Apr

25

Nash Needs To Motivate His Troops

Posted by Kyle Stack under NBA PLAYOFFS 

The Phoenix Suns are in trouble. They’re down two games to none to the San Antonio Spurs as their first-round series shifts to Phoenix for Games 3 and 4. Even though the summer season is approaching, the Suns are feeling a different kind of heat. Their title window is closing rapidly and they don’t have any answers. This is why the two-time Most Valuable Player needs to step up.

If you knew everything about the NBA, but nothing about the past list of regular season MVPs, it would be sensible to think that Shaq O’Neal is the two-time MVPer. Diesel has won three Finals MVPs, but just one regular season award. Steve Nash has won two MVPs.

It’s been clear during his career ? especially in his tenure with Phoenix ? that Nash makes his teammates better. But can he properly motivate them? The unequivocal answer is no.

Shaq can motivate his teammates, but he isn’t physically stable enough anymore to lead them on the court. Any team that has serious title aspirations has to have its emotional and motivational leader back up his play on the court. This is why Nash needs to step up.

Phoenix’s critics shouldn’t be blaming the team’s underachieving ways on Amare’s porous defense, Mike D’Antoni’s questionable late-game coaching strategy, Shaq’s physical demise or Steve Kerr’s decision to acquire Shaq in the first place at the expense of The Matrix, Shawn Marion. The blame has to fall on Nash’s shoulders.

He makes the offensive engine roar and, as the two-time regular season MVP, is the heartbeat of this Phoenix Suns team. Phoenix can’t be Phoenix without Nash. The same can’t be said for any other player on the team.

Phoenix was a running team before Nash’s arrival, but it was his signing that made the Suns what they became, what they are: a ferocious offensive machine of fast break dunks, efficient passing and three-point bombs which plays without any semblance of a championship-level defense.

Their mental lapses at the most crucial moments of games are even more confounding considering the added experience Shaq and Grant Hill have brought to the team. Those two might have the wherewithal to avoid strategic and mental mistakes, but neither has the capability of guiding the team’s fortunes on the court the way Nash can.

Of course, at this juncture of the season, it’s tough to just flip a switch and expect certain players to suddenly being playing with passion. Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa, for all their talent, don’t stretch out their potential because, frankly, it hasn’t been demanded.

Any astute fan can see the effect Kobe Bryant has had on Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmer and, even Andrew Bynum. He has let it known that he expects a championship-level performance, nothing less. Kevin Garnett has had a similar effect on Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins. He wants a championship and the young guys have had to get on-board and play up to KG’s expectations.

Nash has let Diaw and Barbosa, among others, coast for too long.

He hasn’t demanded an accepted level of performance. Unfortunately for him, nice guys may actually finish last. Or at the very least, get bounced out of the first round



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