Nash Watch: L.A. bound (#1009)

Another geographically illiterate piece of reporting (in Joey's post above) re Canada, state, Portland and proximities blah blah. Damn, it pees me off to read stuff like that.

It seems that Nash lives in NYC to be close to his kids. I have a link below that sort of (not explicit) attests to this. Toronto would be much closer to NY than either the states (sic) of Portland and Phoenix....besides all of the reasons mentioned above. Nash I dont think is as fixated on the ring thing as some seem to believe.

http://timeoutnewyorkkids.com/guides...iew-steve-nash

It would be great to have Nash on the team, but he's alwasy been surrounder by good shooters. I think if Nash plays for Toronto next season the Lillard pick makes even more sense. He's a good shooter and it would make sense to trade Jose, so Lillard would be the back up and learn under one of the greatest passers of all time.

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Mediumcore wrote:

It would be great to have Nash on the team, but he's alwasy been surrounder by good shooters. I think if Nash plays for Toronto next season the Lillard pick makes even more sense. He's a good shooter and it would make sense to trade Jose, so Lillard would be the back up and learn under one of the greatest passers of all time.

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If Colangelo signs Nash he's not doing it mentor somebody in my opinion. If that's a secondary affect to the move then fine but if he gets Nash he's going to go all in on an accelerated play in my opinion. In other words, long term growth is tossed in the corner to make way for a higher probability of getting himself a new contact, to secure his employment past this season.

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Mediumcore wrote:

It would be great to have Nash on the team, but he's alwasy been surrounder by good shooters. I think if Nash plays for Toronto next season the Lillard pick makes even more sense. He's a good shooter and it would make sense to trade Jose, so Lillard would be the back up and learn under one of the greatest passers of all time.

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+1, my ideal situation

And to further elaborate on what I just said, if Colangelo feels a high probability of getting Nash I think he passes on drafting a prototypical PG. Rivers and Waiters would still make sense because you can argue either way on what position they would work best.

While self preservation is an under lying motive of his I'm sure I can't see him being so obvious about his motives Apollo. It's like going way out of your way in kissing your bosses ass because there is a promotion you want. It's really transparent and your boss isn't going to give you that promotion. I think building a solid foundation with sustainable growth in mind will earn him a new contract over a quick fix that ends up putting us back in the same spot in two years whenNas retires. Just my opinion.

The word is that Nash will go with a sign and trade (a la Bosh) as to not leave phoenix empty handed. Do we see a scenario where our 8th pick wouldn't be going in that trade? Not sure there will be someone there for Nash to mentor (unless his name is bayless)

Steve Kyler's twitter:

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Steve Nash tells SALM magzine --- "I’m not one of those people who believe I must win [a championship] to have a fulfilling career."

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and...

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More from NASH --- "so other factors, such as salary, family, playing time, and opportunity for team success all factor in."

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I really hope bringing Nash here would not involve trading the pick. This years draft SHOULD be the last time we have a pick in the lottery for a while. Not using it to acquire what should be another talented prospect is like saying that the current core of Bargs, DD and Val is good enough to contend as long as you can surround them with a few solid vets. I don't see that as being the case do you? We need a starting point of at least one if not two good young players to build around. JV could be one but let the guy play an NBA minut before trying to build around him.

For what it's worth, John Hollinger in his last chat session, ranked Toronto second behind Phoenix for chances of landing Nash. If we get Nash, we can say goodbye to the chances of Barbosa ever returning :P.

If it costs us the 8th pick, I cannot endorse the acquisition of Nash (unless we acquire another lotto pick in a subsequent transaction).

Phoenix Suns facing important week of decisions

Nash will have choices elsewhere, with Toronto, Portland, Dallas and (for less money) New York being the favorites. The Suns also have a choice of whether to continue with the 38-year-old point guard who seeks a three-year contract and could get $10 million annually elsewhere. A contract commitment to Nash limits what else the Suns could do in free agency, although they could free up more space if they use an amnesty clause on Josh Childress (owed $21 million over the next three years regardless but an amnesty claim takes him off the Suns' books for cap purposes).

While Nash has been a major free-agency recruiting tool in recent years, the Suns are leaning more now on their environment, acclaimed athletic trainers, the Valley, the club's success and fan base.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns...#ixzz1ycj26aOt

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Nilanka wrote:

If it costs us the 8th pick, I cannot endorse the acquisition of Nash (unless we acquire another lotto pick in a subsequent transaction).

