This transition, discussed for years, was set in motion with the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s playoffs. It happened despite the fact that several Lakers’ fans feel as if they have lost a member of their family and former L.A. guard Derek Fisher remains a fan favorite in Los Angeles. The former Laker did a lot for the team, but the fact of the matter is that the Lakers have been in need of a point guard for over a decade. Running the triangle offense – which does not need a traditional point guard – masked the team’s need at the position.
The trade deadline has come and gone. Every Laker fan knew that there would be some changes. This is where the “good news – bad news” conversation starts. The good news was that the trade deadline had passed and Lakers’ power forward Pau Gasol was still in a purple and gold jersey. The bad news (that no one saw coming) was that one of their core players, Derek Fisher, was traded to the Houston Rockets.
On one hand, you have to applaud what Lakers’ General Manager Mitch Kupchak was able to do. In two separate deals, Kupchak added a much-needed point guard in Ramon Sessions plus a combination of youth and depth for the frontline in Jordan Hill & Christian Eyenga, making L.A. a better team now and in the future.
The additions came at the expense of forwards Luke Walton and Jason Kapono, and guard Derek Fisher. In reality, no one expected Kupchak to be able to find a trade partner for Walton and Kapono’s contracts.
Fisher joined the Lakers in 1996 in the same year and draft as Lakers’ guard Kobe Bryant. The two have been in the same backcourt for the majority of their 16 NBA seasons. Derek Fisher is not only a player who contributed mightily to five Laker championships, he became a pillar in the community, scored over 10, 000 points, knocked down several huge shots in playoff games and provided countless memories. But he is also a high-character, class act. Fisher has earned a spot on the Mount Rushmore of Laker role players.
There is speculation that the Houston Rockets will buy out Derek’s contract. It would be nice to see him come back, sign a one-day contract and retire as a Los Angeles Laker. He departs the Lakers’ franchise ranking second in three-pointers made (846), fifth in games played (915) and seventh in steals (968). He holds the current iron-man streak with 538 consecutive games played (416 starts).
The Lakers could have handled matters a little bit better and maybe had a conversation with Fisher prior to the trade. The man has always been the consummate team player. But if the trade did not happen, the dynamic in the locker room would have been problematic.
How would you tell Lakers’ head coach Mike Brown in his first year with a new team to bench Fisher in favor of Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake? How could you tell Fisher that the lion’s share of the minutes at his position would go to Sessions with Blake as his backup? How could Laker management assume that sitting Fisher down – a longtime starter and team captain on the bench – would be acceptable to him?
It would have been nice for Derek Fisher’s career to end with him being instrumental in a successful Lakers’ championship run. Although this trade is far from a popular one, a move makes sense financially and, on paper, makes the Lakers a better team. The Lakers have now added more speed and quickness to the backcourt.