Steve Nash has nerve irritation in his left leg, but is looking to give it a go for Tuesday night. He also denied the notion that he’s looking to retire after this season, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN LA: “It’s a little irritated, the nerve, but I’m hoping I can be better tomorrow and can play,” said Nash, who is averaging 11.3 points and 5.3 assists in 24.7 minutes over three games since returning from nerve root irritation in his back and hamstrings that sidelined him for nearly three months… Nash admitted that he does not expect to go injury free for the rest of the season, but he can learn to navigate the setbacks. “I would say it’s probably going to flare up from time to time,” Nash said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever [get over it]. I’ll probably deal with this for the rest of my life in some way.”… “Not yet,” Nash said when asked if he has thought about retirement. “We’ll see. But I still enjoy being back there on the court so much that this [nerve irritation] is nothing compared to that feeling of being one of the guys and being on the team and trying to win games. So, it’s still well worth it to me.”
Russell Westbrook hasn’t been cleared for contact, but will look to return in the near future, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman: “Over the past week, Russell Westbrook has started cranking up his workout activity. At shootaround in Orlando on Friday, Westbrook was seen taking some full-speed pull-up shots and doing some on-court cutting, working up a sweat. And before the Thunder’s Sunday win over the Knicks, he was doing much of the same. But Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said Westbrook still hasn’t been cleared for full contact. “He hasn’t participated in any part of our practices,” Brooks said. Westbrook’s return, according to the team, still remains at least 10 days away, with the first game after the All-Star break set for Feb. 20 against Miami. “I don’t know what date,” Brooks said. “Sometime after the All-Star break. We like the progress he is making.”
Chris Kaman has done his best to remain upbeat with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he does hope for more playing time moving forward after his monster game against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, from McMenamin of ESPN: “”I just want to be professional about it,” Kaman said. “It isn’t what I anticipated coming here. Obviously I thought I would have an opportunity to play more minutes with Pau as a 4 and 5, but history shows with Coach D’Antoni’s style, it’s more of a small man’s game and I suffer as a result of that. “It is what it is. I can’t really argue with what the guy’s saying. I got to trust the position of head coach and that’s what I got to do. It’s obviously frustrating at times, especially when you’re losing a lot. We had that little stretch where it was tough to sit there and watch, knowing that I could help maybe or at least give a little effort to be a part of a change in momentum.”… “I’ve played in this league a long time, I think you guys can check my track record,” said Kaman. “I’ve been pretty successful in a lot of different areas. So, I think I can play. It’s just hard to show what you can do in five and six and seven and 10 minutes. Sometimes that’s not a very good way to analyze a player.”
Brandon Bass is drawing plenty of interest from teams around the league, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News: “But Bass’ manageable contract and ability to chip in for a contender makes him the most likely Celtic to be shipped out by next Thursday, and the group of teams that has expressed interest in Bass is, “a pretty wide range,” according to a league source. Among the teams interested in Bass, sources told Sporting News, are the Warriors, who still have trade exceptions from the summer deal that sent Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins to Utah… Also potentially in the mix for Bass are the Bobcats, who are desperate to add depth at power forward as they attempt to make a run to just their second playoff berth in franchise history. Charlotte owes its own draft pick to Chicago, if it winds up landing outside the Top 10, but does have Detroit’s pick, if it lands outside the Top 8… Another team to watch is Phoenix, which is seeking to fortify the frontcourt and potentially has four picks in the upcoming NBA draft.”
Dwight Howard is happy that he doesn’t have to ask for the ball anymore with the Houston Rockets, from Shams Charania of RealGM: “I don’t have to say, ‘I need the ball,’” Howard told RealGM. “The guys here know what we have to do to be successful, to play inside out. We have young guys, and they want to accomplish some things in this league also. I understand that. I understand that we need everyone. If I can make sure that guys are happy, that they’re getting the ball and getting a rhythm, it makes it tough to beat us. “My time, my shots will come. I want to make sure guys around me are elevated. Me being the oldest guy on the team as far as seasons, I have to understand that I have to show these guys the right way to go.”… “A lot of teams start out hot and cool off,” Howard told RealGM, “and I told our guys that we want to stay consistent all season and then make the big push right after All-Star break going into the playoffs. That’s when the opportunity comes.”
Charles Barkley had the following to say about Kevin Garnett and the Brooklyn Nets, from Gary Washburn of Boston Globe: “Father Time, bro. Father Time. It gets all of us. I’m never going to say anything bad about Kevin Garnett, but Father Time, bro.” Barkley has no faith the Nets could challenge the Heat or Pacers despite their recent string of wins. “When you play in the Eastern Conference, you’re going to go on winning streaks,” he said. “Listen, the Nets stink, man. They lost their best player in Brook Lopez, Deron Williams has been inconsistent. They’re beating up on a bunch of [bad teams] in the Eastern Conference. Don’t act like they’ve got a good team, stop it. I’ve said this and I’m going to stick with this. The third-best team [in the East] at the end of the year is going to be the Washington Wizards. I don’t see Brooklyn beating Washington. I don’t see them beating Toronto, to be honest.”
James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.
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