Superstar Be: Steve Nash

I thought I'd blog about a different NBA superstar every Thursday. I like the challenge of trying to come up with new perspectives on endlessly evaluated players. First up: Steve Nash. And yes, the title is odd and grammatically incorrect; sounds cool though.

Steve Nash's MVP'ness is endlessly debated, but his overall value to a team and All-Star status is unquestioned. Here's who I think Steve Nash Be;

Steve Nash Be JEDI Watching him in person in a recent NBA game, I was struck by how little it seemed that he used his eyes. Steve is a master of feeling the tempo of the game; this may come from his exposure to soccer. It seemed to me that instead of looking, he FELT when he should push the ball, or when the defender on a player might be getting tired, or when he should shoot instead of pass. He has an innate sense of balance, and does a great job of unbalancing opposing teams to give his teammates easy shots in empty or near-empty areas. I really appreciate his sense of flow, and think that very few point guards have it to the degree he does.

Steve Nash Be Opportunistic There's no way a little man from a country where basketball is not well-known or followed (yes, Raptors fans, except for you) makes it otherwise. Very few people are truly opportunistic in life. It's one thing to make your own opportunity happen by hard work or determination. Many of us win that way. It's another thing to react seamlessly to opportunity when it is revealed by the actions of others, to make your own breaks into the big time when you have no connections. Look at how he took the Phoenix contract over returning to Dallas. Phoenix was coming off a terrible year, while Dallas was contending for a championship. Yet, he's made it look like a genius decision. These are the people who first notice that Lane 3 at the supermarket has opened up while you, glancing at the tabloids, wonder why they still cover Brittany Spears and Jessica Simpson. (Answer; because people other than you will buy it. Duh!).

Steve Nash Be Underground Killer Have you ever thought about how many All-Star point guards have turned out to be ruthless? And it seems that the gentler the face, the worse the crimes. Steve Nash doesn't have too many crimes of note yet, but give him time. Think about it:

Jason Kidd, NJ Nets.
Victims: Joumana Kidd's face, Half of Stephon Marbury's Reputation

Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons (retired)
Victims: John Paxson (see the Jordan Rules book), CBA, James Dolan, Larry Brown, Female Knicks front office personnel (allegedly)

Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers (retired)
Victims: Chocolate cakes and desserts the world over, viewers of his late-night TV show, female partners after he had AIDS

John Stockton, Utah Jazz (retired)
Victims: John Amaechi's career...kidding! Just had to get ol' Stock on here somewhere. Supposedly, he fouled like crazy too and got away with it, so put that on there.

Gary Payton, Miami Heat
Victims: Male strippers in Toronto, Lakers fans who thought he had something left in the tank, Milwaukee Bucks

Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
Victims: Mark Cuban's intelligence, Kobe Bryant's supposed killer instinct, What was left of Stephon Marbury's reputation, MVP voters (the first time, in my opinion), TBD


So there you have it. Steve Nash picture post may/may not follow.