[::WORLD CHAMPION LAKERS OFF-SEASON THREAD: 2 Weeks Away From Pre-Season::]

The Clippers are not going to help us get Miller

come on now
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Originally Posted by Kookcle

The Clippers are not going to help us get Miller

come on now
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Click to expand...

Actually, Clippers are lacking a outside shooter aren't they (Vujacic)?  And, they are also short of SF like Lamarownsem mentioned? 
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With the the Lakers picking up the tab on Sasha
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   (I know)
Mitch has worked miracles before.
 

[h2]Lakers' Fisher has all the answers[/h2][h3]The veteran candidly answers questions about age, work ethic and contributions to L.A.[/h3]

By Ramona Shelburne
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Archive

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Evan Gole/NBAE/Getty ImagesDerek Fisher has played 14 seasons in the NBA with seven trips to the Finals and five NBA titles.

LAS VEGAS -- Derek Fisher speaks in paragraphs, not sound bites. Like his remarkable career, every answer is filled with an uncommon depth and thoughtfulness.

But on this afternoon, I expected him to be talked out. Less than a week had passed since the Lakers had closed out the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to win their second straight title, and Fisher had spent most of that time on a dizzying coast-to-coast run of public appearances.

After meeting with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and coach Phil Jackson for an exit interview last Thursday, he flew to Las Vegas for three days of meetings with the NBA Players Association meetings, helping the union draft a new collective bargaining proposal.

He granted this interview before all of that, so I had no idea how much energy he'd have left when we finally met at a corner table of this lounge inside the Wynn Las Vegas on Friday.

"You know," I said, as he walked over to the table, gripping a water bottle and still looking a bit sleepy. "You don't have to do all this. You could just take a week off after the season and sleep in."

[h4]ROAD TO REPEAT[/h4]
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ESPNLosAngeles.com chronicled the Lakers during the NBA playoffs with photos and game coverage. The gallery »

He laughed, knowing he still had a lot more to do in Las Vegas, and then a lot more to do this summer with a trip to China to represent the NBA at the World Expo in Shanghai.

"It comes with the territory," he said. "Being on a successful team, being president of the Players Association, going to China [on behalf of the NBA].

"As far back as I can remember, I've been more of a leader than a follower. I don't feel the need to walk anybody else's path but mine. In high school I took drama classes; I played in the band. I played the trumpet.

"I did stuff that I wanted to do. I didn't worry about how it looked or if that wasn't the cool thing. Even after all these years, even though I don't have to do some of the things I do in the community, or with the NBAPA, it's just … I want to do them."

There has been sacrifice involved in walking that unique path, but there has also been great reward. In his 14 NBA seasons, he has won five championships and the hearts of countless Lakers fans with some of the most memorable postseason moments and heroics in franchise history.

He has done it with class and grace, but rarely gaudy statistics or individual accomplishments.

Kobe Bryant may be the largest figure in the Lakers' locker room, but there is no voice that carries more weight than Fisher's. He speaks softly at times, but his words always stick.

And so it seems appropriate, as the Lakers deliberate his value to the team, to let him make his own case for returning.

His teammates and coaches have sung his praises endlessly. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has never wavered in his public admiration for him. Local and national columnists have made the case for him to stay.

I would add my own opinion to the chorus, but as always, Fisher's words will carry more weight.
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Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty ImagesDerek Fisher scored 11 points in the fourth quarter during Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Boston.

ESPNLosAngeles.com: You're 35 years old and soon to be 36. You understand why that comes up when people talk about contracts, right?

DEREK FISHER: Yeah, but it's almost like age discrimination in a sense, and people need to let that go. It's the performance; it's not the age. It's the success of my performance and the teams' [performance] that should be judged.

It doesn't matter if I'm 25 or 35 in terms of age, you don't need the birth certificate to figure out whether this guy can play. So for any critic or coach or GM or whatever, you're doing yourself a disservice if you're coming into a conversation with me focused on age.

I have and continue to prove all those theories wrong and the other shoe is not about to drop just because I'm about to turn 36, so don't wait for that. If you're waiting for that, it's not going to happen.
Q: So you feel as good now as a 25-year-old?

A: Physically I'm actually getting better. I mean, if you measured me running when I was 25, I might be faster than what I am now in terms of outright speed. Maybe dunking, too.

