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Steve Nash invests with Joe Tsai in pro lacrosse team

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The relationship between Joe Tsai and Steve Nash as always been good. Now it’s been solidified even further. Nash has become an investor in his owner’s unnamed National Lacrosse League expansion team.

Nash was joined by NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky in investing in the box (indoor) team which will play at the Mandalay resort’s 12,000-seat arena. Tsai, Nash and Gretzky are all Canadian citizens.

Nash is also a minority investor in the MLS’s Vancouver Whitecaps and Spanish soccer team RCD Mallorca.

Tsai, who played lacrosse at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, is heavily invested in both the indoor and outdoor lacrosse leagues. Sportico, the sports business website, estimated his investment in the Vegas team alone at $10 million.

Although Sean Marks initially pushed for Nash’s hiring, the Nets head coach has been praised by Tsai. Nash, who finished sixth in Coach of the Year voting, has the highest winning percentage in franchise history. He won particular praise for managing the team through its continuous stream of injuries.

Nash’s staff —-eight assistant coaches and a number of player development assistants— is likely to undergo a significant overhaul with a number of NBA GMs looking to hire new head coaches.

As Marc Berman reports in the Post…

His right-hand man, Mike D’Antoni, is a top candidate for the Trail Blazers opening. D’Antoni’s agent, Warren LeGarie, is close with Blazers general manager Neil Olshey. In addition, coaching sources believe Nets assistant Ime Udoka has a legitimate shot at the Celtics job. Udoka had a strong showing when he was a Knicks candidate.

Jacque Vaughn is also viewed as a potential head coach. He was a candidate for the Pacers job last season. That job is open again.

Berman also quoted “one coaching source” as saying “It didn’t look like Steve had a Plan B, C or D,’’ referring to his decision to limit his rotation to eight players and have both Kevin Durant and an injured James Harden play all 53 minutes in the overtime loss. But Berman also admitted that “It was unclear if Harden had asked Nash to play the entire game and Nash didn’t address it during his postgame press conference.”

As Berman noted, the Nets didn’t have a single bench point. In fact, not one of their three reserves took a shot. Nic Claxton played only a few seconds as a defender on an inbounds play.

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