Steve Nash Continues to Struggle With Health


Old people’s bodies tend to hurt a lot. Steve Nash is an old basketball player, and he can barely make it through the preseason. Per the LA Times: “Nash, who will be 40 in February, didn’t fully participate in practice Thursday as the team prepared for its exhibition finale against Utah on Friday at Honda Center. He hasn’t made it through a complete practice yet, but expects to ready for the opener Tuesday against the Clippers. A few weeks ago, Nash was hampered by a left ankle problem. More recently he has had a stiff neck, which he believes stems from his longstanding back problems Pau Gasol said Tuesday he was “a little bit concerned” that Nash hasn’t been 100% healthy. Kobe Bryant echoed that Thursday. ‘A little bit, yeah. Those injuries, you want to try to knock out as quickly as you can,’ Bryant said. ‘He’s been a trouper. He’s been trying to get out on the floor and practice with the guys as much as he possibly can.’ […] Nash didn’t play the second half of the Lakers’ last two exhibitions and (Mike) D’Antoni was unclear whether Nash will play Friday. It’s all sadly familiar. Nash’s first Lakers season was spoiled by a fractured leg and a hip/back injury that caused him to miss 32 regular-season games and two playoff games. He averaged 32.5 minutes, and his average of 6.7 assists was his lowest since he was a part-time starter with Dallas in the 1999-200 season. Without him, the offense D’Antoni designed for him to run suffered. ‘There’s no doubt that age ultimately wins all battles, but at the same time, I’m not going to concede anything,’ Nash said. ‘I still feel like I can do everything I’ve always done. It’s just a matter of trying to get my body in a place where I can do it consistently and recover and be able to find that health to execute it. And that’s the challenge. I’ve worked a ton this summer to put myself in this position and I think I’ve got a chance to overcome a lot of it, but there is a day-to-day struggle.’ […] ‘It’s a day-to-day struggle,’ he said, ‘and I’m just fighting as much as I can to get ready to get through this year.'”