But so many other things have improved, I'm actually stronger, better, more mobile and efficient in my body movements, which is why I don't miss games. I've played 413 consecutive regular-season games, and I was just talking with Phil and Mitch about how with seven Finals appearances, that's 199 playoff games which don't get added into the consecutive games streak.
Q: OK, so what's the fountain of youth? What's making you feel so good?

A: I'm still kind of a junkie with the workouts. I like to get there a couple hours before everybody else and shoot or lift or do whatever I do.

I've learned it helps me stay mentally focused, and physically it keeps me in the same place -- in particular because in the regular season, Phil consciously limits my minutes. It's like I have to do the extra stuff even more, so that I feel like I'm still ready, like I can go.

My workload is really high. I don't sit out of practices. I practice every day, unless Phil basically makes me sit out.

If I'm playing shorter minutes in the game and it's one of those weeks we have four games in six days, we practice but it's not really a heavy practice, if I'm not doing my extra shooting and my extra working out, or extra lifting and stretching and all that, the body starts to settle in. I have to work in order to feel good. The more minutes I play, the better.

I'm worse at 20 minutes than I am at 38 minutes. My body is not even warmed up when I play 20 minutes.
Q: There was a perception that you guys had to win a title to ensure that Phil Jackson would be back. Did you feel the same way, that maybe you had to win a title in order to justify your worth to the team?

A: I felt like, and feel like, in conversations with Mitch [Kupchak] over the years, that I'd always have an opportunity to be a Laker regardless of the circumstances. But I did feel it was important to win a championship and perform at a certain level to assure myself that coming back was on my terms. As opposed to, the leverage is all theirs if we didn't win.

I've said in other stories, that I'm going to be the first thing that everybody points to if we don't win. Period. That was a big motivating factor for me.
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Getty ImagesDerek Fisher went through the gauntlet of point guards this postseason: Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Utah's Deron Williams, Phoenix's Steve Nash and Boston's Rajon Rondo.

Q: This was not an easy playoff run, especially for you in terms of defensive assignments. Russell Westbrook in the first round, then Deron Williams, Steve Nash andRajon Rondo. Did you draw any extra motivation from that?

A: Yes. Every round I anticipated more and more. In the West now that's how it is. Every night you've got one of those guys. But this particular time around, it was a buzz saw every time and I knew it was that way for a reason. The fire was the hottest at this point, for a reason. I walked right through it, and I'm still standing.
Q: OK, so how did you stop those guys?

A: I mean, you don't stop them. These guys are All-Stars. They average 19 points and 10 assists. It's not like they score 10 on average and then they play us and score 35.
Q: You take a lot of heat for your defense. But when Phil Jackson is asked about it specifically, he usually deflects the question and mentions things like "team defense" and rotations. Do you ever feel like sticking up for yourself when you get criticized?

A: Even with the criticism that comes with that every time, I'm a team guy. I'm not going to say it's somebody else's fault. I'm going to say, we have to defend better. We have to do this. Even when Shaq was here, at different times it was the same way. We'd struggle with our pick-and-roll defense because big fella wasn't going to come away from the basket. It wasn't because we couldn't guard pick-and-roll.
[h4]More on the Lakers[/h4]
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For more news and notes on the Lakers, check out the Land O' Lakers blog from the Kamenetzky brothers. Blog

Q: Offensively, your scoring has decreased each of the last three seasons. [Fisher averaged 11.7 points in 2007-08, 9.9 the next year and 7.5 this season]. Can you see why people would think you've dropped off a bit?

A: What those people don't understand is that what I had to do for our team to be successful when I first came back is a lot different than now. Now, we have one of the deepest teams in basketball. What some people will try to do is say that he's slowing down because his points per game went down each year and I'm saying, "No, the Lakers got better each year so I didn't have to score as many points.''

If you have Ron Artest and Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, how many points do you think we're going to score? I'm the most mature, most experienced person. I'm not worried about All-Star games or MVPs or bonuses in terms of individual accomplishments. But I understand my counterparts wanting to focus on those things. I understand why Andrew Bynum wants to be an All-Star. I get that. Lamar Odom wants to be an All-Star. Kobe is an All-Star with his eyes closed. Pau Gasol wants to be an All-Star.

