Everyone knows Steve Nash is an incredible shooter. If you’ve played NBA 2K13, you know it’s almost unfair how good virtual Nash is spotting up, too. (If the ball gets swung to him in rhythm in that game it’s game over, turn off the console, you’re going to lose almost every time.) However, when one of the best shooters in the NBA’s last 20 years (Steve Kerr) says that, “Statistically, it’s easy to make the argument that he’s the best shooter in the history of the league,” you have to open your eyes a little bit. Part of us wants to say that you can’t anoint a guy as the GOAT until he’s retired and you can get a little perspective on it, but we didn’t stop with MJ, and Nash’s 16 years so far are enough evidence. Just the raw numbers are telling: 49 percent from the field, 43 from three and 90 percent from the stripe. One deeper stats analysis found Nash was the best shooter last season, at 57 percent, from just left of the free throw line. You can take those stats and learn even more from them, but those are pretty incredible. Kerr is, we think, more than a little partial to Nash having worked for the Suns as an executive, but the hyperbole isn’t too exaggerated when describing Nash’s shooting. What do you think about calling him the best shooter in league history? … Panic on the streets of L.A. with the news Kobe Bryant sat out both practices Friday with a sore right foot. Read into it what you will. He’s still going to be there on opening night to make sure everyone knows the Lakers are his team … Gustavo Ayon won’t be leaving Orlando despite offers from Spanish clubs. The big man rookie averaged 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in about 20 minutes a game last season. He added a couple double-doubles and a 17-board night (does it count if it was against Cleveland?), too. … The NBA’s best players aren’t sacred cows when it comes to the new flopping fines — after all, the league office pointed the finger right at Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Josh Smith for committing plays that the league deems unbecoming. The league backed it up with video to prove what would be violations in its own video released on the NBA website Friday afternoon. Via CBS’ transcription, here’s how they described one typical Paul flop: “After releasing the jump shot, the shooter, No. 3 in the white uniform, extends his right leg attempting to draw a defensive foul. While there is marginal contact on the play the flail and spin to the floor by the offensive player is an over-embellishment and it’s inconsistent with marginal contact.” Flop. … Hit the jump to read about Metta World Peace‘s self-confidence …
Metta World Peace has given us a strong leader in the clubhouse for best media quotes. How’d he spend his summer vacation? To SI: “I partied hard in July. You can’t be a boring guy for 12 months on your couch. You gotta party.” What about rapping? “It’s horrible. All my singles failed.” Basketball is a different story, though. See, he had no doubt he’d be back in the Lakers’ lineup this season. He told reporters that he’s “way too good of a basketball player” to get amnestied. He signed a $34 million deal for five seasons in 2009 and is owed $7.2 this season. Is he worth that for defense, opportunistic threes and upper-echelon quotes? Well, he’s certainly not worth amnestying that’s for sure. … High school phenom Jabari Parker narrowed his list of colleges to his top five, which probably caused some coaches to have a bad day if they didn’t cut it (like hometown DePaul). Parker narrowed his choices to Duke, Florida, Michigan State, Stanford and BYU. His dad said he’ll visit Duke at the end of the month but he’ll take all five visits. The pride of Derrick Rose‘s alma mater, Simeon, is a 6-8 matchup nightmare for high schoolers and is also a devout Mormon, hence the BYU listing in his final five. Is the world ready for Jabari-mania to take over Provo after Jimmer‘s run? … The Minnesota Timberwolves had a secret weapon in luring Brandon Roy out of early retirement this summer, and his name is Will Conroy. Cagey GM David Kahn had known Conroy, who went to high school with Roy and played point for Washington, since the two were in Albuquerque in the NBDL. Conroy also knew Rick Adelman from a brief stint in Houston when Adelman was putting in a fast-break offense with the Rockets. Conroy isn’t some player-turned-insider on the Minny staff, though. He’s still trying to make it in the NBA past the 10-day contracts he’s had with a few teams. He told the AP that he jokes with Kahn how he needs to give him a job. If the Roy experiment works out, Conroy should get some kind of kickback. … We’re out like the infield fly rule.
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