Is Steve Nash the Greatest White NBA Player Ever?

On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns lost their third consecutive game that inevitably knocked them out of the playoffs. But more importantly: it may have been Steve Nash's last game in Phoenix. Nash has one year left on his contract and every ESPN talking head thinks Nash should be traded to a contender.  I agree, and I suggested this trade in a previous blog post.

Whether or not Nash stays is a question to ponder over the summer, but my initial thought was about Nash's legacy as an NBA player. Is he the best white basketball player ever? I am sure everyone can think of five or six studs with light skin, so I put together a list to see where Nash belongs.

Larry Bird

When you hear white basketball players, you think Larry Bird. And it is for a good reason. Larry Legend averaged 23.4 points, 10 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game over his 13 year career. He made 10 All-Star Game appearances, won three MVPs, two finals MVPs, 10 First Team All-NBA honors and was an original member of the Dream Team that won gold in the Olympics. Bird was an icon in the 80s and his rivalry with Magic Johnson is one of the greatest ever.

"Pistol" Pete Maravich

Growing up in Baton Rouge, it is impossible to not hear about the Pistol. LSU, Maravich's old stomping grounds, named its basketball arena after him. Maravich revolutionized the game with his deep shooting and flashy passes, and is one of the best college players ever ( he averaged 43.8, 44.2 and 44.5 points per game in his three years playing for LSU's varsity squad). In the pros, Pistol averaged 24 points, five assists and four rebounds in an era without a three point line.

Bob Cousy

Bob Cousy is one of the original legends on the court. Cousy helped build the Celtics into a dynasty in the 50s and 60s and they have maintained there dominance since. Cousy won six NBA championships and was the original Magic Johnson using his full court vision and fast break passing to burn opponents. Cousy averaged 18 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds, was a 13 time All-Star and a two-time MVP.

Dirk Nowitzki 

After earning his ring last year, Dirk is locked into the hall of fame. Nowitzki has never had an All-Star cast around him, yet has consistently led Dallas to the playoffs and been one of the top 10 players in the NBA every year (except maybe this season).

Nowitzki is an 11 time All-Star, and has averaged 24 points and eight rebounds over his 13 year career. Also, I think he has a few more years or one more championship run in him.

Jerry West

Jerry West is the icon of the NBA. Literally. You see pictures of him every day and probably don't realize it. Does this look familiar? How about this:

He is so photogenic.

Well it's the same guy. But West did more than pose for the NBA logo. West was the Lakers' version of Bob Cousy, leading Los Angeles to prominence in the 60s that has not been lost yet. West averaged 27 points, six assists and five rebounds over his time in LA. More importantly, West was a winner, making 13 playoff appearances in 14 years and winning one championship

There is my Top 5. There are plenty worthy candidates I would give honorable mention: Bob Pettit, Rick Barry, Jason Kidd, Bill Walton, John Stockton.

Now to make the case for Steve Nash. Nash plays for Phoenix, a team with historically bad management. The best players this team has had (besides Nash) are pre-awesome Joe Johnson (current being awesome in Atlanta), Shawn Marion (traded away for Shaq), post-awesome Shaq and Amare Stoudemire (currently being decent in New York). Johnson and Stoudemire were not paid for how they played so they left.

Since then, the Suns team has overpaid good back up players to be okay starters (Marcin Gortat, Shannon Brown, Jared Dudley and Channing Frye), acquired too many role players who are not stars (Sebastian Telfair, Hakim Warrick, Josh Childress, Robin Lopez) and had many an injured veteran play somewhat rejuvenated basketball (Grant Hill and Michael Redd). That is what their current roster looks like, and a 38-year-old Nash almost willed them into the playoffs.

This is Steve Nash. He wills a team of over-achievers to win. And he throws insane assists. And he has odd hair. And he is from Canada. I digress.

In college, Nash lead Santa Clara to two straight tournament appearances that included an upset over 10-seed Maryland.

