Nash missed out on opportunity to become Canadian hero
I know what you’re thinking. Why would anyone in his right mind want to move to Hollywood, hang around with movie stars and play for a team that has won five of the past 13 National Basketball Association championships when he could buy an overpriced 600-square-foot condo at Yonge and Dundas, become a loyal subject of Rob Ford and join a club that has won one playoff series in 17 years?
On the surface, choosing between Los Angeles and Toronto must have felt to Steve Nash like picking between the Dalai Lama and Tom Cruise as his spiritual adviser.
Legions have come to Nash’s defence since he spurned the Raptors. They point to many practical reasons for him to choose L.A., including that he’ll be closer to his kids, have an opportunity to finally win a championship and perhaps even help launch his postbasketball career as a movie producer.
Not to mention, there’s only one place where he has a chance to get to know Metta World Peace.
But, while there were many obvious reasons for Nash to go to the Lakers, it’s still lamentable that he didn’t given more thought to finishing his career with the Raptors, especially since they made such an effort to bring him home to Canada.
For one thing, he wouldn’t have been playing just for Toronto, but for all of Canada. Nash’s homecoming could have done as much for basketball in this country as Wayne Gretzky did for hockey in the U.S. (not what he was expected to do, but the slightly more modest impact he actually achieved).
Clearly, Nash would have helped the Raptors, as well. The team is desperate for a reliable point guard.
But it’s not just team and country that would have benefited. In passing on Toronto, Nash missed out on a huge opportunity for himself. He would have become the single biggest star playing for any team in Canada. Name another active player on a Canadian team with two MVP awards. Since 1990, there have been only two Canadian-based Hart Trophy winners in the National Hockey League. And the last — and only — baseball MVP on a Canadian team was George Bell of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1987.
Nash would also have been that rare superstar Canadian athlete who was actually playing north of the border. Of the 23 gold medallists on Canada’s 2010 Olympic hockey team, for example, only two played for Canadian teams. Most of the biggest stars on Canadian teams — including Jose Bautista, the Sedin twins, Erik Karlsson — grew up in other countries.
Imagine the commercial appeal Nash could have achieved in this country. Karlsson just won the Norris Trophy, but he’s not a household name across Canada. Jarome Iginla has done some ads for a major bank. Bautista has a few endorsement deals. But, Jose, you’re no Steve Nash.
Likely the biggest obstacle for Nash was that he would have had to play for a team that has missed the playoffs four straight years (maybe some Maple Leaf karma is rubbing off on the Raptors). Certainly with Toronto, there was the chance that he could have languished on a mediocre team for the rest of his career.
But there’s also the possibility that he could have been part of a turnaround in Toronto. A rebuilding effort in the NBA doesn’t always take forever, and his presence would have been an enormous first step.
Three years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder was one of the worst teams in the league, winning just 28 per cent of its games. Two years later, the Thunder played in the Western Conference final, and this season the team went all the way to the NBA final.
Success in Toronto might not have been as likely as in L.A., but it wouldn’t have been impossible, and Nash wouldn’t have had to share the spotlight or fight for the ball with Kobe Bryant.
There’s no reason to begrudge Nash his decision or question his patriotism. He’s under no obligation to Toronto or Canada, and he’s still the general manager of our national team. And, let’s face it, going from Edmonton to L.A., as Gretzky did, has a little more appeal than giving up California for the Great White North.
But it’s a shame that Nash couldn’t see more potential in playing in Toronto. In L.A., while he may get the title he covets, he’ll be one of many stars, most of whom can fill one hand with their championship rings. In Toronto, he could have helped launch a new era for the Raptors, catapulted interest in the sport across his home country and achieved mythic status as a Canadian hero.