Steve Nash of Los Angeles Lakers close to returning to practice – NBA Update
The Los Angeles Lakers are presently 9-14; they have lost four consecutive games and 9 of their last 12. Their latest loss came against the New York Knicks where they just couldn’t match the pass first-shoot later approach of their
opponents and had rolled over pretty much by the end of the first quarter.
A major part of their struggles this season has been the absence of Steve Nash, especially under Mike D’Antoni. But it seems that there isn’t too much time left for the point guard to make a comeback. Nash had fractured the fibula
in his left leg on Oct.31 and has so far missed 21 consecutive games for the Lakers. However, after the Knicks game, the guard revealed that his rehabilitation has reached at a stage where he can run.
"Hopefully, I can practice next week," Nash said. "We'll see. I'm definitely getting better. We'll see if I continue to improve and there's no setbacks, then I should be able to practice next week. On the court, I've been running
the last day and a half, and [my leg] has been responding pretty well. So, I haven't done a really huge load, huge amount, but it's something."
"I'm not really sure how it will respond," Nash said. "I still can't do certain things. I'm just knocking down hurdles, so the first one is to be able to run, and then you hop the next few hurdles and take some contact and see
how my body responds."
The return of Nash could be of great significance to the Lakers. For one, he knows Mike D’Antoni’s system better than anybody, and his ability to keep people around him involved is certainly what the Lakers require at the moment.
Secondly, Nash’s return means that Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol along with the reserve bigs will become more effective. Nash is not only one of the best passers this league has ever seen, he is also the best pick and roll player
in today’s game. If there is anyone who can get Gasol rolling at this stage it is Nash.
Then there is the back court partnership with Kobe Bryant. Together the two guards can wreck havoc and make the Lakers a force; they were supposed to be after the blockbuster summer.
Nash arrival can inject a new life in the Lakers’ campaign, something which the team desperately needs.
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