! How do you guard Nash? How do you guard Rose? What can Rose do against against a good defender that Nash can’t?

  • Harry Twatter Posted: Oct.11 at 10:30 am
    @ Arwomando Nash and rose are about the same height but Rose has 20ibs more muscle then Nash. I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen 20ibs of muscle before so to you that’s not a big difference. copy and pace this. if you can show me NASH dominating ROSE a entire game like this then we have something to talk about but until then stick to Hockey…….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNTkktsPXPM

  • Harry Twatter Posted: Oct.11 at 10:35 am
    @ EVERYONE here’s another so you don’t think it was a fluke…….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbToPkFOzS0

  • Nbk Posted: Oct.11 at 3:37 pm
    Phoenix will win what 5 less games then Chicago this year…with less talent in a tougher conference…all because of Nash’s offensive exploits. And to those of you that say you would rather have another pg over Nash I ask you how many of those pg’s have been to the playoffs for a decade straight? The wcf what 4 times? How many got there without a their best scorer? And how many got there LAST season? Granted he hasn’t won any titles but Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, and Dirk are some pretty formidable road blocks…(he hasn’t lost to anyone else)

  • Armando Posted: Oct.12 at 3:17 pm
    Harry, you’re obviously a funny guy. OK, Rose is a bit bigger. If you read (I understand you master this skill) my post, I didn’t claim that Nash was able to defend Rose 1-on-1, but just that I don’t think Nash is easier to defend than Rose, rather the contrary. OK, he can’t dunk, but he can drive and score in traffic with both hands… 2 points is 2 points. Was hoping to keep the discussion reasonably polite… And by the way, I’ve lived in many countries and worked with many different things, amongst them in a butchery, so I do know exactly what 20lbs of muscle looks like.

  • Armando Posted: Oct.12 at 3:25 pm
    …and I did say Rose is more athletic. And just to help you in your future posts, pounds are lbs, not ibs, and it’s copy and paste, not pace, which means something completly different.

  • Justin Posted: Oct.13 at 8:23 am
    The Seed…Actually, Nash’s two MVP’s showed that they can actually get it right. All you have to do is look at Phoenix’s stats when Nash is in the lineup vs. when he’s not there. Look at the turnaround for that team his first season back. How come people say Nash’s stats are bloated because of the run and gun but nobody says that for Magic and Showtime, or Kidd’s first years with Dallas? The answer is because he’s a little Canadian white kid not named Kobe or Shaq and it bothers (a lot) Yanks to the point that they’re blinded to his skills. And by the way, anyone who calls what Derek Fisher did to Nash as good D or containing him is blinded to what it really was. A good old fashioned mugging/flop fest. I like Fisher but I was actually embarassed for him

  • the Dude Posted: Oct.13 at 3:01 pm
    I don’t think changing Steve’s name to Kobe or Shaq would make him more appealing to SLAM, but i may be wrong. Regardless, Nasty is only outdone by one other point guard … Stockton.

  • Justin Posted: Oct.14 at 7:48 pm
    Maybe not to SLAM but to the people that seem to think Nash didn’t deserve those MVP’s.

  • AT33 Posted: Oct.15 at 8:51 am
    Dude, Steve Nash has always been the top dog on his team! And why do you have him in 09 ranked 22nd and in 2010 at 15? Your ranking is way off.. he’s top 10 for the past 6years at least! Too bad he didn’t have a great team cuz the dude is raw and got mad handles! He could have easily won a few rings!

  • KobeNash1234 Posted: Oct.17 at 9:43 am
    close but not close enough. Steve Nash led the NBA in assists, free throw percentage and three-point percentage and led his team to the Western Conference Finals last season and he doesn’t crack the top ten? Nash is the best point guard in the game today and is most definitely a top ten, if not a top five player.

  • Phamie Posted: May.2 at 4:24 am
    Steve Nash deserve to be on the top 5 and everybody knows that. DO YOU AGREE!!!

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