Where does Steve Nash rank among the All Time NBA Greats?

After announcing that the 2014-2015 NBA season would be his last due to an ailing back, it appears that Steve Nash's career has abruptly ended before any farewells. After straining his back lifting luggage this past week, Steve has announced that he will be out for the entire season, one week before the regular season is set to begin. While he says that he plans to rehab his back all year, he has yet to announce his official retirement which could be a good thing for Lakers fans.

Steve Nash has never been known as a “feel good story” in the NBA but that's exactly how his NBA career began. Like the NFL's Wes Welker, Steve Nash didn't receive much attention coming out of high school from college coaches. More than 30 big time programs rejected his inquiries but Santa Clara University decided to take a chance on a player that was “horrible on the defensive side”. He played for the Santa Clara Broncos from 1992-1996 and by the time his senior campaign began, he was already attracting attention from professional scouts.

After breaking many school records at Santa Clara, the Phoenix Suns drafted Nash with the 15^th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft. He would immediately play behind some of the NBA's best guards in Jason Kidd, Sam Cassell and Kevin Johnson. He wouldn't stay in Phoenix long after that and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks where he would play for six seasons. In 2004, he returned to the Phoenix Suns for his second stint with the team before finally joining his current team, the LA Lakers in 2012.

Some of his most notable personal accolades would include being named the NBA's most valuable player twice during his career (2005, 2006). He was also an eight time NBA All-Star selection, five time NBA season assist leader and three time all NBA first team selection. He never won an NBA championship although he always had a strong supporting cast playing with players such as Shaquille O'Neal, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Kobe Bryant and Michael Finley.

What made Steve Nash such a great player was his uncanny ability to find open teammates, some would call this his play-making ability. He had excellent ball handling skills and was an above average threat from the perimeter and behind the arc. He is number three on the NBA's all time assists list trailing John Stockton and Jason Kidd who had long NBA careers as well. He is also the all time NBA leader in free throw percentage with a mark of 90.4%.

Among other NBA point guard legends, only Jason Kidd, John Stockton and Mark Price could have been considered as “complete” as Nash. He had no holes in his game and he never played the game with a ton of flair. He was just an extremely fundamental player with one of the highest basketball IQ's on the court at any time. Steve, you will be missed by basketball fans all around the world. And if you don't go down as the NBA's greatest point guard, you will definitely go down as the greatest basketball player to ever come out of Canada.

Classic NHL Arenas: Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh

For years, Mellon Arena was known as both the 'Igloo' due to it's shape as well as the Civic Arena. The nickname 'Igloo' was very fitting being that it was the home to the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins from 1967 to 2010. In fact, the arena received the nickname before the franchise's mascot had been named. The Igloo was unlike many other NHL arenas in that it's roof was able to retract.  The roof meant that there were no obstructed views in the arena.
The Penguins were actually not the first hockey team to play in the arena; the Pittsburgh Hornets were. The Penguins both opened and closed the arena with losses to the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs, as the Canadiens are called, eliminated the Penguins from the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2010. During that year, Mellon arena was the third smallest NHL arena. Although it was eligible to become a member of the National Register of Historic Places. Allegheny County, however, voted to demolish the arena because they want to develop the area around the arena.
Unlike most NHL arenas, parking in the surrounding areas of Mellon arena was very simple. There is a light rail train station nearby. There were also parking garages offering parking for around $10 as well as free meters on nights and weekends.
When Mario Lemieux took control of the Penguins in 1999, he used the idea of the Penguins relocating to another city as leverage to get a new NHL arena constructed. Upon construction of the Consol Energy Center, the city of Pittsburgh and the Penguins are hoping for new development to come to the area. Such developments would include new hotels, restaurants and offices to compliment the area. The area would be much like the Arena District in downtown Columbus, where Nationwide Arena sits as the center piece. (Home of the Blue Jackets).
The Igloo saw three Stanley Cups during it's days as home of the Penguins. Let's hope that the new arena will be as fortunate.