So I'm on a team with four or five All-Star players, I don't have to score points. But if necessary, I can. There's no question about it.
Q: OK, quick break from questions about your age and whether you're over the hill. I hear you live way out in the San Fernando Valley. What's that, like, an hour to practice every morning? I was born in the Valley and I like it there. But you know, like, there's kind of a stigma to living there.

A: I think it's just a certain lifestyle that I think is important for when you have a family and kids. Then again, even before I was married, I was in the Valley, too. I think being from Little Rock, Arkansas, it's important for there to be grass and trees and a little bit of a slower feel to where I live as opposed to being in the city in a penthouse-townhouse kind of place.
Q: Would you still live there now if you didn't have the family?

A: No, Even though I'd be drawn to that area I've learned a lot more of how important it is to manage your rest and your body and your time. So two to three hours out of the day in the car wouldn't be at the top of the list, but for them it's more than worth it.
Q: OK, back to the interview. Sorry, I'd always wanted to ask you about that. Does it hurt you at the trade deadline when you constantly hear whispers about the Lakers needing to upgrade at point guard? Or like now, when there is so much talk about free agents the Lakers could sign?

A: Nah, because I don't really get overly concerned with who can come in and do what I do better than me or replace me. You could try something different, but you cannot go out and find what I do, period. Regardless of what you try or who you try to get, it won't be the same. It might look different. It might even look better, depending on the packaging. But it won't be what I do.
Q: Game 3, Boston. I could ask a question about it, but really, what's left to say?

A: You know, I've been fortunate enough to have some great moments in big games, and great experiences in my career. But in the Finals, Lakers-Celtics, on the road, that's just… Which is where I think the emotion came from. It was just a microcosm of my whole life. At the cusp of -- maybe he can't -- I'm at my best. It was just so gratifying to help us win that game in that manner.

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/columns/story?id=5355999

Ramona Shelburne is a reporter and columnist for ESPNLosAngeles.com.
 

[h2]Note to the Dr. (Buss): Sign Fisher[/h2][h3]Derek Fisher is the Lakers and deserves to finish his career in Los Angeles[/h3]

By Arash Markazi
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Archive

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AP Photo/Richard VogelAdam Morrison and Sasha Vujacic made more money than Derek Fisher last season.
Dear Dr. Jerry Buss,
I appreciate you taking a break from the poker table and the trio of Hawaiian Tropic models who are no doubt keeping you company while you play Texas Hold 'em at some casino. I promise I won't take too much of your time.

I'm writing you in regards to Derek Fisher. You know, the little old point guard on your team you probably curse under your breath for five months during the regular season before he hits big shot after big shot during the playoffs en route to winning another championship? Yeah, that guy.

Well, as you know, his contract is up and it seems you and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak are suffering from a case of amnesia when it comes to negotiating a new deal for him. It's understandable. It was a long season and you may simply be relying on numbers, which aren't exactly in his favor, such as his age (35) and statistics (he averaged close to career lows of 7.5 points and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 38 percent from the field last season).

[+] Enlarge
Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesPoint guard Derek Fisher has won five NBA titles with the Lakers. He deserves better.

There is no box score, statistical analysis or spreadsheet, however, that can truly quantify what Fisher means to your team. Simply put, you can't win a championship without his leadership and calming presence on and off the court. All the money you've spent signing Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum,Ron Artest and Lamar Odom along with the recent re-signing Phil Jackson is all for not if you don't re-sign Fisher as well. He is the glue that keeps this team together, and if you think he's easily replaceable, look at how your team did during the three years he was gone and how successful you were in the postseason with guys like Smush Parker and Chucky Atkins as your starting point guard.

Fisher is the most respected player in the Lakers locker room and is the one player everyone on the teams listens to whenever he gathers them together. (In fact, he's the only player Bryant will even pay attention to when he needs to be criticized or critiqued.) His speeches before, during and after games are almost as legendary as his big-game heroics. It isn't a stretch to think the Lakers probably wouldn't have won either of their previous two championships if Fisher weren't on the team. In fact, Bryant would be the first to tell you it wouldn't have been possible without him.

