How many times do you have to hear the proclamation that Steve Nash is in great shape before you become immune to it. If it is true it is progress but the fans of the Lakers and of Steve Nash have gone around and around in circles, burned once, burned twice. So to hear that Nash is healthy is not what it used to be, it is not ecstasy. The cynics hold it against Nash what has happened to him these past two years and shake their head. They think his good health either is a trick or it is two years too late. But time marches the way time marches and here we are.
Mar 21, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Nash (10) reacts to a basket in the second half of the game against the Washington Wizards at Staples Center. Wizards won 117-107. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Steve Nash is five months away for turning 41 and in an odd way he has something significant to prove in his last year in the NBA. There is no way to slice apart what has happened to Steve Nash in Los Angeles and re-gift it. All of it has been disastrous. But the past remains frozen, encased in its own atmosphere, it is the present you can change. Steve Nash wants to remain in good health so he can tie a bow around this magical career of his. It’s hard to sum up what Nash has achieved in the NBA because these last two years has illuminated a bright light on everything that has happened to him that can be described as cruel, one thing after another. But he is feeling like his old self and by all accounts he is playing like it. According to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, the standouts in today’s practice were Ryan Kelly, Jeremy Lin and Steve Nash.
Of course like any athlete the questions with Nash center around his consistency. Back to back days and nights, going into games, going out of games, getting warm and then getting cold, chasing explosive players and then being chased by explosive players- it is a conundrum to be sure. So proficiency on day one is a significant outcome, one more high hurdle crossed.
As training camps go Byron Scott’s is one of the more physically intense. Julius Randle said the conditioning was tougher today than it was at Kentucky. Kobe said it was the most running he had ever done.
Once hired, Byron Scott’s reputation preceded him into the warmth of summer. A lot of players spent a good part of their time either getting in shape or staying in shape to avoid humiliation. As a result Byron cut short one of his drills because, as he put it, there was no need to punish players who already are in shape. His two-a-days practice begin tomorrow.
Byron is one of the rare human beings that exude respect and confidence and discipline. Kobe said of the first day’s practice, “He has a very focused practice plan. Today he set the tone immediately.”
As he intimated during his introductory press conference, Byron plans to use Kobe as an assistant coach. That starts tomorrow in the second practice. It will serve both men. Kobe has a particular lens through which he views the game. It will help Kobe get a good feel for the habits of his teammates and it will assist Byron in putting together the puzzle of the lineups and combinations as he tackles the important task of assessing the best chemistry and who should play with whom.
As for Kobe he assured everyone (again). “I’m ready to go.”