See, unlike most stars in this situation, Nash had an out. The entire Suns fan base would have said, "I can't even blame him -- our owner's cheapness drove him away" and directed its venom toward Robert Sarver. Nash sucked it up and stayed. And now, he'll never play in a Finals barring one of those goofy, Ray Bourque-type trades at the tail end of his career. I just feel bad for him. We chatted for about 20 minutes during this past All-Star Weekend, right as the Suns were going through all that coaching turmoil, and what struck me was how little confidence Nash had in his ability to control his career. Like, he couldn't conceive of being the one who said "I want a trade" or "This needs to get better, or I want out." At one point, I explained to him that he easily could broker a trade to Portland if he wanted; the Blazers had the assets, and cap-friendly assets, to make it worth Phoenix's while.
"You think they'd want to do that?" he asked, meaning the Blazers.
You think they'd want to do that? You're Steve Nash!!! Of course Portland would want to do that! The thing is, he couldn't even conceive of using that leverage, whereas I'm an only child and would have been looking for an out the moment my team traded my starting center and two No. 1s for a No. 2. Which goes back to the unselfish thing. Nash is a throwback to those wives from the '50s and '60s -- think Don Draper's wife in "Mad Men" -- who stick with their husbands through thick and thin, even when every sign says they should flee. Call them fools, call them saps, just remember to call them loyal. Actually, I think that's why he took Dallas' decision to let him leave in 2004 so personally; he would have stuck with that team through thick and thin, absolutely, no question about it, only when it came time for them to return the favor, they didn't. So he made them pay for this mistake with uncharacteristic relish. Unfortunately, that same intense loyalty is coming back to bite him. Great, he gets to play on a few more 48-win teams, and eat at Pizzeria Bianco with Grant Hill and mentor Goran Dragic.
If I were his friend -- and again, I have met him only once -- I would have urged him to call Raymond Bourque before he signed that extension. Similar circumstances, similar DNA ... and when Bourque finally leaned on Boston's pathetic owner to trade him, eventually winning a title in Colorado the following year, everyone in New England was delighted for him. Hell, we even threw him a parade. We did. You can look it up. Bourque retired and has lived in Massachusetts ever since. Nash could follow suit. He's one of the best 40 players ever and deserves to play in a Finals. The Suns' fans would have understood. He should have fled when he had the chance.
