The Ballad of Steve Nash

Tonight's NBA Draft will center around two youngsters with the potential to be basketball's next big thing: Duke point guard Kyrie Irving and Arizona forward Derrick Williams. Irving and Williams are the cream of the crop in a draft that is Mary-Kate Olsen thin and may be the only players of significance, although I like Kemba Walker and think The Jimmer has an outside shot, no pun intended, of a decent career depending on where he lands.

However, tonight, and every day going forward should be dedicated to someone a bit more long in the tooth: Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash. Nash finds himself as the quintessential company man on a Suns team that is going nowhere fast. He wants a crack at title, being that he's 37 and in the final year of what may be the last contract of his career, but he's too committed of a guy to demand a trade to a contender. Rather than shop the former two-time MVP to a team like the Lakers or San Antonio or someone with a puncher's chance at a ring, the leader in the clubhouse to acquire Nash's services are reportedly the Minnesota Timberwolves, who hold the #2 pick in tonight's Draft and have a logjam at forward that makes the selection of a guy like Williams somewhat pointless withouth further maneuvering of the roster.

A potential trade from a rebuilding, sinking ship like Phoenix to no man's land out in Prince Country would be depressing for Nash, his fan base and Canada. However, it will be a fitting close to the tragedy of Steve Nash. Nash started his NBA career as the 15th pick in the loaded '96 NBA Draft by the Suns but found himself stuck behind proven point men like Kevin Johnson, Sam Cassell and Jason Kidd. Barely able to crack the rotation, Nash was dealt to Dallas where he aligned with Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley and rebuilt the Mavs into a title contender. With the Shaq-Kobe Lakers NBA dominance followed by the reign of the Tim Duncan Spurs, though, Nash's title hopes were squelched by more superior teams. In 2004, Nash hit free agency and Dallas was unwilling to commit big money to a then-30-year old point guard. So, Nash high-tailed it back to Phoenix, where he would find himself on a team filled with an embarressment of riches in the form of forwards Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion and guard/forward Joe Johnson. Even with such a stacked team, Phoenix couldn't get over the hump, as they were dismantled by Duncan's Spurs in '05 and then to Nash's old friends in Dallas in '06, both in the Western Conference Finals. After getting eliminated yet again by San Antonio in '07, Nash had to sit back and watch the potential dynasty around him crumble. Having already lost Johnson to a sign-and-trade, the next to go was Shawn Marion, who was dealt to Miami in a strange trade for Shaquille O'Neal. Then, Boris Diaw, acquired in the Joe Johnson deal with Atlanta, was shipped to Charlotte. Finally, it was Amare's time to bounce, opting to sign for big money in New York this time last year.

Now, here lies Steven John Nash, the last man standing on a sinking ship, like the band from "Titanic". The hope is that Phoenix does the right thing with Nash like the Kansas City Chiefs did with Tony Gonzalez and agree that the team is going nowhere fast and allow Nash to chase the ring that has eluded him. The question becomes: Where? So many of your contenders are set at point guard. Chicago has reigning MVP Derrick Rose. Boston has Rajon Rondo. The Spurs have Tony Parker, for now. The Lakers have been looking for a point guard since Magic retired but, with so much money tied to the rotting cadaver of Derek Fisher and the vastly overrated Steve Blake, is there room in Hollywood for Nash? On top of that, while Nash is an upgrade for L.A. offensively, he doesn't improve the Lakers on-going problem of being able to stop opposing point guards on the defensive end, which is something the Lakers will be thinking about before agreeing to ship someone like a Ron Artest or Lamar Odom in exchange for a one-year Nash rental. /a>

That leaves Nash between the proverbial rock and hard place. He could reunite with former coach Mike D'Antoni and Stoudemire in the Big Apple, but with Chicago and Miami having a stranglehold over the East, there's no guarantee the Knicks could surpass those two teams if they bring Nash on board. Even if Nash's presence would improve New York dramatically, what exactly could they give Phoenix to make them consider dealing Nash after the Knicks shipped all of its notable assets to Denver for Carmelo Anthony this past February? The team that makes a ton of sense would be Portland, who has a huge need at point guard, could offer up young talent, and has the type of athletes in guys like Gerald Wallace, Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge that Nash could spend all day feeding tight passes to. The only issue is Portland's style of play, which is the furthest thing from the uptempo style Nash thrives in.

The other option is trying to make the best of things in Minnesota. It's a testament to the incompetence of the Timberwolves management over the years that they could be picking 2nd in a two-player Draft and find themselves needing to unload the pick because they're team is overrun by square pegs trying to fit into round holes. The move to Minnesota could only make sense to Nash if the Timberwolves take a page out of Boston's book and starts selling off its collection of young talent in exchange for proven veterans and make the T'Wolves an overnight contender. If the Wolves acquire Nash and then find a way to flip a Kevin Love or Michael Beasley or Wes Johnson or Anthony Randolph into, say, a Andrew Bynum or Andrew Bogut or Josh Smith or someone of that ilk, then Nash has a better chance in the Minnesota wilderness than he does in the deserts of Arizona. The irony of it all is that the Suns are in position to acquire someone with the chance to help Nash make a run but need to trade Nash to do so.

So while one fresh, new point guard comes in, the time has come for movement to start to help an old one out. In an era where young stars are finding ways to bully themselves onto contenders, Phoenix should honor someone who has remained old-school and hasn't let his thirst for a championship transform him into selfish brat, even while he has been given every reason to demand off the sinking ship.

They should do the right thing.....Free Steve Nash!

(Editor's Note: Consider this the opening salvo to the "Free Steve Nash" movement. If Nash is still a Phoenix Sun by tomorrow morning, then "Free Steve Nash" should be trending from everywhere from Twitter to Hulu. Break out some "Free Steve Nash" T-shirts! Start making "Free Steve Nash" YouTube videos. Hell, you can get Lil Wayne to make a "Free Steve Nash" freestyle! This needs to be the basketball equivalent of "Let The LOX Go!". FREE STEVE NASH, DAMNIT!)