When the prolific point guard landed with the Los Angeles Lakers, visions of an elite dynasty followed suit, even before Dwight Howard joined him.
But there were doubts at the same time.
Nash is 38 and has 16 years of wear and tear on his body. Though he has been able to elude Father Time and the decline in production and health that comes with him, his luck was bound to run out eventually.
Before his three-year, $27 million contract was up.
Which it did.
Once Nash got tangled up with the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard, he was relegated to the locker room.
Nash got tangled up with Blazers point guard Damian Lillard and howled in pain. He's headed to the locker room now.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) November 1, 2012 Tragedy was averted, though, when he attempted to return.
It struck, however, when he wound up leaving the game early in the third quarter, unable to return.
Steve Nash injury update: contusion of the lower left leg. He will not return tonight.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 1, 2012 And it was then that reality began to sink in.
Nash, the poster-boy for durability, the floor general who missed just 12 games total over the past three regular seasons was susceptible to injury, vulnerable to the rigors of age.
Which leaves us to wonder if he will ever be able to reach the lofty ceiling that was set for him upon his arrival in Tinseltown.
It's a brash reality, to question one of the greatest playmakers in the game, an athlete who has proven to be one of the most reliable cornerstones of all-time. Yet it's a legitimate one nonetheless.
Because the Lakers—while star-pounding—are a fragile team.
Not only is Dwight Howard's back still a source of uncertainty, but at 34, Kobe Bryant is a magnet for injury, one w...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