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I would have to agree.

Nash might have 2 good years left for roughly 8-10 mil a year? The draft gives us a pretty solid rookie with a rookies contract who casey can mold into a player this franchise can use for the future. Or, the 8th pick could be used in another trade that would get us a player more valuable then Nash (like Gay). Either way, the 8th pick can be used better then to obtain Nash.

Doug Smith's blog:

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Q: Doug. Watching the reports on NBA Canada TV, they seem almost giddy about the Nash possibility. Then came a report that the Raps are on the short list (with Suns and Portland.) It is the worst keep secret that the Raps will be trying this summer.

What do you really believe the chances are?_(I, personally, think the Canadian thing is somewhat played too hard. As a fan I read in a blog said that, Toronto is not his hometown, and New York is his free choice in the summers.)

Bruce M, Winnipeg

A: I think the chances are probably slim but I know Steve will listen and the Raptors need to make it so financially lucrative he can’t say no.

Now, I also think this: While it might be nice imagine there’s a “short list” of three teams, I don’t believe it for a second. It’s far too early in the process, every time I’ve spoken to Steve since all-star weekend he’s told me he’s going into the process with an open mind and for him to have discounted 27 of 30 teams weeks before he’s even a free agent makes no sense to me at all. Sounds good, can’t be true.

And, funnily enough, the direct quotes from him last week that he’d be interested in New York if New York had some interest kind of runs counter to the “short list of three” thing, doesn’t it?

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Nilanka wrote:

If it costs us the 8th pick, I cannot endorse the acquisition of Nash (unless we acquire another lotto pick in a subsequent transaction).

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Agreed. I would be happy giving them Bayless and/or a second round pick (or two), but I wouldn't give up something as substantial as a 1st round pick, for a guy you have the space to simply sign outright. Give them something out of good faith and because it is Nash's wish to help out his former team, but don't go crazy.

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CalgaryRapsFan wrote:

Agreed. I would be happy giving them Bayless and/or a second round pick (or two), but I wouldn't give up something as substantial as a 1st round pick, for a guy you have the space to simply sign outright. Give them something out of good faith and because it is Nash's wish to help out his former team, but don't go crazy.

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I know this is off topic but when did you become a Moderator?

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CalgaryRapsFan wrote:

Agreed. I would be happy giving them Bayless and/or a second round pick (or two), but I wouldn't give up something as substantial as a 1st round pick, for a guy you have the space to simply sign outright. Give them something out of good faith and because it is Nash's wish to help out his former team, but don't go crazy.

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I agree with this. I'd be willing to part with rights to Bayless and our 37th pick to get Nash. I also think that Phoenix would not get more from other teams Nash is thinking about signing with.

Our 1st pick is too much of an asset to part with, even for a guy like Nash who will be 39 by next year's playoffs.

All that being said I would LOVE to see Nash on the team.

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Mediumcore wrote:

While self preservation is an under lying motive of his I'm sure I can't see him being so obvious about his motives Apollo. It's like going way out of your way in kissing your bosses ass because there is a promotion you want. It's really transparent and your boss isn't going to give you that promotion.

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I don't view it like that at all.

It's like being told to deliver results or else and you deliver results because you don't want to risk knowing what "else" entails even if the best long term option for the team is slow but steady building, which may appear in the standing as a mediocre effort for another season.

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Mediumcore wrote:

This years draft SHOULD be the last time we have a pick in the lottery for a while.

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:P

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Meanwhile, several NBA personnel executives have confirmed that the Nash-to-Toronto rumors may have real traction.

"I've been hearing that from people that would know," said one Western Conference sharpie, sounding very much like the rest of us. "The Raptors may not be ready to win right away, but with (Andrea) Bargnani, (DeMar) DeRozan and maybe (Jonas) Valanciunas coming over next season, they could be pretty decent right away with Nash. And they could have enough cap space to get something done there."

Valanciunas, the 7-footer chosen fifth overall by the Raptors in the 2011 draft, was the dominant player in last summer's U-19 World Championships. According to reports earlier this month, there's a strong chance he could buy out the last year of his European contract — the Raps are able to pony up roughly a quarter of that price — and play in the NBA next season.

The Raptors also have the eighth pick in this week's draft, with which they're expected to grab an attacking wing (such as Dion Waiters of Syracuse) or high-scoring, draft-board-climbing point guard Damian Lillard of Weber State.

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http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/06/2...04&feedID=3801

As long as we don't trade the pick.