Nash pulled a Suns team whose starters were Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Tim Thomas and Leandro Barbosa to the Western Conference finals in 2006. Now, yes, Marion was an excellent player, but Nash deserves the credit for dragging a team with this, this and this (and yes that is absolutely them) to within two games of the NBA finals.

Nash is a two-time MVP (in 2005 and 2006 nonetheless), eight time All-Star, has the fifth most assists in NBA history, and is so loyal that the Suns should already have his jersey in the rafters.

Nash could have won championships with other teams. Instead he stuck it out with his teammates, and has built a winning program in Phoenix.

I hope wherever he goes he can win, because Steve Nash is one of the best (both in skill and class) to run the courts.


**All stats are courtesy of NBA.com's archives and/or www.basketball-reference.com.**

Playoff Preview (part 2)

The East

The Favorite: Miami Heat

Hands down, Miami is the most talented team in the NBA. However, the Knicks moved up to the seven seed with their win today and a Knicks-Heat matchup (while it would be awesome to watch) could be a killer for the Heat. Carmelo and company match up well against the Big Three and could pull off the upset. If LeBron can show up in crunch time this year, I see the Heat running away with the title.

The Defense with the Question Marks: Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are likely locked into the top spot in the East, and will probably win their first round matchup. However, Derrick Rose's injury has slowed down the Chicago offense. Rip Hamilton has not had the offensive presence expected. Carlos Boozer cannot lead this team alone. All these things point to a difficult second round matchup against either Boston or Atlanta. I would not be surprised to see the Bulls slip up against an energized Celtics or Hawks team looking to prove themselves.

The Dark Horse: New York Knicks

The Knicks probably cannot jump Orlando to get the six seed (three games back with two games remaining), which means they will play Miami or Chicago in the first round. If the Knicks can get passed the two powerhouses, the Knicks could make a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. For that to happen, Carmelo, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler need to find their rhythm together. New York has the talent to win it all, but can they play cohesively?

The Invisible Horse: Indiana Pacers


The Pacers are the third seed in the East. Seriously. All the Heat-Bulls-Knicks hype has left Indiana to creep into the three seed with a first round matchup against the Dwight Howard-less Magic. Let's get imaginative for a second: Roy Hibbert dominates the not-so-Big Baby and pushes the Pacers past Orlando. Danny Granger and David West play their best against the Heat who just had a six or seven game battle with the Knicks. West muscles in and around Bosh, Granger shoots the lights out, Darren Collison and George Hill dominate Mario Chalmers, Tyler Hansbrough goes Psycho T... I'm feeling it! Sign me up for the Pacers bandwagon.

The Unstoppable Juggernaut: Boston Celtics

Boston is back! After a slow start, Coach Doc Rivers has the pieces in place to make another playoff run. Paul Pierce is playing like a young Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett has found his place at the five spot, and Ray Allen is playing well off the bench. The emergence of Avery Bradley and Greg Stiemsma have given energy to this "old" team. The bad news: Boston has lost three of four to Chicago in the regular season. The good news: Boston has won two of three against Miami. Boston needs to pray for Miami to steal the one seed from Chicago to get the better matchup. Either way, the Celtics are a team on a run right now, and could beat anyone four times.

The Other Guys: Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers


Let me start out by saying: the Hawks have a chance. Unfortunately, they draw Boston in the first round and I cannot see this unproven gang going into Boston Garden to take down the vets. Sorry, Atlanta, maybe another year.

Orlando is all kind of screwed. Without Dwight Howard, Glen Davis starts at center. Most high school centers are bigger than Davis. Anyway, unless Jameer Nelson, J.J. Reddick and Ryan Andersen knock down a flurry of threes every game, Orlando will get dominated in the first round by Indiana.

Philadelphia started strong (once the projected five seed), but a late season collapse has them clinging to the eight seed in the East. They will play Chicago, and do not have the offense to keep up with the Bulls. It should be a short post season for Philly and they need to build their frontcourt in the offseason.

