Beating A Dead Horse: The Steve Nash Trade Rumors

As we get into the last couple of weeks before the March 15 trade deadline in the NBA, it's going to get pretty crazy for the Blazers.  If you're already growing tired of hearing about all the potential moves Portland is going to make, then hold on.  It's only a couple of weeks before it's all over, but it's going to get worse for you, before it gets better.

Personally, I don't mind the trade deadline.  It's nothing, if not entertaining.  Even when Portland doesn't pull the trigger and do anything, it's still fun to talk about.

As far as Portland is concerned, all the talk is still focused on Steve Nash.  I've written about the Nash rumors previously here and here, and have said that I would be in favor of Portland going and getting Nash, no matter what the cost, even if he is a "rental" for the rest of this season only. 

ESPN's Marc Stein posted an article on Wednesday about Nash's current situation and mentioned that the Blazers are one of the teams still interested in acquiring the point guard from the Suns.  The other team that has been mentioned recently is Orlando. 

In response to Stein's article mentioning Portland's desire to get Nash, a couple dudes over at Bleacher Report posted their thoughts on the matter.  In the first article, the guy argues that Steve Nash-to-Portland makes absolutely no sense for the Suns or the Blazers to pursue.  (Let me just interject here and say the thing that makes even less sense than a Nash to Portland trade is the Blazers' current point guard situation.)

He points out that unless the Suns get Batum back from Portland, it wouldn't help them at all.  He then points out that even with acquiring Nash, the Blazers are still "a player away from being a true contender."  Both of those points are valid, and I don't completely disagree with them.

Bill Simmons And ESPN's Trade Machine: The Steve Nash Trade Speculation

My favorite website right now is Grantland.  I cannot get enough of it, and if there is an article posted on it that I remotely think I'll be interested in, I will read it.  It may be just a phase, but I really like what they have going on down there in LA.

I'm not sure, but I think that Bill Simmons may have been one of the first people I heard talk about Portland trading for Steve Nash.  And that was a couple of years ago now.  He's definitely been driving the bandwagon of the idea.  But now that Steve Nash is in the last year of his contract (a contract that is not extension-eligible), I don't think the trade rumors involving Portland and Nash are not going to quiet down any time soon.  Not with ESPN's Hollinger, Marc Stein and Simmons already bantering about it.

This morning, as Bill Simmons loves to do, he played around with the ESPN trade machine and nearly blew my mind with one of the fake trades he came up with.

Phoenix 115, Portland 111

Vince Carter needs to shave his ugly beard.  It looks weird with his bald ass head.  Oh yeah, Blazers lost too.