How many minutes will Steve Nash play this year?

by ZonaFlash on Sep 21, 2008 5:18 PM MST

In my mind the key question about the upcoming season that should tell us everything about the new regime is how they manage the team's most important (but not their best) player, Steve Nash. For all the criticism leveled at D'Antoni's style, it boils down to the freedom he gave Steve Nash to create (over-dribble) and distribute the ball (let it find the energy) and to the resultant over-use of Nash in terms of offense and in minutes played.

If the team can find success without the overuse of both Nash's freelancing AND his minutes on the court via defense, deeper rotations, off-season acquisitions, etc, then Kerr-Porter have proven their point: the Suns didn't have to play the way they did to win. If Kerr-Porter can't win without Nash playing a lot and playing a lot the way he knows best, then at least one of these guys needs to be apologizing to the fans.

So here's my question for you - with a view that you might consider this as just one barometer of GM-Coach success:

With D'Antoni gone and short-term expectations clearly lowered for incoming Terry Porter to put in a long-term system that includes bench play, what's your expectation for Nash usage?

For example, Kerr wants to use Nash about 30 minutes per game and 70 games this season. Clearly more Amare isolations will be apart of next year's game plan. Nash, on the other hand, seems skeptical, probably with the weight of historical evidence. He contends that less play could actually hurt him by causing his chronically ailing back to stiffen. He also could be demotivated by greater restrictions on his play and reductions in his time.

Steve Nash's career minutes played per season are posted just on the other side....

These numbers are courtesy of basket-reference.com.

Season	Age	Tm	Lg	G	GS	MP
2007-08	33	PHO	NBA	81	81	2780
2006-07	32	PHO	NBA	76	76	2682
2005-06	31	PHO	NBA	79	79	2796
2004-05	30	PHO	NBA	75	75	2573
2003-04	29	DAL	NBA	78	78	2612
2002-03	28	DAL	NBA	82	82	2711
2001-02	27	DAL	NBA	82	82	2838
2000-01	26	DAL	NBA	70	70	2387
1999-00	25	DAL	NBA	56	27	1532
1998-99	24	DAL	NBA	40	40	1269
1997-98	23	PHO	NBA	76	9	1664
1996-97	22	PHO	NBA	65	2	684
Career Averages			NBA	71.7	58.4	2210.7

What do you think?

Poll

How many minutes will Steve Nash play this season?

Team goes 4-13, Dragic sux so Nash plays to a new career record: Nash > 2838!

7 votes

Mgmt talks tough, but still plays Nash more than his minimum under D'Antoni: Nash > 2573

31 votes

Mgmt doesn't flinch at a few losses: 2300 > Nash > 2572

54 votes

Dragic is pretty good! 2200 > Nash > 2299

39 votes

Dragic is good, Nash is ailing, Mgmt hits target: 2100 > Nash > 2199

4 votes

Nash is too busy making commericials with Baron, movies with Shaq and rap albums with Tru Warior Ron Artest: Nash < 2100!

7 votes

Nash is traded midseason!

10 votes

152 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Should be Interesting

We really wont have any kind of idea what kind of minutes Nash will get until we find out several things.

Will STAT become the focal point of this team, thus lessening the need for Nash to make everything flow? God knows he has all the offensive skill in the world to destroy any team down low, but we’ll see.

Will Dragic become a decent backup? I’m not sure how his first year will be, but along the road he should be just fine, maybe…..hopefully.

And finally how will our bench play (not just Dragic) with Nash out? This is key, as one of the main reason why Nash saw so many minutes was that our bench would stop passing the ball or just stagnate on O. Thus I say that Nash’s minutes absolutely depend on our bench play becoming more dependable this year. Can it happen? With Hill (maybe) leading them it’s possible, but we cannot afford spotty play from Diaw and LB especially with Lopez and Dragic being such unknown factors.

"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness

by Turambar on Sep 21, 2008 11:34 PM MST reply actions

exactly.

Nash’s minutes will tell a lot about the new mgmt/coach and their offseason moves.

Amare is moving.

by ZonaFlash on Sep 22, 2008 5:34 AM MST up reply actions

I can’t see them sitting Steve Nash, giving him whole games off.

So to me it’s, do they limit his minutes per game? He played 34 minutes a game last season. That’s the ball park for where I want Nash. I don’t think there will be large enough benefits from a further decrease in minutes either, he’s already getting solid rest. If it was further I wouldn’t want to see his minutes dip below 30-32.

by NBR on Sep 22, 2008 9:26 AM MST reply actions

Minutes vs games

I think as I understand Nash’s body – and clearly its a focus of mine – he tends to stiffen up if he rests too long. So if you want him in the game and productive at the end you kind of have to play him enough minutes to stay ready.

I think.

If that’s the case, it really calls more for holding him out of games (or a few games in a row) when he’s banged up or his back/shoulder are giving him trouble.

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Sep 22, 2008 6:45 PM MST reply actions