39-year-old point guard Steve Nash says he does not regret his decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Nash acknowledged facing "challenges" in an interview Wednesday with USA Today Sports but also told the website that he does not regret the sign-and-trade deal that sent the two-time MVP from the Phoenix Suns to the Lakers.
Nash is averaging just 7.1 assists per game this season
"I've gotten to see my kids probably four times as much as I'd seen them if I'd have gone back East," Nash told the website. "That's first and foremost. Second of all, it's a great experience to play for the Lakers organization. ... I'm happy here.
"I'm beyond playing for the credit or the adulation. I feel secure in myself as a player. I just want to help this team, regardless of what it means for me personally."
Nash was a two time MVP with the Phoenix Suns
The Lakers currently trail the Houston Rockets by 2.5 games for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Nash is averaging just 7.1 assists per game this season, his lowest mark since the 1999-2000 campaign as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
Nash also admitted that adjusting to a lesser role has been difficult, but he told USA Today that he "embraces" playing with Lakers All-Stars Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard.
"It's been different. It's been an adjustment," he told the website. "But I want to embrace these challenges. I'm at a stage of my career with a new club where I'm playing with Kobe -- he's a great player -- and finding that balance and accepting and embracing that opportunity is key. It'd be nice, in some ways, to have a bigger impact on the game. You have to balance it with all the guys, all their needs and personalities. I embrace it.
"I really appreciate it. I could still be in Phoenix and have the ball in my hands the majority of the time and probably be out of the playoffs again, so it's worthy of trying something new -- especially since the upside here is potentially great."
