Why Derek Fisher's Time To Retire Has Come

Derek Fisher is no longer a weapon for the Lakers. He is more of a nuisance, actually. That's really hard to write down about Derek.

He's a great guy. He is the head of the Players Association. But the fact of the matter is that he doesn't cut it anymore.

He can't shoot consistently at a high percentage. And that is his bread and butter. His shot comes up short time after time. I would've thought Craig Hodges and Derek Fisher would have figured out why this has happened, and then fixed it. But it hasn't happened up to this point. Except for some occasionally good performances, most of them have been subpar.

Fisher keeps making poor decisions after poor decisions on the court. Against the Clippers, he looked like a rookie forcing the ball down low to Bynum. He really isn't as smart with the ball as we might've thought he was.

Then his defense is really becoming an issue. Fisher is losing his lateral quickness and therefore can't defend the speedier point guards. And he has always had an issue defending the bigger guards like Baron Davis and Deron Williams. Those two have thoroughly abused him. Especially Wednesday night, when Baron did anything he wanted on the court.

Some of you will point to Derek Fisher's clutch shots over the years as the reason for his use to the Lakers. But those shots only come 1 or 2 times a season. Kobe is the one that always gets the ball.

Some will also point to Fisher's leadership. I'm not going to slight that. He was a stabling personality in the locker room. He is the glue that holds things together. But he might as well make the transition to coach (like Brian Shaw) if that's all he's good for.

So, the big question is: Will Derek Fisher call it quits? I don't think he will. That's because of his love for the game. Also he probably still thinks he can play with the big boys.

The problem is is that he can't anymore.