Steve Nash has said that he is still not sure when he will be able to resume playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The veteran point guard has been struggling with a long-term back complaint, restricting him to just six games so far this campaign.
The 39-year-old told the team's official website: "Nothing is guaranteed for me. I get these ideas in my head. At some point, I have to also realise [I need to] do the safest thing and the best possible opportunity to play basketball again rather than letting my angst get the best of me and jumping back in there.
"If it doesn't work this time, I really put the season in jeopardy and I'm back to square one with like three months left of the season. It leaves me a very little opportunity. I know I can get healthy. It's a matter of can I sustain it?
"Just trying to get that health under my belt for the amount of time where I feel confident where it can be sustainable is the tricky part and that's probably going to take a little while longer than I was hoping."
Earlier in the season, it had been feared that the problem may force him to retire.
Sian Cowper
