The Lakers recently announced the re-signing of their starting point guard Derek Fisher for a reported $10.5 million over 3 years with a player option for the third year.
Fisher reportedly met with Pat Riley to discuss joining the new 'super team' in Miami, leaving some fans with a bad taste in their mouths at the mere hint of him following the same path as 'The King' and turning his back on his home fans of 11 years.
Derek has a family and is nearing the end of his career, so it makes sense that he would explore all options to secure his family's financial future.
While many casual Lakers fans were not worried whether Fisher returned or not, it is the more astute fan who realizes how important he actually is to the organization that drafted him with the 24th pick of the first round way back in 1996.
This is the same draft that Kobe Bryant was picked at number 13 by the Charlotte Hornets and immediately traded to the Lakers for Vlade Divac.
Apart from brief stints at Golden State and Utah , Derek Fisher has played his whole career with Kobe Bryant at the Los Angeles Lakers. They are like brothers.
D Fish's playoff heroics and clutch shooting are well documented, so I'm not even going to go there. What I am interested in, is his presence and the leadership he brings to the Lakers.
Whilst Kobe is the un-disputed king of the Lakers organization, it is Derek Fisher who is the general.
After losing home court advantage against the Denver Nuggets in last years Western conference finals, they found themselves down 8 points heading into the 4th quarter of game 3, and staring down the barrel of a 2-1 series deficit. It was Fisher's inspirational speech to his teammates that changed the momentum of that game and perhaps the series.
Despite struggling all night on both ends of the floor, D Fish knew he had on...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
