NBA analyst knows Suns are in tough spot with Nash

Steve Nash is presenting the Suns with an interesting
problem.

Nash, at 38, is averaging 15.1 points and 10 assists per
game on .559 shooting. He hit the game-winning shot
Tuesday in Milwaukee, and is playing about as well as he
ever has.

However, the Suns are still on the outside of the playoff
race looking in, and while the current three-game winning
streak is nice, it’s worth noting that just three of the
team’s 11 wins this season have come against teams with a
winning record.

That’s what happens with a team full of role players and
just one star.

“You can win, but you can’t win a championship,” ESPN NBA
analyst Jon Barry told Arizona Sports 620’s Burns and
Gambo Wednesday. “You can maybe sneak into the playoffs;
you can be a decent team but you’re not going to be one of
the upper-echelon teams.”

That’s why many think the Suns should be looking to trade
Nash, because at his age with his impending free agency,
it’s assumed this season will be the veteran’s last in
Phoenix. After all, why would the only player in NBA
history to win a league MVP award and never play in the
NBA Finals want to stick around for a squad that is
rebuilding?

That question may be asked again after Nash signs his next
contract, as Barry said the guard has no desire to leave
the organization – now and in the future.

“He said he wants to play for two more years,” Barry said,
noting he spoke with Nash a couple weeks ago. “He said he
wants to play two more and he wants to be a Sun; he
doesn’t want to leave.”

And since the Suns don’t seem inclined to part with the
face of their franchise – especially without getting
something significant in return – chances are Nash will
get his wish.

Unfortunately, though, as great as Nash still is, the Suns
are not good enough to compete for a championship. But, as
great as Nash is, they’ll likely never be bad enough to
get a great draft pick as long as No. 13 is around.

“They’re right in that in between zone, they’re just kind
of right in the mediocrity,” Barry said. “They’re not one
of the worst teams, by any means, and they’re not a real
good team.

“It’s not a playoff team to me.”

So, as Barry opined, the question then becomes whether
it’s better to blow it up and try to get that draft pick
or to push ahead and aim for a low playoff seed and likely
lose in the first round.

“Franchises have to deal with that year in and year out,
and they’re certainly right in the middle of that,” he
said.

Barry said he would try to rebuild by adding veterans and
proven commodities rather than take his chances in the
draft, but knows the Suns contract situation will make
that difficult to accomplish.

Still, he knows there is an inherent danger in getting rid
of Nash and being bad for a few seasons.

“If you do get rid of Steve Nash you’re talking about…who
comes to the games, how long does that last,” he said. “I
don’t know if [Suns owner Robert Sarver] is in for that;
he’s a guy that wants to make some money, he’s made no
bones about that.”

So the Phoenix Suns are stuck between a rock and a hard
place, involved in a catch-22 and every other similar
cliché you can think of. The only question left is how
they plan to handle it.

Follow @theAdamGreen