How Many Lives Does Derek Fisher Have?
When the Lakers parted with Derek Fisher, I thought that was the end of his career. He's 37 after all, and has been bad (relative to other NBA players) for some time. But then, Oklahoma City gave Fish a $2.3 million deal. And now, D-Fish might even have a lifeline going into the future.
"Kobe Bryant is planning a hard push to recruit Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom back to the Lakers as free agents in the summer, a source familiar with Bryant’s thinking told NBA.com as Fisher prepares to return to Staples Center as a member of the Thunder.
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How is Fisher pulling this off? He's the unkillable zombie of locker room presence. While there have been a few point guards who played into their late thirties (Kidd, Payton, Stockton, Nash), most were All-Stars.
D-Fish was roughly average in his prime, and quite bad thereafter—save for a clutch bucket or two and the 2010 NBA Finals. Per some very informal research, Fisher is the longest going average PG since Avery Johnson retired in 2004 at the ripe age of 38.
In the past, I just wanted Fisher's career to end, and thought it unfair that he take up roster space over other, better alternatives. Now? I'm just impressed at how he's pulling this off.
