Steve Nash: The Best Player in Suns History. Bar None.

This picture is of my Steve Nash shrine, located inside the Suns Room inside my house.  Yes, those are lit candles.

One thing occurred to me while watching the game tonight as I watched the Suns turn the ball over 17 times - few realize just how good that our MVP Steve Nash is.  Tonight, he played 35 minutes and tallied 14 points, 15 assists, 5 rebounds, and ignited the offense.  Really though, don’t you agree?  People know he’s a good passer and great shooter, but many don’t realize that we will never see this again in Phoenix.

Anyone notice that our turnovers are up this year?  Haha - I thought so.   Think it correlates with more people handling the ball other than just Nash?  You better believe it.

Isn’t that amazing though?!  For the past 4 years, one player has handled the ball for 30-40 minutes of the game and turnovers were down. This year, with more players contributing and responsible, our turnovers are up…way up.

Think about that for a moment…

Think of all the dribbling, running, and passing that Nash has done not only in Phoenix, but Dallas as well.  Think of Nash constantly moving, weaving in and out of traffic, all the while knowing exactly where the ball should go and being one of the only players in the league who can make the feed.

How unbelievable is that?!  That one player can be that good and in control on such a consistent basis.  That one player can have the mental fortitude to continue to thread the needle in the lane over players twice his size.  That one player can literally sprint up and down the entire game and still have the ability to hit shots in the clutch time and time again.

On top of that, think about the mental toughness it takes to be sure of yourself as a player after a bad game or bad pass, then come back in the clutch and have the confidence to make that same pass…night after night after night.

On top of that, think of the players that Nash has made better by doing so:  Dirk Nowitzki, Raja Bell, Quentin Richardson, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw, Tim Thomas…the list goes on and on.  Or, if you prefer, look at how the more athletic player in Stephon Marbury has consistently made players worse…

Think of the commitment it takes to prepare your body to withstand the beating it takes to be as successful as Nash has been for over 7 months of the year.  Think of how hard you’d have to work to be motivated to carry the load of a team of superstars for an entire decade.

Think of getting 18 - 20 assists in an NBA game when you’re (or were) 34 years old.  Then, think of doing that for 4-5 years afterwards.

Imagine the responsibility it takes to balance the firepower that the Suns had during the past 5 years.  The Suns, during his time here, will always live and die with his ability to distribute - and think of the success he’s had doing so!

And while doing that, think of how amazing it is that he continues to find time to grant kids a Make-A-Wish, or visit Children’s Hospitals, or helping build hospitals in Paraguay, raising money for schools in China, and saving the Earth from human deficiencies.

Hey, I know I’m preaching to the choir here.  But our MVP may not be around after 2010.  That’s why I’ll always have a Nash shrine in my house, as pictured above.  Who knows, maybe I’ll add the #13 to my tattoo repertoire?

Take my advice - appreciate this player/man while he’s here, we may never see anything close to him in our lifetime.

Subscribe to your favorite Phoenix team or sport or Follow us on Twitter.