The Lakers’ Christmas gift to the Knicks? The return of Steve Nash.
The star point guard, who has been out with a fractured foot since early in the season, says his “most realistic” return date is Christmas Day at Staples Center against the Knicks, according to Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell’s Twitter account.
Nash said he felt “pretty good” at practice Thursday and it’s “possible” he could play Saturday against the Warriors. But Tuesday seems most probable. Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, the former Knicks head man, reiterated that, too, adding that whatever day Nash returns “will be Christmas.”
D’Antoni said having Nash back will increase the learning curve of his system. The two were extremely successful together with the Suns.
“He’s the best at it,” said D’Antoni, who resigned from the Knicks during last season.
Nash, 38, has been out since early November. The Lakers started the season 1-4, fired Mike Brown and hired D’Antoni, who has clashed with Pau Gasol. LA is 12-14 and would not make the Western Confernce playoffs if the regular season ended today.