Derek Fisher: Is he on the verge of an exit from the Los Angeles Lakers? – NBA Special Report
Derek Fisher.
He has been a Laker for a very long time now, and a great one at that, but it seems like the sun is finally setting on Derek Fisher’s career at the Los Angeles franchise.
A player, who will always be remembered for the “0.4” against the San Antonio Spurs, one that carved Fisher’s name in the annals of NBA and the Lakers history forever. That night, the Lakers took on the defending champions San Antonio Spurs in the game-5 of the Western Conference semifinals. With the series tied at 2-2 and the Spurs leading 73-72, Fisher caught the ball, turned, shot and nailed a jumper with just 0.4 seconds on the clock and the Lakers won. After that, he has seen many ups and lows in his career, mostly ups though.
Derek Fisher was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers back in 1996 as the 24th overall pick. Kobe Bryant was drafted 13th that very year and traded to the Lakers, who also acquired the now retired future Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.
Although those two became the face of the Lakers franchise for the next 8 years, Derek Fisher was an ever present force behind “the Diesel” and the “Black Mamba”. The Los Angeles Lakers went through one of their most successful periods in history with Fisher playing at the point guard position as they won the famous three-peat from 2000-to-2002.
Two title-less years followed which culminated in the breaking up of that team, with Shaquille O’Neal leaving for the Miami Heat and Derek heading to the Golden State Warriors.
Fisher however would come back in 2007 and the Lakers went to the NBA Finals that season, albeit losing to the Boston Celtics. The next season and the season after that, Los Angeles won the Championship, with Derek Fisher making big shots in the playoffs.
However, throughout the last season Derek’s aging legs have been a burden on the team. His inability to close down younger, more athletic point guards around the league has become a weakness for the Lakers that they can no longer turn a blind eye to.
Jason Terry’s nine three-pointer performance against the Lakers in the playoffs was perhaps the final nail in Fisher’s coffin.
He can no longer be relied upon and he can no longer be the starting point guard in this team if they are to achieve the kind of success they are used to. It’s a fact that’s not lost on the Lakers' management either.
They have already started building for the future, a future which doesn’t have Derek Fisher in it. The Los Angeles Lakers used their first two picks in the NBA Draft 2011 to get two young, energetic point guards in the form of Darius Morris from Michigan and Andrew Goudelock of College of Charleston.
Those two will probably serve as understudies for Fisher next season as he is given much fewer minutes on the court. The Lakers might even part with him completely if they can trade for a good point guard. However their rumoured targets, Chris Paul and Deron Williams, are both free agents next summer and it will make sense for the Lakers to wait until then.
In the meantime, Fisher should perhaps start a transition to the bench, not just in terms of playing time. There is no doubt that Derek Fisher could still land a playing job at an NBA team, but does he really need to?
Fisher has 5 NBA World Championships, he has been on the top for a very long time and he has become a legend at the Lakers. Does he really need to go and warm the bench at some other club?
The Lakers and Fisher will be best served if he were to join new coach Mike Brown on the sidelines this season or the next. His experience and leadership are invaluable for the Los Angeles Lakers and as a coach he could continue to provide those for the team.
Whatever the Lakers and Fisher decide, his time at the franchise as a player is coming to an end.
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