Now I know you want Fisher back and I know you know Fisher wants to come back, but you shouldn't use that as a reason to lowball him. Fisher was paid about $5 million last season, less than what Adam Morrison made and less than what Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton will make next season. All he wants is to be paid the same amount next season. It isn't a high number for a starting point guard with five championship rings to his credit, but you are disrespecting him by scoffing at his request and offering him a one-year deal for $2.5 million.

This really isn't about the salary figure for Fisher; it's really more about respect at this point. Fisher gave up roughly $8 million over three years to come back to the Lakers when he left Utah three years ago to take care of his daughter, Tatum, who had been diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer. Since his return, the Lakers have gone to three straight NBA Finals and won the last two titles in large part due to the timely speeches and shots made by Fisher. He's not asking for a raise or to be paid on par with the starters he has had to carry on his back at times; he's simply asking for a fair deal. He's asking you to not make him beg for what he's earned; he's asking you to not embarrass him by publicly making him take a 50 percent pay cut. He's asking you to simply respect him as much as his teammates and coaches do.

[h4]ROAD TO REPEAT[/h4]
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ESPNLosAngeles.com chronicled the Lakers during the NBA playoffs with photos and game coverage. The gallery »

It isn't hard to do right by Fisher. You just agreed to a four-year, $16 million contract withSteve Blake, a solid complementary point guard who may one day be Fisher's heir apparent but in no way comes into the locker room or huddle with the same clout.

I know you don't want to give Fisher a long-term contract, but he would jump at a 2-year deal for $8 million. Such an agreement would not only keep Fisher happy but allow him to retire as a Laker and allow him to return to the team with his head up instead of answering questions about his new backup making almost twice as much as he does.

I know you're trying to be shrewd in your spending, but I'm also confident you won't let one of the most beloved players in team history leave over $2 million when that's about the same amount the team earns for a home playoff game. It's an amount he's probably helped you make 10 times over by extending a playoff series or forcing a Game 7 as he did during the NBA Finals with his emotional performance in Game 3 in the Garden, giving the Lakers their first win against the Celtics in Boston since Magic Johnson's baby skyhook in 1987.

You've taken care of every one on your team. You gave lucrative contract extensions to your top players. You made sure Jackson's eight-figure salary was still intact if he wanted to return. You've even taken care of soon-to-be former players like Jordan Farmar by granting his wish by not tendering him an offer and making him a restricted free agent even though it would have made the most business sense to do so.

Now it's time to take care of the player who has been as important and integral to this team's success as anyone else. Don't embarrass him by cutting his salary in half or anger him to the point where he is forced to leave to save face.

Do the right thing. You should know by now he'll return the favor when it matters most.

Sincerely,


[h3]Arash[/h3]
Arash Markazi is a columnist and reporter for ESPNLosAngeles.com




http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/columns/story?id=5352738
 
not to happy about blake, we could have got Luke Ridnour but it is what it is. i just hope this does not mean farmar or sasha will definitely NOT be back
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What is it with Luke Ridnour that fascinates y'all?

have you watched the guy play?

Y'all are on the verge of destroying your computer screens when you watch Fish and Farmar play D, wait till yall see ridnour.

Luke Ridnour couldnt guard the garbage bin even if he tried.
 
Originally Posted by mogzz04

What is it with Luke Ridnour that fascinates y'all?

have you watched the guy play?

Y'all are on the verge of destroying your computer screens when you watch Fish and Farmar play D, wait till yall see ridnour.

Luke Ridnour couldnt guard the garbage bin even if he tried.
Click to expand...
THIS
I think Steve Blake brings a certain toughness to this team.  He was asked to guard Kobe on certain occasions and didn't back down. Him and Pryzbila (sp?) used to train with UFC dudes so he definitely has a tough mentality. 
 
Seriously, it would ruin my year if Fish signs with another team.

This is not right, you don't low ball on of the major key players from your championship team.

I hope Buss knows what he's doing, and this is just his bluff.
 
Derek Fisher went through the gauntlet of point guards this postseason: Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Utah's Deron Williams, Phoenix's Steve Nash and Boston's Rajon Rondo.
Kobe guarded Westbrook and Rondo and sometimes D. Williams.
Click to expand...
 
