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Nash is absolutely finished. When he's on his game, even at his advanced age, he's still a very good player. problem is, his body simply cannot contend with the rigours of the nba season anymore, he said it himself. he can play at an elite level only 1 game out of a week/fortnight, because he's just taking too long to recover from games now. thats how injuries occur, when your body is fatigued as hell and you're trying to keep up with some of the best athletes in the world
jeez you're exaggerating... 1 game a week on elite mode? He's not 75 years old lol even Mutombo at 41 could pay more than 20min every night. I think no back to back games for Nash should be ok. And limit his minutes at under 28min
i'm not exaggerating, its his own words. In the grantland documentary he talked about having to come to terms with not being able to play at an elite level on a consistent basis. Instead of playing at an elite level 3/3 games in a week, its 1/3.
I'd say so as well http://www.nba.com/lakers/video/2014/10/01/141001practiceBryantmov-3394097/?cid=TW Byron Scott is reportedly doing old school military like drills(suicides, running and lots of it) "Hard. But it’s a balance. You have to understand your players, be able to read them and what they need. I will very rarely practice after a back to back, for example. Or if we have three days before a game, that will dictate how we practice to make sure guys are getting the rest they need. They’re tough. A lot of running. A lot of running and a lot of defensive drills. I always believe that if teams are going to beat us, they’re going to beat us because they’re better that night and not because they’re in better shape, not because they’re tougher." http://www.lakersnation.com/byron-scott-details-what-to-expect-from-his-training-camp/2014/09/08/ "It was definitely a different experience," Jeremy Lin said. "A lot of defense, running, old-school drills." The Lakers worked mainly on — here's a change — defense, spending about 98% of practice on it, Lin said.
But if you watch the great players, it takes a few years to fade. Before the injuries, Kobe didn't show signs he was fading fast at all. Key for him is staying healthy.
kobe doesn't look like he has the same lift on his jumper, he's fading way more, i'm sure he's practicing it that way but i don't really remember him needing to create separation quite that way, the acceleration is shot too, but that was expected as well, wouldn't surprise me at all to see him play predominantly as a forward to let him use his footwork more.
Mutombo was an anomaly, most players do not last as long as he did. He was also a 7'+ center with a huge wingspan and a limited role. Nash is a point guard, the quickest position in basketball. What will his role be, a spot up shooter? He can't play defense and it's unrealistic for him to break down defenses and make plays consistently at his age. He hasn't looked good for two years and is 40. It's safe to call him done.
Mutumbo could get by just but being able to jog up and down the court. Didn't have to deal with defending any real bigs, his incredible length/size could still mask any lost athleticism. Nash is defending at one of the most physically gifted positions not only in the game but in sports, guys like Westbrook/Rose with the right training from a young age coudl've made it in any sport. Any drop off in athleticism will be exposed.
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I know it's just scrimmage but ironically he looked better in the Rockets scrimmage. These are just clips of scrimmage play. I kinda feel bad for the guy, dude had more freedom under Mchale system with way better role players. I'd be surprise if the Lakers win more than 15 games to be quite honest.
I think Lin is playing with Sacre, Randle, Young and Clarkson. Two rooks and one 2nd year player so they're not exactly setting picks for Lin, but I guess they beat the starters today.
They still have X Henry and W Johnson. Johnson is a pretty good defender, and an athletic freak. Ed David who they got from Memphis over the summer is not a bad defender and gets a lot of blocks and rebounds; also very athletic. Jordan Hill was a good defender in stretches last year. Boozer can shoot from mid range, and has a good pnr game. That was his bread and butter in Denver. (see Nash/Lin, and pnr game). Yeah, the starters will not be able to run. They will play a half court game. The reserves though will run. Apart from Boozer, Nash, and Kobe, the rest of the team is very young.. most with 4 or less years of experience. And many of them, including the bigs, are very fast. I think they are going to have some chemistry issues, and the injury risk will always hang over their older players. Lin also has a lot to prove. On the flip side, though, they don't have a lot to lose, which can make a team dangerous. Kobe looks healthy, and has a chip on his shoulder, from all the low expectations about him in the press. I agree it most likely won't all come together, but there is a chance it could.
.. and I'm not suggesting a championship year. Just maybe they will be in the hunt for a playoff spot in April.
