The 4th or July could not have gone any worse for fans of the Phoenix Suns. The face of the franchise, point guard Steve Nash, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for four future draft picks. Suns fans were barely prepared for the fact that he might leave the Suns, But they were mostly expecting a team like the Knicks, Raptors or Mavericks...maybe the Heat.
But not the team that fans have been hating for decades. Seth Pollack understands the Nash was within his right to so it, but nonetheless condemns him for the act that it is after eight great season with the Suns -- treason.
For Steve Nash to pick the Purple and Gold as his final uniform is a knife to the back of those fans who embraced his return after being discarded by Dallas.
Nash is spinning this as wanting to be close to his kids. I don't buy that. He can be in New York during the offseason, but can't pay to fly his kids to New York or Toronto during the rest of the year? No. This decision is about his post-playing career and his desire to be in L.A.
In time, the pain will diminish but when Steve Nash takes the U.S. Airways Center floor next season as an L.A. Laker, he will be greeted with heated boos and not the standing ovation he would have otherwise received had he made any decision other than the Los Angeles Freaking Lakers...
I don't know if this is an Unforgivable Sin, but the Suns have a long, long road to redemption.
It is what it is. Basketball is a business and Steve Nash is a businessman.
But that doesn't mean that fans should give him a pass. Nash will deserve every hearty boo and hiss when he returns. He played Suns' fans, declaring how "tough" it would be to play for the Lakers. Clearly not as tough as letting down those who put him on a pedestal as The Greatest Sun Ever.
In a statement Nash put together and released to ESPN, he talks about his motivation.
In the end, it was about him and him alone.
In all reality, that is perfectly fine. We all do what we think is best for us and our families. We all also understand the consequences.
Steve Nash made his choice and played his hand. The fans will now make their choice.
The marriage is over. It was a good one. But it could not have ended any worse.
It won't be pretty. That spot in the team's Ring of Honor? It is still there, but it probably won't happen for quite a while.
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