Nash - Canadian athlete of the decade?

[rikhardur]

Nash is CBCSports.ca Athlete of the Decade
Basketball star from Victoria a 2-time MVP in the NBA

This country's Athlete of the Decade was born in South Africa, played as a collegian and professional in the United States, made his big splash internationally in Australia and has publicly stated, come the day he retires, his interest in purchasing an interest in English football club Tottenham.

But basketball point guard Steve Nash, very much a citizen of the world, is also undeniably Canadian.

Nash is as we imagine ourselves. Unquestionably gifted, but often overlooked and overshadowed, by the United States in particular and the rest of the world in general.

In all things but hockey, you'd have to say Canada is David and everyone else is Goliath. Enter Mr. Nash and his slingshot passes, calling to mind Wayne Gretzky from two decades earlier, another sports hero who made the assist both a virtue and an art form.

Like Gretzky and contemporaries Mike Weir and Sidney Crosby, Nash has reach the highest levels in his sport despite a lack of height, bulging muscle, leaping ability – all of the things we've come to associate with athleticism. Nash is a reminder that hand-eye co-ordination can also define greatness in sport.

But Nash's accomplishments are particularly noteworthy, given his sport's over-reliance on size.

Choosing one Canadian athlete for the decade is difficult and, of course, arbitrary because we define the choice by a 10-year span. If we looked only at the first five years of the decade, Masters golf champion Weir might be our choice. If we looked at just the last five, Crosby would be hard to resist.

Considering the whole 10 years, two other candidates leap to mind who can make arguable cases for Athlete of the Decade.
Brodeur, Klassen deserve honourable mention

Goalie Martin Brodeur's four Vezina awards, two Stanley Cups in the decade (and three in total) and an Olympic gold medal are just a few highlights from one of the most decorated careers in all of hockey.

Part of the reason we consider Brodeur's greatness, however, is his longevity: many of the records and milestones he is setting this decade come from having had a pretty darned good career in the '90s too. Brodeur may also lose some lustre because of the depth of talent in this country in his chosen sport.

You could make strong cases for Chris Pronger, Joe Thornton, Hayley Wickenheiser, Scott Niedermeyer and Jarome Iginla, as well as Crosby, so picking one hockey player above the rest is hard to do. But if you did choose one, it would probably have to be Brodeur.

The other main contender, speedskater Cindy Klassen, has the weight of six Olympic medals and 15 world championships medals on her side, making her Canada's most decorated amateur athlete.

As with Brodeur, Klassen's accomplishments are somewhat muted because she has shared the spotlight with other outstanding women speedskaters such as Catriona Le May-Doan and Clara Hughes (who also deserves mention for being a two-sport star in speedskating and cycling). And also because speedskating remains a niche sport.

By comparison, Nash has precious little hardware to show for his decade. During his one Olympic appearance in Sydney in 2000, he led the upstart Canadian team to victories over Yugoslavia and Australia, but lost to France in the playoffs and the team finished a disappointing seventh.
Spurs a foil to Nash's squads

Three times his team has played in the NBA's Western Conference finals, and three times they have lost.

His teams were pretty good, though, with Nash helping the Dallas Mavericks to four playoff appearances before joining the Phoenix Suns and leading them to another four appearances. The problem for his teams wasn't the point guard, but rather the centres.

Five times in the playoffs, Nash's team met and lost to Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs, arguably the player and team of the decade in the world's best basketball league.

There is no denying Nash's accomplishments, however. He was twice named the most valuable player in the NBA while with the Suns, becoming only the third guard ever to win the award in consecutive years – the other two were Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan.

He was an all-star and an All-NBA selection six times, led the league in assists three times and even led the league in free-throw percentage once. He never had a season in this decade in which he shot less than 40 per cent from beyond the three-point arc, and for six straight seasons shot better than 50 per cent from the field, unheard of for such a perimeter-oriented player.

A true team player

More important, his teams were better the moment he stepped on the floor. In Dallas he helped lead a franchise that was a laughingstock and made it a perennial playoff squad. In Phoenix he replaced Stephon Marbury and took a team that had won 26 games and helped it win 62.

Not coincidentally, nearly every teammate enjoyed a career season with Nash at the helm.

He changed the game. If Nash didn't start the return of up-tempo basketball, he certainly proved it could work.

Canada had many great athletes this decade, but very few helped change their sport. Nash did. Suddenly, isolation plays were out. Sharing the basketball was in. And scoring, which took a nosedive the previous decade, was up again.

Does Nash have flaws? Sure: he's always been too small to be an effective defender in the NBA, and it could be argued he owes his MVP trophies at least in part to rule changes in the NBA that made it far more difficult to stop the dribble penetration he excels at.

