NBA Free Agency 2012: Cleveland Cavaliers Would Be Poor Fit for Derek Fisher

There appear to be several teams interested in the services of veteran point guard Derek Fisher, and chief among them is the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs would seem to want Fisher as a mentor for reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving, but there are much better options out there for Fisher.

According to Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Fisher has garnered a ton of interest from the Cavs, as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks. While Fisher would have a very admirable role in Cleveland, all of the other options give him a far better chance to win.

I can't speak for the 38-year-old Fisher, but at this point in his career I have to believe that another ring is what the five-time NBA champion desires. The Cavs are a team that appears to be on the ascent, but it is going to take time for youngsters like Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller to develop. Fisher could help in that regard, but I doubt that Fisher wants to spend his final seasons grooming others for the future rather than chasing titles.

It makes perfect sense that the Cavaliers would be interested since veterans Antwan Jamison and Anthony Parker are no longer in the fold, but I don't anticipate Fisher reciprocating. He would have a chance to start or at least receive large chunks of playing time in Chicago and Dallas, and he would be playing for contenders in Oklahoma City and Brooklyn.

Chicago in particular would be a great option for Fisher because he could start until Derrick Rose returns from his knee injury. I'm not sure if Fisher can hold up over an entire season as a starter anymore, but playing for the Bulls would be ideal because he could start for half the season, or however long it takes Rose to heal, and then he could revert to being a key reserve.

The Mavs would work as well since they are currently very thin at point guard. Jason Kidd spurned them in favor of the New York Knicks and they didn't have an opportunity to sign Jeremy Lin to an offer sheet. Now Dallas is stuck with only the inexperienced Rodrigue Beaubois and is in desperate need of a veteran presence like Fisher in the backcourt.

With so many potentially great teams in the running for Fisher, Cleveland seems like a huge long shot at this point. If the Cavs' youngsters reach their potential over the next few seasons, then they could very well be a force to be reckoned with in the near future. That doesn't really help Fisher, though, because the future is now when it comes to his NBA career.

It won't be easy for the Cavaliers to find another player on the market with as much winning experience as Fisher, but there are plenty of veterans still out there. I'm sure that several players would be happy to finish their careers in Cleveland as mentors, but for a guy like Fisher who is always in pursuit of that next ring, the Cavs can't provide what he needs.

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