Lakers, Better Off with Blake
The Los Angeles Lakers has bolstered its bid for an unprecedented Grand Slam in the NBA, after the team booked free agent point guard Steve Blake. The former Los Angeles Clippers player reportedly agreed to a four-year, $16 million contract with the defending champions.
League sources say that the position was first offered to Milwaukee Bucks man Luke Ridnour, but Los Angeles has left the negotiating table and instead offered the deal to Blake.
With Blake in the line up, the Lakers obtained the kind of savvy point guard to eventually transition from Derek Fisher.
The Lakers enjoyed back-to-back championships Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown filling the point guard position. But all three became free agents after the 2009-10 season.
Fisher is currently fishing for another contract, after the veteran point guard turned down a one-year, $2.4 million deal from the Lakers. It is said that the Cavaliers and the Heat are currently in talks to gain the point guard’s services.
Lakers fans need not fear the eventual exit of Fisher, as Steve Blake suits the squad’s system very well. As always, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol will handle the scoring duties, while Blake is expected to help out in points production, make few mistakes and give effort on defense.
Fisher has been phenomenal in all three departments in the Lakers jersey, but at age 35 is losing what little quickness he had. In the 14 years he had spent in the league, Fisher is now a step slower than the likes of Nash, Rondo, Westbrook, and Collison.
If there’s one person who can replace Fisher, the best option is Blake. The player is a good point guard that can implement the triangle. He also shot 43 percent from the three-point arc last year, far better than Farmar’s percentage. He is a little prone to errors, but Steve Blake is still a system guy who can make good decisions with the ball. Blake is also better at defending when compared to Fisher.
With Blake in the fold, every player on the Lakers roster will get a chance to shine, courtesy of Blake’s unselfish plays. He will distribute the ball where it is needed, when it is needed. When his defenders slack off, Steve will gladly hit that 3. Back in college, Blake found a way to lead his team to a championship, despite having no NBA-bound players in the roster. He’s so good that he can make an average player look good. And in Phil Jackson’s system, he can definitely make some over-rated talents excel. We’re looking at you, Ariza and Brown.
The former Maryland Terrapin standout has an influx of energy that he will bring night in and night out for the Lakers. So they do not have to worry about their guards sloughing with Blake around. Their horrid fast break game will improve no doubt.
Some may contend that the Lakers are doing themselves a disservice by refusing to give Fisher a better offer. The veteran, after all, was effective during the last NBA Finals. His experience showed and it gave the Lakers some composure when it mattered.
But you have to remember that Fisher has been slipping during the entire season. It can be argued that his age is the culprit for his slide down. And you don’t want to deal with that down the line. The Lakers simply managed to hold down the D because of their formidable frontline. Thus, Fisher’s defensive liabilities were offset.
That being said, the Lakers will be better off with Steve Blake than with Derek Fisher. After playing solidly in Portland and the L.A Clippers, Blake looks ready for primetime basketball.
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