But what makes the case for Nash as Canada's Athlete of the Decade is the improbability of it all.

Consider this: fresh off his coming-out party at the Sydney Olympics, Nash began the 2000-01 season with the Mavericks as no sure thing to even start for his team. He wasn't even on the all-star ballot, though the man who would be his back-up that year — Howard Eisley — was.

And when Nash jumped to Phoenix, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who didn't think the 31-year old had seen his best days as a player. But basketball's version of Benjamin Button keeps getting better, at an age when point guards usually fall apart. Few people keep themselves in better year-round shape than Steve Nash.

The little guy from Victoria began this decade as a marginal starter in the NBA and has become one of the best floor generals the game of basketball has ever seen.

When we celebrate athletes, we celebrate the people who push their bodies to their limits. We celebrate grace. And we celebrate success, for sport is competition.

Steve Nash has given us all of these things, and he's done it better than just about anyone.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2009/...cade-nash.html

[Dtown]

Well deserved, I was also happy to see mostly positive responses following the article.

[Khalid80]

I'm really happy for him. He truly deserves it and is such a great guy.

[¹²³]

Also, Nash is a great guy.

[Czarkazem13]

Good for Nash, been following him since Santa Clara.

[¹²³]

Nash continues to defy age, skeptics

As far as NBA players go, Steve Nash qualifies as a senior citizen. Many of the league’s point guards are at least 10 years younger than Nash, who is more hippie than hip-hop.

But nearing his 36th birthday, Nash is showing no signs of decline. In fact, he just might be playing better offensively as any over-35 point guard ever.

“It’s incredible,” said Mark Jackson, who ranks third all-time in assists behind John Stockton and Jason Kidd. “To me, he is in a discussion with any other point guard that has played this game not named Magic.”

Now in his 14th season, Nash is averaging 18.6 points and 11.3 assists – both of which are approaching his career highs – in only 33.5 minutes per game. His numbers compare favorably to what he averaged when he won the league’s MVP award in 2005 and 2006. The Suns also are winning, entering Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics with a 20-12 record.

Whether it’s Bob Cousy, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Stockton, Jackson, Kidd or other point guard greats, none have had statistics over the age of 35 that have come close to matching Nash today.

“There are not many point guards that have played to 35,” Nash said. It’s not like it’s a huge pool of players. There is a compliment somewhere in there.”

Said Thomas: “He has mastered the craft of the point guard position.”

There are two knocks against Nash’s stats. The Suns play in a run-run-run system that promotes offensive numbers. Rules changes over the past 15 years – the league has cracked down on hand and forearm checking and opened the lane with the three-second defensive rule – also have made it easier for guards to score.

No one will ever know how the defensive changes would have impacted Cousy, Johnson, Thomas, Stockton or Jackson. Nash said he actually lost weight to become quicker to take advantage of the rules. Suns coach Alvin Gentry, however, believes Nash’s numbers would be similar regardless of the changes.

“They had hand checking when Tiny [Archibald] played and no one was able to hand check him,” Gentry said. “What Steve’s strength is he doesn’t allow anyone to hand check him. You can’t get close enough to move in to hand check him. I think that’s the advantage he has.”

Cousy also believes the Suns’ up-tempo style is tailor-made for an aging point guard. Phoenix is averaging an NBA-best 109.8 points per game. Without Shaquille O’Neal clogging the lane this season and new center Channing Frye spacing the floor from the 3-point line, Nash has more room to roam. Kidd, 36, is also averaging 9.2 assists for a Dallas Mavericks’ offense that averages 101.2 points.

“Up-tempo is easier to play for an older point guard instead of a slow-down grind where someone can pick you up at half court,” Cousy said. “When you run and shoot, that normally wouldn’t happen. There is nothing better for a point guard than the up-tempo game. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. You can pick the defenders apart in transition.”

Nash’s All-Star days looked like they might have passed him when he wasn’t selected for the West team last season, even though the game was in Phoenix. The guard ranks also seemed destined to be filled in the future by younger players like Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy and Deron Williams, not to mention Kobe Bryant.

But with his hot start this season, Nash now looks primed to make his sixth All-Star appearance, regardless of whether he is voted as a starter or selected as a reserve. Stockton was named an All-Star at 37, but Cousy, Johnson, Thomas and Jackson were either already retired or didn’t make it at Nash’s age. Kidd’s last All-Star appearance came in 2008, just before his 35th birthday.

“Not making the All-Star team didn’t hurt as much [last season] as being on a team that couldn’t find itself,” Nash said. “That hurt a lot more. It’s too bad of all the years not to be an All-Star, it was the year where we were hosting the game. That’s secondary to the pain we went through as a team trying to find kind of rhythm for ourselves.”

