Lakers sympathetic for Steve Nash’s season-ending injury

"The Lakers' Steve Nash drives the baseline on the Wizards' Andre Miller, Friday, March 21, 2014, at Staples Center. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker/L.A. Daily News)"

“The Lakers’ Steve Nash drives the baseline on the Wizards’ Andre Miller, Friday, March 21, 2014, at Staples Center. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker/L.A. Daily News)”

LAS VEGAS — The Lakers prepared for their upcoming game the same way they have always done for most of them the past two seasons. They knew that Steve Nash would stay sidelined because of another injury.

But this time, the circumstances changed. The Lakers tried absorbing the unsettling reality that Nash would remain out for the entire 2014-15 season before it even began because of recurring nerve irritation in his back.

“We feel more for Steve than anybody because I saw how hard this kid worked out all summer long to get ready for the season,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “It hurts the team. He’s obviously the best point guard and one of the best that ever played the game. I know it hurts him. This is something he wants to do. He loves playing basketball.”

Scott has not spoken with Nash since the the Lakers announced the news on Thursday evening. He figured the 40-year-old point guard would “need some space” in digesting the latest string of injury news that has become constant in the past two seasons. Nash had stayed sidelined for the past week and a half because of worsening back issues, but Scott said deferred to Nash and the Lakers’ training staff on determining he could not play at all this season.

“I got a sense it would probably be like last year,” said Scott, mindful that Nash played only 15 games sprinkled throughout the 2013-14 campaign. “I got the sense this is probably something that will be ongoing and I have to figure out which games he can play and which games he can’t.”

The Lakers do not have to strategize on which games Nash will sit out on back-to-back contests. Or how many minutes the 40-year-old point guard will play to minimize damage on his sensitive hamstrings and spine. Instead, the Lakers will have to outline how they shore up their point guard depth.

Scott said Ronnie Price will start tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings at MGM Grand Arena. Though Jeremy Lin is widely expected to eventually start, Scott prefers to keep Price ahead of Lin because of the nine-year veteran’s consistency through exhibition play and since Lin has only played two games since nursing a sprained left ankle. Scott plans to have a more definitive starter once the regular season starts on Tuesday against Houston at Staples Center.

What will factor into Scott’s decision?

“Who can help me win,” Scott said, laughing. “Who gives me a better chance of winning. That’s the bottom line.”

Price has averaged 8.2 points and 5.3 assists in 29.4 minutes, while Lin has averaged 10.8 points and 3.5 assists in 24.4 minutes.

Lin maintained he feels “fully healthy” from his left ankle injury that kept him out for three preseason games. He sounded respectful about any role he plays, mindful that his last season with the Houston Rockets entailed a fluctuating role as both a starter and a reserve.

“What I went through in Houston has prepared me for this year,” Lin said. “Whatever the role is, whatever the time it is, I’ll do my best with it.”

Scott said he’s “not concerned” about the diminished point guard depth. But he conceded the Lakers are “probably going to look for another one.” The Lakers could do that either by trading Nash’s expiring contract to a team looking to unload cap space. Or they could apply for a disabled player exception for up to half of Nash’s $9.8 million, which is worth $4.95 million. The Lakers could use that tool either to sign a player or trade for player making that money in the final year of his contract.

But regarding Nash, Lin added, “we would love to have him around,” even if it just involved serving as a mentor. After all, who wouldn’t want to learn from a player who won two NBA MVPs and climbed to third place on the league’s all-time assists list?

“You’re talking about one of the best players ever, a veteran and a voice,” Lin said. “Aside from the physical stuff, everything else about him is stable and solid with how he shows up and controls the game. He brings a lot of consistency. “The only thing that has been inconsistent is his health.”

That reality left the Lakers offering plenty of sympathy. Scott and Lin gushed about how Nash constantly worked with the training staff to heal his back. Lakers forward Nick Young, Xavier Henry and Lin also tweeted out condolences.

“You send out your well wishes and you move on,” Scott said. “Obviously he’ll be missed. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get a chance to coach him. Steve had always been one of my favorite people in the league. He’s such a professional and gentleman. I’ll miss out on that opportunity. But like everybody else, I wish him all the best.”

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com