NHL Arenas

Forgotten NBA Arenas: Charlotte Coliseum

Charlotte Coliseum was once one of the liveliest NBA arenas and boasted a fun fan environment for Charlotte Hornets fans. It was also the largest NBA arena with a capacity of 24,000 seats; very similar to the size of Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. "The Hive" as it was nicknamed, was only home to the Hornets for 17 short years between 1988 and 2005. Between it's opening and 1997, the arena hosted 364 consecutive sellouts which was phenomenal for a small market club like the Hornets.
Businessman George Shinn was aware of the popularity of college basketball in the state of North Carolina and thought Charlotte would be a great fit for an NBA franchise. He was awarded the Hornets as an expansion team as were the Twin Cities, Miami and Orlando. However, he became very unpopular in the 90s when he refused to grant Michael Jordan a larger role in ownership, traded Alonzo Mourning and was accused of raping a woman. As a result, the attendance began to decline, eventually putting the Hornets with the worst attendance among NBA arenas.
By the 2000s, Charlotte Coliseum was aging quickly and offered very little in terms of club and luxury seating. Shinn eventually applied to have the franchise moved to another city because the city of Charlotte refused to construct a new NBA arena with public funds. A deal was finally reached when the city said they would build a new home for the Hornets as long as Shinn wasn't the owner. He subsequently moved the Hornets to New Orleans and Charlotte was promised a franchise by 2004.
The NBA's newest expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats played their entire first season at the Coliseum while awaiting the construction of Time Warner Cable Arena. Unlike many other NBA arenas, the Hive sat miles from the downtown area which often hinders attendances in other cities. Think Power Balance Pavilion and the old Richfield Coliseum. Time Warner Cable Arena was erected in Uptown Charlotte, a very active part of town with plenty of shops, restaurants and hotels.
The old Coliseum stood until June of 2007 when it was demolished. The former site is currently vacant with no plans to re-develop. May 'The Hive' rest in peace.

NBA Arenas

Forgotten MLB Ballparks: The Astrodome

In 1960, Major League Baseball expanded by two teams; the New York Mets and the Houston Astros. Only the Astros weren't called the Astros, they were the Colt .45s which is perhaps one of the worst names in the history of sports. The Houston Astrodome was the first domed MLB ballpark in the history of the game. The dome was necessary in order to protect fans from the brutal and unpredictable Houston summers.
Although the Astrodome wasn't cookie-cutter shaped like other MLB ballparks of the same era, it was used for multiple purposes. The Dome was also home to the NFL's Houston Oilers which you know them now as the Tennessee Titans. Multi purpose stadiums usually meant poor sight lines for baseball games.
The Dome itself presented many problems upon it's opening. Bermuda grass was planted but would die because of the lack of sunlight. There were plenty of glares of sunlight which often made it difficult for outfields to field fly balls. In response, Astroturf-an artificial grass, was born.
The Oilers would play in Houston until 1997 when it relocated to Nashville, becoming the Titans. Oilers owner Bud Adams felt that the Astrodome was inadequate for NFL football with only 50,000 seats; making it the smallest NFL stadium. City officials responded by implementing taxes to fund the addition of 10,000 additional seats as well as luxury boxes. Eight years later, Adams still wasn't happy and began lobbying for a new stadium to be built. Like many other owners, he wanted a stadium with club seating which generates much more revenue for the owner. The city had become disgusted with Adams and refused to attend games, practically allowing the team to relocate to Nashville.
The Astrodome became solely a ballpark until the Astros too wanted out in the late 1990s. Their owner, Mr. Mclane, used the threat of selling the Astros to another city as leverage to get Minute Maid Park built. The Astros began play at Minute Maid Park, formerly Enron Field, in 2000. The ballpark was one of the first MLB ballparks to have a retractable roof. The roof is always open for games when the weather is fair and less humid.
Today, the Astrodome still stands vacant. It is right next door to the Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans. Plans to turn it into a luxury hotel have failed. The city doesn't know what to do with the Dome because demolition would likely harm the surrounding property. Something needs to be done because fans can almost guarantee that their tax dollars are going towards the up-keep of the place.

MLB Ballparks

Forgotten MLB Ballparks: Crosley Field in Cincinnati

Crosley Field, formerly Redland Field, is perhaps one of the most historic yet least known MLB ballparks in baseball's history.  It's final structure was finished just as two other MLB ballparks opened; Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. Both Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are still in operation today. As the home of the very first professional baseball franchise, one would think the city would have a remembrance on the former site. However, there is very little remembering the old Crosley which stood on the corners of Findlay Street and Western Avenue.
Perhaps the most famous feature of the ballpark was the left field incline that rose 16 degrees. Baseball fans can get a general sense of what the incline was like by observing the center field slope at Houston's Minute Maid Park. In return, there is also a dedication to the terrace outside of Great American Ballpark complete with statues of Joe Nuxhall and Frank Robinson.
Home to the Reds from 1884 to 1970, Crosley was one of the smallest MLB ballparks in the country. It was named after Powel Crosley who purchased the team in 1934. Crosley would go on to be the first team owner to suggest and implement night baseball. He had to get permission from the league first but felt that with the Great Depression ongoing, the Reds would lose money if games would continue to be played during the day. Crosley was right - the ballpark was frequently over capacity for night games after the night lights were installed.
Of course, such large crowds presented a problem. Crosley was located on the West Side of town in more of a neighborhood setting as it was miles from downtown Cincinnati. There was very little parking for cars as traveling by train had decreased dramatically in the 1950s and 60s. During that same era, transplanted Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown was given the keys to an expansion team; the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals had no home, however, and part of the expansion plan was that a venue would be constructed for them. The deal came with perfect timing as the Reds were also looking for a new ballpark.
In 1970, both of Cincinnati's franchises moved to Riverfront Stadium which was located in a rather undeveloped part of the city. Riverfront was one of multiple MLB ballparks shaped like a cookie cutter. Those other ballparks were also home to the city's NFL franchise including Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh and Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The Reds went on to win three World Series titles while playing at Riverfront. It was demolished in 2002, the year before the Reds moved into Great American Ballpark.

