Get rid of your suits, Steve. You're needed on the court. (Getty Images)

If you're wondering why Mike D'Antoni is sitting in his Lakers office right now, spinning in his chair with delight, it's probably because Steve Nash is close to returning to action.

The D'Antoni system, which has been predicated on quick decisions with the ball by a very talented point guard, is close to having its captain back. After starting to practice with the team yesterday (no scrimmages, just shooting drills and shell drills), Pau Gasol could be back tonight and Steve Nash is apparently looking good enough to be projected to return Saturday. Via Yahoo Sports:

Steve Nash is eyeing a return to the Los Angeles Lakers' lineup Saturday against the Golden State Warriors if practice goes well this week, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Nash, 38, had a light practice workload Monday. He has missed 23 games this season after suffering a fractured left fibula on Nov. 1 against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers might have three days' worth of workouts in between Tuesday's game against the Charlotte Bobcats and Saturday against the Warriors.

Nash returning to the lineup will finally give the Lakers a glimpse at what they can be offensively under D'Antoni's system. As much as we've seen Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, and at times Gasol trying to adjust to what is supposed to happen on the court, it doesn't really mean much if Chris Duhon and Darius Morris are the ones running the offense. Adding Nash to the mix not only means the Lakers offense should improve, but it also means opposing point guards will have to expend some energy defending the Lakers' point guard for once.

During his run with D'Antoni in Phoenix from the 2004-05 season through the 2007-08 season, Nash's teams had offensive ratings (points per 100 possessions) of 117.7, 111.6, 115.4, and 115.6. Nash is obviously much older now than he was back then, but his ability to run this offense forward and backward, combined with his incredible passing judgment and skill should turn up the effectiveness of the Lakers' attack while allowing them to not have to worry about defense so much.

That's not a great thing for playoff basketball but it works just fine for the regular season as they figure out just what it is exactly they should be doing.