"His Clutchness" Derek Fisher Is Back With the Los Angeles Lakers!

Ladies and gentlemen, Fisher is back in the building. The man who has brought you 5 NBA Rings, 2 in a row most recently, has decided that loyalty is greater than all.

It took a little persuading from the big man himself (Kobe), but in the end, the trip to Miami was nothing more than an all expenses paid trip to South Beach. Nice try LeBron. Meeting him at the airport was a nice touch, but did you think that was all it was going to take to get Fisher to leave his family?

When Fisher got off the plane wearing a “Los Angeles Lakers 2009-2010 NBA Champions” hat, you probably knew your fate was sealed. When you knew all you could offer him was the veteran minimum ($1.3M for Fisher) and “a chance for his sixth title”, you probably knew your fate was sealed. Fisher has the best chance in the league at title number six already sitting in his lap, along with 1yr/$2.5M offer from L.A. Granted, this offer from the Lakers wasn’t his ideal contract, in fact it was exactly half of he wanted, both in years and money per year.

Now when I say the trip was “nothing more than an all expenses paid trip to South Beach”, I also mean it was a negotiating tactic for Fisher and his agent Rob Pelinka. The Lakers reportedly upped the offer by $250k in the first year, and the new deal is also a 3-year deal, the final year being a player option.

Fisher and Pelinka played their cards right, even when they had no real leverage, besides the fact that Kobe basically made it law that he must return. After the Lakers signed 30-year-old point guard Steve Blake (@SteveBlake5 ), they had “less need” for Fisher. Which we all know is a load, just look up #BringFishBack on Twitter and you’ll see how Laker Nation feels about the thought of losing Fisher.

Now instead of getting teary-eyed at the departure of Fisher, and pulling a knife out of our back equal to the size of the one LeBron recently jabbed into Cleveland on national TV, we get to rejoice in his return. We are now able to sit back and remember his recent glory, his 18 and 22 point games against Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals this year. His 16 points in a big game 3 win over Boston in Boston. His tough driving layup over Garnett, Pierce and Big Baby Glen Davis. Dig a little deeper and you’ll remember him staring Jameer Nelson in the eye and draining all life out of the Orlando Magic in Game 4 of the 2009 NBA Finals.

Biggest of all, remember Fisher, and everything he has done for our team. What he means to us, the leader he is on and off the court. The way he rallies the team in pivotal moments, and how his confidence never wavers. That is what we got back today. One of the greatest Lakers of all time.