Stats didn’t matter much to Cousy, but he does remember his final Celtics days when he’d pace himself while trying to play as little as possible in the “21 exhibition games in 21 days.” “The Houdini of the Hardwood” first retired at 34 after averaging 13.2 points and 6.8 assists for the Celtics during the 1962-63 season. He appeared in seven games for the Cincinnati Royals seven years later as a player-coach.

Nash has two more years remaining on his contract after this season, but few would be shocked to see him play longer if he remains healthy.

“If you would have told me five years ago I’d be playing like this, I’d be surprised,” Nash said. “But I don’t feel any decline in my abilities. So on a day-to-day basis, I’d be surprised not to be playing well.”

[Czarkazem13]

Nash continues to defy age, skeptics "Many of the league’s point guards are at least 10 years younger than Nash, who is more hippie than hip-hop."

Have you seen him dance? Boy got moves.

[UcanUwill]

I heard that Nash gonna signed with AC Milan an will help Canada's NT in the FIFA Tournaments lol. Really, Nash is great athlete.

[FIBABall2k10]

Definitely well deserved. Crosby will take it over in the next decade, but it's amazing to see how well he's played and how he's gotten better as he's gotten older. It's a great thing for Canada

[ip84]

It's not only how good is he, but also the way he do everything, with a lot of magic and beauty.
He is and underdog physicality in so many ways, but he do everything that his body can allow him to do extremely well.
Using both hands, dribble, verity kind of shots and audibility to find a way to shot at any time without using strength or athleticism (thought he has great body control he does use)... and of course the leadership, the game control, the passing.

The basketball player I admire the most.

A lot of strange things happened to prevent him from winning a championship that for me he deserved twice...

[Baller_0]

Amen!

[KIAGigi]

Nash Rules!

[canadianhoops88]

nash has got my vote

[westernmustangs]

Without a doubt agree with this. Steve Nash as done really great things for Canadian basketball, all throughout the entire country. Young Canadian kids now have a specific, well rounded basketball athlete to look up to.

[Butata]

What a way to spend idle time during the NBA lockout!!! Steve took a sideline job as football ref during the FIFA Women's World Cup

http://twitpic.com/5rqgn6

[Rodeo Riot]

JOEL ANTHONY
Position:Centre
Born:August 9, 1982
Height:6'9"
Weight:245lbs
Hometown:Montreal, QC
High Schoolawson
College/University: UNLV '07 (NCAA)
Pro Team: Miami Heat**Player Stats
Years With The Canadian National Team: 1
Number Of International Games Played: 6
Photo Gallery

SAMUEL DALEMBERT
Position:Centre
Born:May 10, 1981
Height:6'11"
Weight:250lbs
Hometown:Montreal, QC
High School:St. Patrick's High School (New Jersey)
College/University: Seton Hall University '01 (NCAA)
Pro Team: Sacramento Kings**Player Stats
Years With The Canadian National Team: 1
Number Of International Games Played: 10
Photo Gallery

JAMAAL MAGLOIRE
Position:Centre
Born:May 21, 1978
Height:6'11"
Weight:265lbs
Hometown:Toronto, ON
High School:Eastern Commerce
College/University: University of Kentucky '00 (NCAA)
Pro Team: Miami Heat**Player Stats
Years With The Canadian National Team: -
Number Of International Games Played: -
Photo Gallery

ANDY RAUTINS
Position:Guard
Born:November 2, 1986
Height:6'4"
Weight:190lbs
Hometown:Syracuse, NY
High School:Jamesville-Dewitt High School
College/University: Syrcause University '09 (NCAA)
Pro Team: New York Knicks**Player Stats
Years With The Canadian National Team: 6
Number Of International Games Played: 43
Photo Gallery

STEVE NASH
Position:Guard
Born:Febuary 7, 1974
Height:6'3"
Weight:178lbs
Hometown:Victoria, BC
High School:St. Michael's University High
College/University: Santa Clara University '96 (NCAA)
Pro Team: Phoenix Suns**Player Stats
Years With The Canadian National Team: 12
Number Of International Games Played: 99
Photo Gallery

WNBA

TAMMY SUTTON-BROWN
Position:Centre
Born:January 27, 1978
Height:6'4"
Weight:199lbs
Hometown:Markham, ON
High School:Markham District
College/University: Rutgers '01 (NCAA)
Pro Team: Indiana Fever**Player Stats
Years With The Canadian National Team: 7
Number Of International Games Played: 58
Photo Gallery

This is taken from Canada's basketball website showing out of players who played in the NBA from Canada and how many national teams they have been on, Nash included.