I think this is a faulty argument, as it assumes that there aren't other players who could hit big shots in the postseason (and be burned by quick PGs in the postseason and miss a lot of open looks in the postseason). $2.5M sounds about right for Fisher. There will be comparable players (with less impressive resumes) signing for around the vet's minimum.
Can they make speeches that the players will actually listen to, just in the case of Fisher or back it up in a game? (Game 4 vs Orlando, Game 3 vs Boston in both finals). Look Fisher is a role player and yes he's 36 years old but he's a gamer at the end of the day. The Lakers have just enough talent to win the championship, they could use someone who brings the intangibles to the teams and some order. He has his weaknesses and is one of the culprits of Lakers struggling but his positives trump his weaknesses on this team
wow, they couldnt get Phil to take one so they go after the next high profile guy.. hes invaluable to that team altho he isnt the greatest but he has championship mettle
Hmm agree with you on Steve Blake, the guy's so underrated here you'd think he was trailer trash. Sure he had a meltdown during the playoffs but he's not paid to handle that kind of pressure in the first place. Blake's a good pass first pg who has a nice stroke. As you said he's a cerebral player so I'm sure he'll be able to understand how to run the triangle offense. He's no lockdown defender, but at this point anybody is a better defender than Fisher. Definitely an improvement which mitigates yet another weakness of the Lakers. I'm sure next season we'll be talking about how good Blake is, and how he came out of the blue
No other team will pay Fisher more than 2.5M! Hell if the Lakers let him go he might have trouble getting a team to sign him! Why bid against yourself by dictating his value? That's what Atlanta, Memphis and Orlando did and they ended up paying Gay, JJ and Lewis more than they're worth. Gamer at the end of the day? What does that even mean? Does he play WOW after games like Yao Ming? LOL
He hit big shots and provided leadership. Saved the Lakers' from getting beaten down by Boston once more.
Because they're not the Lakers. Other teams don't have a dynamic player named Kobe who happens to be a close friend of his, has his trust and has been playing in the same team for 10+ years together. Other teams probably won't offer him that amount you're right but again this is a 1 year deal that I'm vouching for and he has made his case as to why he deserves it. Its an "in house" situation more than anything Gamer means a proven player
Why not? He's there to calm Kobe down and to sometimes come up big with clutch shots. He doesn't deserve $4 M a year to be Rafer Alston for the Lakers. It's business and the Lakers want more assets. They believe this to be the best avenue. It's nothing personal, and in business it should never be.
so true. if your can't beat them on the BB court, you can always make up things to be-little them. rignt on; i was actually thinking about the classy Seattle Sonics who decided to pay a some-time starter C McInvane more than the Shawn Kemp, the team's best player for the previous 5 years, and a multiple NBA all-star
Not sure about Ford, but Felton is definitely a better PG. If Lakers can have him for 2*5M, they'd do it immediately.
there are many good players worth 5 mil who are better than fisher but not all of them can hit big shots in the playoffs.
There is a reason why DF has 5 rings as a starting PG, its not only because he happens to play with Kobe or Shaq......... DF is the typically Triangle PG. Ability to hit the 3, big for a PG, moves without the ball well, initiate the pass, knows the triangle offense. It also doesn't hurt he plays with passion. If they were to bring a new starting PG, it would take the a new PG 2-3 years to learn the system. Some folks may say, "so what" you don't need a typical PG. Well you need one that understands the triangle offense enough for the Lakers to try and win another 1. Regardless if the Lakers get a new PG, this is a + for the rest of the league because it means 1 of the Starting , won't recognize certain plays, leading to broken Triangle plays, which may ultimately lead to key plays in playoff games that decide the series. DF is old, so the Lakers should find a new PG, but they ultimately should at least keep DF as a backup PG.