Originally Posted by goukiteg

Derek Fisher went through the gauntlet of point guards this postseason: Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Utah's Deron Williams, Phoenix's Steve Nash and Boston's Rajon Rondo.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Kobe guarded Westbrook and Rondo and sometimes D. Williams.


So what if kobe guarded them sometimes. It's not all about that. Fish is important to this team. If you don't believe me watch what happens next year if he walks.

He wants 10 mil for 2 years? Give him 7.5 over 2 years.

This reminds me of LO last year. We found a way to get that done so I know we will find a way to get this done.
 
No way in hell did Phil or Kobe sign up for another year if it didn't include Fish.


Hoopshype rumored again that Matt Barnes STILL wants to be a Laker. I doubt it happens, but if he takes a pay cut and a 1 year deal it could happen.
 
Originally Posted by tupac003

Originally Posted by goukiteg

Derek Fisher went through the gauntlet of point guards this postseason: Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Utah's Deron Williams, Phoenix's Steve Nash and Boston's Rajon Rondo.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Kobe guarded Westbrook and Rondo and sometimes D. Williams.
Click to expand...

So what if kobe guarded them sometimes. It's not all about that. Fish is important to this team. If you don't believe me watch what happens next year if he walks.

He wants 10 mil for 2 years? Give him 7.5 over 2 years.

This reminds me of LO last year. We found a way to get that done so I know we will find a way to get this done.

Exactly.

They let the market dictate LO's worth.   Once Miami gave their offer, the Lakers showed him the money.

We'll see.  I don't think Fisher wants to play anywhere else anyway.
 
imagine if we signed, ai, tmac, shaq and JO to minimum deals, our second unit would be

pg- ai
sg- tmac
sf - lo
pf -jo
c - shaq
 
Originally Posted by starscream211

imagine if we signed, ai, tmac, shaq and JO to minimum deals, our second unit would be

pg- ai
sg- tmac
sf - lo
pf -jo
c - shaq
Click to expand...
Too many crying for the ball.
 
Originally Posted by FrenchBlue23

Originally Posted by starscream211

imagine if we signed, ai, tmac, shaq and JO to minimum deals, our second unit would be

pg- ai
sg- tmac
sf - lo
pf -jo
c - shaq
Click to expand...
Too many crying for the ball.
Click to expand...


they would all be injured after the first 5 games
 
Originally Posted by NIMO007

Originally Posted by FrenchBlue23

Originally Posted by starscream211

imagine if we signed, ai, tmac, shaq and JO to minimum deals, our second unit would be

pg- ai
sg- tmac
sf - lo
pf -jo
c - shaq
Click to expand...
Too many crying for the ball.
Click to expand...


they would all be injured after the first 5 games
Click to expand...
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THIS!
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Originally Posted by tupac003

Originally Posted by goukiteg

Derek Fisher went through the gauntlet of point guards this postseason: Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Utah's Deron Williams, Phoenix's Steve Nash and Boston's Rajon Rondo.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Kobe guarded Westbrook and Rondo and sometimes D. Williams.
Click to expand...

So what if kobe guarded them sometimes. It's not all about that. Fish is important to this team. If you don't believe me watch what happens next year if he walks.

He wants 10 mil for 2 years? Give him 7.5 over 2 years.

This reminds me of LO last year. We found a way to get that done so I know we will find a way to get this done.

Oh I agree with you. His leadership and heart mean more to the team than anything else, but don't act like he was the main defender on these guys. We were all yelling at how Fish was getting beat by the elite guards in the league, don't change the tune now. We want Fish back for other reasons.
 
Originally Posted by goukiteg

Derek Fisher went through the gauntlet of point guards this postseason: Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Utah's Deron Williams, Phoenix's Steve Nash and Boston's Rajon Rondo.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Kobe guarded Westbrook and Rondo and sometimes D. Williams.



and fisher is the guy that made allen go 0 for 12 in game 3. blake could never guard bigger guards.
 
Originally Posted by cruzair13

Could we sign redick?
or is he asking more than we can offer?
Click to expand...

Redick is going to get overpaid by the Magic, or some other team.  Book it. 
 
I really wonder about AI...

I mean its a big name, he will come cheap and he could maybe be a spark off the bench. Allen Iverson was my favorite player as a kid. I would love to own an authentic Iverson Laker jersey.
 
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