NBA Trade Rumors: Steve Nash to Portland Makes Sense for Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have to do everything in their power to acquire Steve Nash from the Suns. If they don't, this season will go down as a massive disappointment for the talented Blazers team.
Marc Stein of ESPN labeled Portland as a team looking after Nash.
"There are a couple voices out there on the NBA grapevine cautioning that the Suns are listening to Nash pitches more than they're letting on, but the overwhelming majority of insiders surveyed by ESPN.com in recent days continue to insist that Nash is going nowhere.
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That's despite the fact that the Blazers, sources say, are still trying hard to pry Nash away from the Suns.
Portland needs to come out and make Phoenix and offer it can't refuse. The Blazers' postseason hopes are far from stable, which, as Jason Quick of the Oregonian said, could have some serious ramifications on the look of the team.
"To save his job, [Coach Nate] McMillan probably needs not only to make the playoffs, but reach the second round. Right now, this team has given little to no evidence it is capable, or willing, to do that.
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That all changes with Nash. From a pure on-court perspective, he would put the team much more in order. Jamal Crawford would move to shooting guard, Nicolas Batum to small forward, Nash to point guard and Gerald Wallace to the bench. Apart the boosts that bringing in a player like Nash would bring, Crawford and Batum would be moving to their natural positions.
The fact that this team is hanging around .500 and fighting for a playoff spot is unacceptable. It needs a jolt. Nash would not only provide that on the court, but also off of it.
Nash has the right attitude to come in to a new spot and make the team better. He has been in the league so long that he's universally respected.
Quick's article (cited above) also detailed an attitude problem in Portland.
"I don't know if some of these guys are trying to get McMillan fired or if they are just sick of Portland and want out. But my sense is all of it is going to happen.
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This needs to change. You can't have players in the thick of a playoff race thinking about anything other than winning games and reaching the postseason. Given that just about the only thing that Nash hasn't done in the NBA is win a championship, his mindset would be completely different.
Really, that's what this team needs. It needs a player with the right attitude spearing an offense that includes Batum, Crawford and LaMarcus Aldridge. The Blazers are at risk of squandering an awful lot of talent in what could be a wide-open Western Conference race. That would be a shame.
This all changes if they find a way to convince Phoenix to trade Nash. If that doesn't happen, one of the league's more talented teams will unnecessarily look a lot different next year.