Journey to the Dark Side

Dwight Howard used to be Superman in Orlando.

That image was tarnished at the beginning of the season when Howard requested a trade. After misleading rumors for months, Howard agreed to stay with the Magic until his his contract runs out at the end of the 2012-2013 season.

Magic fans were only able to breath for a few days.

Unless you gave up watching the NBA for lent, you heard the accusations about Howard asking Magic management to fire head coach Stan Van Gundy. Now, Van Gundy is on the hot seat and Howard has turned into a diva.

The disparity between Howard and Van Gundy has sent Orlando into a tailspin. 

I would hate to be a Magic fan. Orlando has lost five straight. Hedo Turkoglu is out for three weeks. Van Gundy is likely on his way out. I would be surprised if Howard resigns with the Magic after next season.

The Dwight Howard drama has been an embarrassment for the entire NBA, not just Orlando. From LeBron James' disastrous "decision" to Carmelo Anthony's "Melo-drama" in Denver, superstars are basking in the spotlight and humiliating their current teams by talking trades in the middle of the season.

I lost respect for Howard over this saga, and I bet most of Orlando shares my sentiment. For the past six years, Howard has quietly dominated in the paint. Now he has put himself before the team, and his play has deteriorated.

The trend of superstars playing puppet-master over the rest of the league needs to stop. I am not a fan of the "super teams" like the Miami Heat because it takes away the art of building a team through development and smart off-season moves. Most detrimentally, it negates the importance of a general manager and coach. Just get a couple stars who are buddies, and put them on the same team. Win. Repeat.

Howard is just another in the long list of spoiled NBA stars.

Superman has turned into Orlando's greatest super-villain.

The Good, the Bad and the Hornets

Starting Monday, the New Orleans Hornets went through a gauntlet of four games on the road in six days. I was able to watch the last two, against Portland and the Lakers, and these two games were exact portrayals of the Hornets' season as a whole.

On Thursday, the Hornets were outmanned by the Blazers. Literally. Eight Hornets dressed out in Portland. Emeka Okafor was out with a knee injury. Gustavo Ayon was with his newborn child. Chris Kaman had the sniffles. Trevor Ariza and Jarret Jack had injured right ankles. Eric Gordon was not there because he is Eric Gordon.

Despite the eight-man team, the Hornets fought as they have all season. Carl Landry, back from injury, scored 24 hard, strong points. Marco Belinelli did his best Peja Stojakovic impression and hit a career best seven of 11 from beyond the arc.

But two players were not enough to down the Blazers.

LaMarcus Aldridge is an All-Star for a reason. Although his shoulders have been hurting from carrying his team the entire season, Aldridge managed 25 points and hit a clutch jump shot in the final seconds to put the Hornets out of the game. J.J. Hickson came back from the dead to rally the troops off the bench with 12 points. And I didn't know who he was, but Luke Babbitt sunk four three-pointers to stun the Hornets. 

Yesterday, the Lakers proved, in this lockout season, talent surmounts effort at the end of games. Pau Gasol dropped 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on the undersized Hornets (Lance Thomas and Jason Smith started in the post) and Andrew Bynum had a double-double. While Kobe Bryant only managed 11 points and one three-pointer, he hit the shot that counted. 

The game was tied with 10 seconds left. Bryant had the ball at the top of the key. Trevor Ariza, who usually matches up against Bryant for the Hornets, was out, so Jarrett Jack guarded Bryant. Jack sagged off Bryant because he had not been shooting well all game. Kobe faked the drive, pulled up and drained the game winner. It was his first three-pointer of the game.

The Hornets have been tough to watch all season. New Orleans' offense has been anemic (29th in points per game) since Eric Gordon was injured. Coach Monty Williams has developed one of the best defenses in the country, but they get outplayed in the fourth quarter by superior talent.

Monty Williams is one of the best young coaches in the league. Most of his players are one dimensional, but a good draft can get the Hornets back into playoff contention.