No longer run-and-gun, Suns seem content to keep Nash and just run in place

The thought came to me about as quickly as the Suns went from Western Conference finalist to lottery team.

It’s weird being a Suns fan right now, as I find myself wanting the team to lose while being disgusted at the idea of them re-signing Nash.

— Adam Green (@theAdamGreen) January 30, 2012

Two questions come from this.

One, what kind of writer uses their own tweet as the basis for a column? And two, what kind of fan actually wants their favorite team to lose games?

Well, as far as question number one is concerned, I have no comment. But when it comes to question two, though, I’ll say one who really, truly cares about the team.

As of right now the Phoenix Suns are 8-13, which is good enough for 12th-best in the Western Conference, and 9th-worst in the NBA. That’s the area known as “NBA purgatory,” a state where a team is not good enough to contend nor bad enough to get one of the top picks in the upcoming draft.

And they seem content to not only stay there for now, but actually extend their lease a couple more years.

According to a report on HoopsWorld.com, the Suns not only have little interest in trading Steve Nash before the March 15 deadline, but would actually like to re-sign the veteran for a couple more seasons after this one.

Whether or not Nash would like to spend the twilight of his career playing for a team striving for .500 is one thing, but the idea that the Suns would like to bring him back – even as good as he still is – is rather mystifying.

It’s weird, because nobody really wants Steve Nash to go. He’s won plenty of games, a pair of MVP awards, and numerous fans across the Valley. Hell, he’s one of the most popular players in the world! Nash has done it all while wearing purple and orange, being the best ambassador a team could ever hope to have.

And, he can still play, as evidenced by his 30-point, 10 assist performance in Wednesday’s win over the Hornets, one that saw him become the franchise’s leader in assists.

Ultimately, though, this isn’t even about Nash. Sure, there is probably a strong contingent of “Nash fans,” people who care more about the player than the team. You know, the fans who say they’ll never watch another one of the team’s games if he’s traded. Well, attendance at US Airways Center has not exactly been great this season, so people aren’t really watching games even with Nash still around.

But I digress.

The Suns may not be able to trade Nash before the end of the season simply because they may never get an offer they deem worthy of pulling the trigger on. While the merits of just trading him with an eye on tanking the season can be debated ad nausea, it would be tough to just throw in the towel on the season, especially with competitors like Grant Hill, Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley in that locker room.

That’s fine.

As Suns fans, we know how great Steve Nash has been. As Suns fans, we know how good Steve Nash still is. But, as Suns fans, we also know the next time the team contends will be without Nash on the roster.

As Suns fans, we know it’s time for the team to move on, finally bottoming out. Whether it’s this season or this summer, the move must be made, because only then will they be able to start the climb back up.

Follow @theAdamGreen