09-07-2007, 03:50 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Tampa, Florida
Age: 25
Posts: 15,783
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Nash fired up to start
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Steve Nash has reveled in the chance to play half-court games during the past week with new teammate Grant Hill at US Airways Center.
Nash welcomes the infusion of talent and personality, but maybe Hill, familiar with the concept of doubters, can help split up the questions on age and health. Nash, 33, has missed 16 games (some as precautions or rest) in the three seasons since his return to Phoenix but still was dogged this summer by questions of whether his window for a championship is closing.
Nash said he thinks the queries began as soon as Dallas owner Mark Cuban justified letting him go to the Suns by saying he "had fears in terms of his durability."
Two Most Valuable Player awards and a runner-up finish later and Nash is showing up earlier than ever for voluntary workouts and again is fit from a summer of soccer.
"What can I say, I feel great," Nash said. "There's a sense of urgency every year. What's the point of playing if you don't have a sense of urgency? . . . The last three years, we've had pretty unfortunate bounces. At the same time, I think we've got some improving to do. We can look at those years and put blame there."
He still knows his limits, saying he would be "extremely surprised" if he would play for Team Canada despite continuing talk or hope that he might.
"Do I know when I'll retire? No," he said. "Will it be after this contract (in 2010)? Maybe. Will it be when I'm 40? Maybe."
John Stockton played until he was 41 and was fifth in assists his final season.
"I don't know if I'm at John's level, fitness wise, but why not?" Nash said. "I have no feeling that I'm running out of steam. I'm getting sharper every day and enjoying it rather than coming in and being burnt out or tired to be back. I've been excited all summer to get back."
He kept the same training regimen but was busier off the court with a family vacation, his foundation's philanthropic work and photo shoots for ads and a coming magazine cover.
Nash talked about the "what-if" aspects of the Suns' playoff elimination to San Antonio in May. Tim Donaghy's gambling scandal only added to that because he officiated Phoenix's Game 3 loss.
"I don't even want to really think about our series in that way," Nash said. "I don't want to think about the impact it possibly could have had. I look at it introspectively and say, 'What could I have done and what could have we done to win?' . . . I just want to look self-critically at what I can do better and what we can be better and make up that ground."
Hill is a part of that. He arrived two weeks ago and has joined Nash for games with rookies Alando Tucker and D.J. Strawberry, teammate Sean Marks or ex-Suns Eddie House and Pat Burke.
"He's very gifted and a very intelligent player, which always makes it fun," Nash said of Hill. "He's a great guy and is excited to be here. That's a dream combination."
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Nash fired up to start
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