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Derek Fisher has been responsible for more than a few moments that will be forever etched in Los Angeles Laker history.
Who can forget his magical playoff run of 2001, where after coming off an injury he shot 76 percent from three point range and seemed as if he couldn't miss?
What about his impossible shot in San Antonio that demoralized the Spurs and came with .04 seconds reading on the clock, that shot won the game and eventually helped clinch a tight series for the Lakers.
More recently his big three at the end of regulation in game four of the 2009 NBA finals that sent the game to overtime, where he hit another big three that sealed the game and proved to be the difference in the Lakers' championship that year.
For sure Fisher has carved out a spot in the heart of every Laker fan around the world, but where does that place him in the long stable of great Los Angeles guards?
His career scoring average is only 9.1 points per game which is not very impressive and his highest scoring average was only 13.3 points per game and that came when he was a guard for the Golden State Warriors.
His spot up jumper has been invaluable to his team, but would you put him in the same category as the incomparable Byron Scott, or better yet the often over-looked Jamal Wilkes?
Although he is a decent defender his defense is not even in the same universe as Michael Cooper, and as far as a set-up man, who in NBA history compares with Magic Johnson, who may be the best point guard to ever play in the NBA.
Fisher entered the league at the same time as Kobe Bryant, but as far as that goes that's about where the comparison between the two of them stop.
Kobe will go down as one of the best to ever dribble a basketball, while in truth Fisher is held much higher in the state of California than anywhere else.
He does have his faults and as a student of the game I can say that they are numerous. For one, he shoots the ball way to much, and a lot of the shots he takes are bad and ill-timed.
His defense was never great and as age has crept up on him his lack of foot speed has been exposed by any point guard that can walk and chew gum. What he does bring though is intangibles, something that can't be measured by statistics.
His knack for understanding momentum shifts has forced Laker coach Phil Jackson to keep him in games when it is evident that he is less talented than some of his back-ups.
His ability to go a whole game missing shots, and then perform when the stakes are the highest is something that can't be discounted. His performance in the Finals alone earned him respect throughout the league.
Fisher may not be as talented as the above mentioned guards but the kid from Arkansas-Little Rock has undoubtedly left his mark on the Laker franchise.
His heart is on the same level as Magic's and his shot, while not as good as Scott's has definitely left more memorable moments.
His defense is not like Cooper's but when the game is on the line he has come through with flying colors, and he has four championship rings just like Kobe.
Some would say that his play in the 2009 Finals was larger than Bryant's, and although I don't take that stance I would never deny the importance that Fisher played in the march to his fourth ring.
There may be Laker fans that are more entrenched and can wax poetic about the Laker greats of years past, but Fisher is a player that I have had the honor of seeing in person.
Although he will never have the assists totals of Magic or the sweet jumper of Byron Scott he will forever be a Laker great in my mind, even if he can never cut off the dribble like Michael Cooper was able to.
Laker fans should pay homage to Derek Fisher, one of the greatest Laker guards to ever play the game.
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