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The news that Steve Nash, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 40-year old point guard, would be out this season with recurring back problems has inspired many around the league to reminisce about his Hall of Fame-worthy career. “He's one of the best,” Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “He reminds me a lot of Isiah [Thomas] and [John] Stockton, those smaller point guards that had big hearts and did a lot of stuff. The back-to-back MVPs; at his size, just amazing.” Nash won MVP awards in 2005 and 2006 as he led the Phoenix Suns’ high-powered offense and was an eight-time All-Star Game selection, including during his final season with Phoenix in 2011-12. “I think he did a lot of things for the game,” Rivers said. “I think the great ones, to me, they make the game different. Nash did that with his movement, being an aggressive scorer but also a facilitator, finishing under the rim. He just made the game different. “Then when you watch people come after him, start trying to do that, play like him; that means he was special. He was a special player for us all to watch. As much as Rivers would like to see Nash continue playing, the coach chuckled after confirming Nash’s age. Rivers retired from the NBA at 34 and was a head coach before he was 40. “It's really sad,” Rivers said. “I guess. He's 40 years old; what the hell does he expect? I looked at it that way, too. But he's had a great career, obviously a first-ballot Hall-of-Fame career. So that's how we should look at him.” The Clippers' Chris Paul also offered impressions on his fellow L.A. point guard. “Unbelievable. That was probably one of the most unfortunate things I've heard, to hear about Steve [Nash]," Paul said. "Not only is he a two-time MVP, one of the best point guards to ever play the game, but he's also a great guy. A guy that, when I was in college, I used to watch all the time. "I'll never forget when I came into the NBA, he was the guy that I was coming after. He was the guy. I remember the night before I played him for the first time, I couldn't sleep. I wanted to play against him so bad. So it's unfortunate, and I wish him the best.” ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz contributed to this article.
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