Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni says he will periodically rest 39-year-old guard Steve Nash throughout the season in hopes of preserving him for the team's hoped-for playoff run.
According to CBSSports.com, D'Antoni says a trend that has seen Nash play just 52 minutes over the team's first four preseason games might not be much different from how the team plans to intermittently use the former two-time league MVP this season.
"I'm not concerned," D'Antoni said when asked about Nash playing just nine minutes against Sacramento. "I think this will happen off and on all year, but he's going to give you a good season and good stuff. We have to take care of him."
Prior to the Kings game, D'Antoni added Nash had difficulty getting his ankle loose during warm-ups and the two of them decided to end his night early. Nash begins the season as the league's oldest player and will turn 40 in February.
"We'll see," Nash, who is currently nursing a bad ankle, said of D'Antoni's gameplan. "I'm hoping the the ankle has gotten better. I'm hoping that through this month we can try to put it behind me. It's kind of a little bit of a dance because I need this time to prepare.
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