Steve Nash would consider taking less money to join contender
Apr 17, 2012, 5:00 PM | Updated: 6:44 pm
Things have turned around for the Phoenix Suns, as they
would be in the playoffs if they started today. However,
Steve Nash said while this season has been rewarding, it
hasn’t exactly been the most fun.
“I wouldn’t put it up there with the funnest just because
it’s fun when you have a team that rolls out there and
wins 57, 63 games, but it’s still been a blast,” Nash told
Arizona Sports 620’s Burns and Gambo Tuesday.
Nash said when the season began few would have predicted
the Suns to be contending for a playoff spot, and that may
be true. However, therein lies the issue as Nash heads
into free agency:
Can the Suns get back to being a team that the “experts”
predict will make a deep run into the playoffs and contend
for an NBA title? They’ll have to make a few moves to get
there.
“I couldn’t really sit here and tell you what those moves
would be, but I think, for me, I want to try to see this
organization try to be a contender again, or try to be in
the picture where we have a chance to knock off contenders
and build a team that gets back to the, hopefully, late-
May in playoffs and June, and if not the Finals one day,”
he said. “I want that for the fans, I want that for
myself, and I think the organization wants it too.”
Sounds good, except for the fact that, like Nash said, he
doesn’t know what moves the Suns can make to get back to
being a contender. And, while the team is set to have
ample cap space heading into the summer, there’s a chance
they will not be able to acquire the necessary pieces to
transform the Suns from a mediocre squad to one that can
challenge the likes of the Thunder and Spurs at the top of
the West. But there’s still hope, for now.
“Hopefully this summer, whatever those moves may be –
there’s a lot of different directions you can go to give
the franchise and the fans a chance to be competitive in
the playoffs again,” Nash added.
They may be closer than some think, according to Nash.
“You think of the positives, we have a great fan base, we
have a great coach and we have I think a bunch of guys
that are good people, winners, that play unselfish
basketball,” he said. “When you add to the mix a couple
players or whatever it may be…you have a chance to really
elevate a team.”
But again, as of now there is no telling who the Suns will
be able to land this summer.
