Steve Nash Could Start Practicing Next Week


As he does more and more work on the court of late, Steve Nash is inching ever closer to returning for real, which may actually happen next week. Per the OC Register: “Much-missed Lakers point guard Steve Nash lent hope to the idea that he’ll be back before Christmas with a positive report Thursday night on his recovery from a fractured left fibula. ‘I have been running the last day and a half, and it has been responding very well,’ Nash said. ‘It hasn’t been a huge load, but it is something.’ Nash indicated he could start practicing again next week, and the Lakers have three days without a game — a good opportunity for on-court work with his teammates — before they play at Golden State on Dec. 22. The next game after that is Dec. 25 vs. the Knicks. ‘I still can’t do certain things,’ Nash said. ‘Right now, I am knocking down hurdles. The first one is being able to run, and the next one is taking some contact.’ Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said weeks ago that Nash’s recovery has been complicated by nerve irritation in the leg, causing ongoing pain. Nash was hurt in the Lakers’ second game of the season, and the Lakers have dropped to 9-14.”