Derek Fisher buys out his contract with Houston Rockets; Future uncertain – NBA Update
Derek Fisher has confirmed a buy out with Houston Rockets.
The 37 year old former Los Angeles Lakers point guard was rumoured to be considering a buyout after the Lakers decided to trade him to the Rockets on Thursday, and the situation finally panned tonight. Fisher’s manager Jamie Wior
said in the statement.
“After much discussion and expressing their desire to welcome Derek to their team this season as well as the 2012-2013 season, the Houston Rockets and Derek have negotiated a buyout,"
"Derek's desire to win a sixth championship is what drives him and will continue to drive him as he moves forward," He added.
After bringing in Ramon Sessions from Cleveland Cavaliers, the Lakers shipped the 16 year veteran to acquire backup centre Jordan Hill. The trade ended Fisher’s 13 year association with the Lakers in a period which saw him win
five NBA championships and establish himself as one of the team captains in the celebrated franchise.
Houston are currently on 8th place in the Western Conference and eyeing the playoffs. They were eager to acquire Fisher from Lakers to add some championship experience in their ranks. They have been yearning to add experienced
players in their roster and, especially after Kyle Lowry’s illness; they needed a point guard who could pull the strings.
Before being traded, Fisher played 537 back to back NBA games but he had been going through rough patch this season, averaging 5.9 points, 3.3 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. His best performance in the past three games was
11 points against New Orleans Hornets on March 14th.
Fisher has till now refrained from making any public statements about his trade, but is understood to have talked to his ex teammates Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Kobe expressed his shock at Fisher’s departure yesterday
and Gasol who had been at the centre of trade rumours ever since the season started expressed support for the point guard;
"I know it's hard to go through what he's going through," said Gasol, the subject of innumerable trade rumors himself. "We'll see what ends up happening with him, but I'm not sure what he wants to do."
For now, it is not clear what direction Fisher will take. He wants to be a part of system which has the capability to win the championship, but the question is whether any such team will be willing to invest on an option that is
way past the prime.
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