MLB Ballparks

Forgotten NHL Arenas : The Hartford Civic Center

It's been 15 long years since the Hartford Civic Center was an NHL arena. After the Hartford Whalers relocated to Raleigh, the Civic Center has since been named the XL Center. Hockey is still being played there. The Hartford Wolf Pack, an AHL franchise, have been playing at the XL Center since the Whalers vacancy. Recently, the franchise was renamed the Connecticut Whale in honor of Hartford's former NHL franchise.
There have been rumors of the Whalers returning to Hartford, more specifically when the Pittsburgh Penguins were looking for a new arena to be built. However, doing so would be a poor idea only because the Whalers would still be stuck geographically between the New York and Boston markets. Finding a home for the Whalers is the biggest concern as the XL Center has been considered inadequate by NHL standards. The arena holds slightly more than 15,000; the same size of the MTS Centre, the smallest NHL arena.
The XL Center's lease with the city of Hartford will end next year. The city feels that a new arena will help attract new acts and possibly another professional sports franchise. More events would be great towards increasing profits for the city via tourism. There is currently a proposal for renovations to the facility in excess of 105 million dollars, an effort to attract a struggling NHL franchise like the Phoenix Coyotes in coming years.
The former NHL arena was known for it's great sight lines. Though the franchise had much more success in the World Hockey Association, the city of Hartford was a very loyal fan base, averaging close to 14,000 people per game during some seasons. The Whalers never made a Stanley Cup appearance and had only one playoff series victory. The franchise's most heated rivals were the nearby Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers; two of the original six. Games between these two teams were often sell-outs due to the proximity to both cities.
Whalers owner Peter Karmanos grew upset with the lack of corporate sponsorship for the team as well as the lack of season ticket packages sold per season. However, Karmanos only offered packages for the full season (41 games). Connecticut's Governor at the time was adamant about not using public dollars to fund a new arena for the Whalers. Why would a new NHL arena make sense when the attendance for Whalers games has been below average? Karmanos was also insisting that he receive assistance for revenue losses until the new venue was completed.
The final NHL game in Hartford was played on April 13th, 1997 when the Whalers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning. When and if the Whalers ever return to the city of Hartford  depends solely upon the completion of an extensive renovation of the XL Center or a brand new arena. There are many other cities with the same plans for a new NHL arena including Seattle, Quebec, Hamilton and Las Vegas. That's plenty of competition for an NHL franchise. For now, let's pay tribute to the only professional franchise to ever occupy the state of Connecticut; the Whalers.

 NHL Arenas

Forgotten NBA Arenas; General Motors Place

When you read the name 'General Motors Place', one would assume it as an NBA arena in Detroit, MI. But it isn't. Unlike most former NBA arenas, General Motors Place is still standing today but under a different name; Rogers Arena. Completed in 1995 at a cost of 160 million dollars, it would serve as home to the both the NHL's Canucks and the NBA's Grizzlies. General Motors had paid 18.5 million for the naming rights to the arena which has a capacity of nearly 19,000.
The Grizzlies only played six seasons in Vancouver. After failing to reach the NBA playoffs in all six seasons and having not one winning season, the attendance was extremely poor compared to most NBA arenas. When the lockout of 1999 hit, the Grizzlies were put into an even bigger hole and owner Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment sold the team to Memphis, TN.
From the get go, it had been apparent that hockey crazed Vancouver wasn't too crazy about the idea of professional basketball.The franchise was required to sell 12,500 season tickets prior to the beginning of 1995. With only 10,000 season tickets sold, a Canadian pharmacy chain gave the franchise a boost when they purchased the remaining 2,000 or so tickets. The Vancouver Canucks had also struggled to sell tickets upon their initial entrance into the league in 1989.
As previously stated, the 1999 lockout season was detrimental to the Grizzlies chances of staying in Vancouver. Averaging just over 13,000 fans per game, the Canadian dollar also began to weaken. In late 1999, the Grizzlies were sold for 200 million to Mr. Bill Laurie, owner of the NHL's St. Louis Blues. Laurie had the intentions of moving the Grizzlies to St. Louis but David Stern and other NBA officials did not approve of the move.
Rogers Arena was financed privately which meant no burdensome taxes on the Vancouver citizens. The arena is a beautiful venue with the North shore Mountains and the Strait of Georgia in the surrounding area. If you are hockey fan hoping to visit this former NBA arena, one can do so by visiting 800 Griffiths Ways in beautiful downtown Vancouver.

NBA Arenas
Rogers Arena Seat Reviews