Former Laker Derek Fisher to Join Dallas Mavericks

Derek Fisher was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers and won five titles in Los Angeles.

Five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher has agreed to sign with the Dallas Mavericks for the remainder of the 2012-13 NBA season, according to the Mavericks organization.

Some Lakers fans were, once again, disappointed that Fisher did not retire or end up with the Lakers to cap off his career. 

As to why 38 year-old Fisher did not simply retire after a successful NBA career than included five NBA Championships and eight trips to the NBA finals, only D-Fish can answer that one. Why he didn’t end up with the Lakers this time around is a much more straight-forward explanation.

Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers are currently a complete wreck at the point guard position, and Fisher may even help this team in the short-term. However, having two 38-year-old point guards on the team -- Steve Nash is also 38 years-old - is not ideal for a team that is already looking too long in the tooth.

Perhaps most importantly, Fisher is not the type of dribbling point guard that Mike D’Antoni’s system requires. Fisher can dribble the ball down the court, but he is not a driving, creating, and reading point guard. He hands off the ball, runs to the corner, and shoots the three. Simply put, Fisher is not the right man for these Lakers.

D-Fish is a career 37.3 percent 3-point shooter, so the Lakers may have gotten some benefit from signing him. However, his lack of pace, diminishing defensive skills, and possible bad blood with the Lakers organization guaranteed that Fisher and Kobe Bryant would not go to battle one last time. 

Still, Los Angeles will eternally love, respect, and appreciate D-Fish for providing the longest lasting 0.4 seconds in the history of basketball.

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