you never know. in 2006 I never thought that dallas would have to wait until 2011 to get back. and honestly after their meltdown in 2007, I didn't think it would happen again. I definitely thought dallas ceiling this year was the second round.
Oh no doubt. Then again, I heard the media types over and over and over talk about Book getting there multiple times after he went. I can also name other HOF players who thought they would get another shot too.
Book is still young. I think he will get back there. but he is a good example of how hard it is to get back. dallas had almost a mirror image in 2006/2007 as what phoenix did in 2021/2022. except dallas got eliminated by the 8th seed in the first round in 07 (in 6 games). it was so bad in 2007 that dirk's MVP award was embarrassing. But that's also a reason why it is important to stay loyal with your franchise player and not turn on them when times are tough. As great as Boston look now, they too have had their fair amount of letdowns. this hasn't been an easy road for them by any means.
I don’t remember people saying that about Book because he isn’t, never has been and never will be a HOF Legend level player you can consistently build an entire team around.
Omg I remember that. Someone here argued that he was essentially at his ceiling his rookie year because he was so good and had been playing with pros in Europe, and blah blah blah, and that’s why Ayton was going to be so much better. I called that ridiculous then and it’s only been proven moreso over the years. So funny. Had forgotten about that.
The spurs were darlings. Everyone loved them. They were multiple times champions. Buys you a ton of leeway. And Duncan was a refreshing low key all star at a time when stars were all about self aggrandizement, so the media fell in love with him. But yeah, he was incredibly whiny.
He is strong as a bull, no doubt about it. I think he can improve his cardiovascular conditioning. But, I am not close up to him, so maybe he is elite in that area too. It just doesn't look like it when he is constantly bent over grabbing the bottom of his shorts in the 2nd half almost every time play stops, taking deep breaths.
After we went to the finals, commentators and analysts were saying after that finals that Book is going to have other shots. The assumption was the Suns were young and hungry and would be back.
Luka was looking really fit in the offseason. I think it was @Cheesebeef that posted the photo but I could be wrong. It was the leanest I have seen him ever. Now he looks like normal Luka like that all went out the door during the season which is strange.
yup.
Yeah, those are not remotely the same thing. Nash was never nationally blasted for his fitness. The worry about Nash was his playing minutes and his back. Luka is getting blasted for being out of shape.
sometimes it's the narrative, especially with the national media. with Luka it's now focusing on what he doesn't do well which is ridiculous when you look at how much he carries dallas. with dirk it was always he wasn't clutch and was too soft. that became the national narrative when in reality he was arguably the most clutch scorer in the NBA when he was in his prime.
he was when he was in dallas. I remember it well.
Maybe locally with a narrow few but it was never a national narrative like with Luka. Everybody is bashing Luka. I also don’t recall that being part of any scouting report when he became a free agent either unless you can provide one.
It was a national and local narrative when dallas got eliminated in the playoffs and Nash often got upstaged by the opposing team's backcourt, particularly Sacramento on 2 occasions. people were saying that Nash could not last a full season without wearing down physically. Cuban let that get to his head. Nash's best year in Dallas IMO was in 2003 when he played a full season with Van Excel. But cuban traded Van Excel away after that season and Nash would only play one more year in Dallas after getting bounced in the first round by Sacramento.
That's a good point about Doncic. I think it may have been Bill Walton who would would always make sarcastic comments about Nash's frame and his stature in regards to his billed height. it used to annoy me, but I came to find out that he loved Nash and thought very highly of his game. In the end I am very happy that Steve made Cuban look stupid in Phoenix and Nash kicked all of his critics to the curb. Steve is one of my all time favorite players along with MJ, Olajuwon, and Dirk.
That article says no such thing. Again, it talks about his minutes being a concern and his ability to play more minutes than normal due to injury. That's not even close to what is being said about Luka. Nowhere can I find anything that says Nash is lazy and out of shape. I tried searching based on our comments and couldn't find anything like that.It was a national and local narrative when dallas got eliminated in the playoffs and Nash often got upstaged by the opposing team's backcourt, particularly Sacramento on 2 occasions. people were saying that Nash could not last a full season without wearing down physically. Cuban let that get to his head. Nash's best year in Dallas IMO was in 2003 when he played a full season with Van Excel. But cuban traded Van Excel away after that season and Nash would only play one more year in Dallas after getting bounced in the first round by Sacramento.
Here is a good article by one of the few ESPN writers that I used to consume back in those days. Marc Stein who covered dallas well. He was covering the topic in 2005 when dallas and phoenix had their first playoff showdown.
Nash must carry a heavier load
Steve Nash will get plenty of cheers in Dallas. He'll also get plenty of minutes.www.espn.co.uk
