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Mike D'Antoni it seems, was a tad premature when he ruled his former All-Star point guard for the rest of the season.
Steve Nash will return to active duty tonight against the Washington Wizards, a surprising comeback considering that his head coach had essentially ruled him out for the rest of the regular season over a week ago. Nash has been hampered for the previous two seasons with nerve issues stemming from his broken leg over 17 months ago. He's played, notoriously, in just 10 games this season, registering near career-lows across the board. It's unclear whether or not he'd start or come off the bench.
As strange as it is, the lottery-bound Lakers actually need Nash tonight. Jordan Farmar will sit out the next two weeks with a strained groin, which has left inexperienced distributors Kent Bazemore, Xavier Henry and Jodie Meeks acting as second string point guards.
Nash, 40, has come under fire this season for not simply hanging up his sneakers and alleviating the Lakers of his monstrous nearly $10 million cap figure for this and next season. It appears that he's not quite ready to retire, making a late season comeback for a squad that has already been eliminated from playoff contention.
We'll see how much the old dog has left tonight.
--MAMBINO
--Follow this author @TheGreatMambino