EL SEGUNDO – Steve Nash appeared in high spirits following Tuesday’s shootaround. But that’s only because he’s excited to play for Mike D’Antoni again.
“Mike’s a very bright guy and bright coach,” said Nash, who earned two league MVP awards playing for D’Antoni through four seasons with the Phoenix Suns. “He’s going to do a lot of great things for this group and put us in a position to succeed. He also makes it fun. The fans will really appreciate it. He likes the game to be played in a style that’s easy on the eyes so to speak and exciting. We’ll build something great here.
Underneath that giddiness, though, remains frustrated. Nash said he “doubts” he could heal his fractured left leg in time to play Friday against his former team in the Suns before estimating it could take between one or two weeks to fully heal.
“Disappointing is every day for me,” Nash said. “I want to play every day. Obviously when the guys come to town against them. But I have to think big picture with this process.”
Nash, who has missed five games thus far, originally suffered the injury Oct. 31 when he collided with Portland’s Damian Lillard. Beyond occasional ball handling and shooting drills, Nash has stayed out of practice in favor of treatment and icing. He hasn’t had to wear a boot and looks fluid when he’s walking. But Nash maintains there’s very little he can do to expedite the injury process.
“There’s progress,” Nash said. “But sometimes you have to rely on Mother Nature too. It is a fracture. I just have to wait for it to heal a little bit more before I can do a lot.”
Meanwhile, Steve Blake will also miss tonight’s game against San Antonio because of a lower abdominal strain. Lakers interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff left it up in the air whether Darius Morris or Chris Duhon would receive the starting nod.
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