PHOENIX -- It's not lost on Jay Triano when he thinks about the number of individuals Steve Nash has helped line their pocket books.
Just about every fantasy geek knows how many points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals a player posts.
Websites like to pat themselves on the back for coming up with some mundane stat that means absolutely nothing.
But in the NBA, money is just as important as winning.
The two, naturally, go hand in hand.
No one has ever properly documented the countless millions coaches and players have earned by having Nash on their team.
Money, of course, was at the root of Mark Cuban's decision not to extend Nash in Dallas.
MISTAKE BY CUBAN
Nash wanted more years on a deal at time when Cuban felt Nash's shelf life as a frontline point guard was nearing its end.
The rest, as they say, is history.
In his second incarnation as a Sun, Nash's will, his presence and his skill have made many people filthy rich.
Mike D'Antoni was hailed as a coaching genius by introducing an uptempo system designed to heave shots within a seven-second window.
How would the basketball world view D'Antoni had Nash not been present?
Ask yourself just how successful D'Antoni has been in New York.
Ask yourself just how much better the Knicks, or any team that doesn't have a Chris Paul or a Deron Williams would be with Nash at its controls.
"Every guy he's played with, he's made them better,'' Triano said. "They've earned some big contracts."
There's Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw.
Shawn Marion owes a debt of gratitude to Nash. That's just a few of many.
Channing Frye has been reborn. Jared Dudley is a revelation.
The Suns were supposed to be in transition this year, but all they've done is become the NBA's early season surprise.
Triano isn't surprised that the catalyst has been Nash.
"Everything starts with him,'' Triano, who will get a courtside view of Nash's brilliance tonight, said. "He just finds a way to distribute the basketball.
"Ninety-five percent of the time, the ball is in his hands."
The Suns over-reacted last season by wanting to play more of a half-court game.
Terry Porter was brought in to replace D'Antoni and Shaquille O'Neal was acquired to provide a post presence.
The Suns ended as a non-playoff team.
Alvin Gentry is no fool.
When he replaced Porter on an interim basis, he put the ball back in Nash's hands.
As the team's full-time head coach, Gentry continues to rely on Nash.
No one is saying that Nash is the game's top point guard because he's not.
Paul is universally recognized as the best.
At the rate Nash is going, he may add a third MVP award, but the Suns aren't that talented.
Nash has elevated the Suns to a level no one thought possible.
The Suns are only 10 games into their season -- they've gone 8-2 -- and they have been exposed, albeit against the Magic and Lakers, the two teams that battled in the NBA final.
If Phoenix is to continue at its current pace, the word remarkable wouldn't do it justice.
But the odds are against them.
AGAINST THE CLOCK
Eventually, father time will catch up to Nash, who turns 36 in February.
This up-and-down style is very entertaining, but its playoff success is dubious because post-season basketball turns physical and into more of a half-court game.
"Last year, we were of two minds," Nash said. "We'd run, then we were post-up.
"Now, we have a singular vision. Our plan suits our players better. We're highlighting player strengths."
Added Gentry: "Steve Nash, I don't know what to say about the guy.
"I love the fact that everybody thinks he's getting older and a step slower."
FRANK.ZICARELLI@SUNMEDIA.CA
