Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Lakers and the point guard position – NBA Update
Point guard is about the most talent filled position in NBA at the moment.
With the likes of Derrick Rose, Chris Paul and Deron Williams ruling the roost and setting new standards, life has become a little difficult for the veteran swingmen, one of which is the Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher.
Fisher was a shadow of himself last season.
Deep into the regular season and then in the playoffs, he was completely out maneuvered by the opposition contemporaries and his performances have left a huge question mark over his role at the franchise, especially under the new
head coach Mike Brown, who will shelve the triangle offense system of his predecessor, Phil Jackson. The fact that Fisher will be 37 when the next season starts makes the situation all the more complicated for the NBPA president.
Naturally, point guard has become the most sought after position for the Lakers in this year free agency.
However given the new restriction on over spending teams in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), their hands are tied and bidding for the likes of Chris Paul and Monta Ellis seems out of question.
Recently, when mark Brown was asked as to who will be running the show for the Lakers at the position and the possibility of Fisher continuing in the starter role, the new Lakers coach was non committal;
"Possibly," he said. "I think when we get to camp and everything checks out, I'll have a better feel."
There are still some options for the Lakers though.
They can go after the Atlanta Hawks free agent Jamal Crawford and can even pursue Baron Davis, provided that the Cleveland Cavaliers use the amnesty clause on him. Then there is J.J. Barea, the reserve point guard who ripped the
Lakers apart in the Western Conference Finals last season.
However, the Puerto Rican star is also a temporary option.
One other course of action for the Lakers can be to groom their second round draft picks, point guard Darius Morris and shooting guard Andrew Goudelock, under Fisher and once next year’s free agency arrives, they can opt for a
more lucrative point guard.
Whatever the situation is, one thing seems sure that Derek Fisher’s days as a starting point guard are numbered.
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