Derek Fisher understands what Lamar Odom is going through, and knows that the Los Angeles Lakers are better with Odom on the team.
That’s what No. 2 explained recently to the Los Angeles Times. As reported on Wednesday in a column by Helene Elliott:
"There’s no question that we need him back. We want him back," Fisher said. "If those things are in place, hopefully we can just go and get this done and put this behind us and start working on 2009-10."
 Derek and Lamar (Getty Images). |
Derek went so far as to say that Odom was arguably as essential to the team’s success as he was.
"As much credit as sometimes I get — probably more than I should — as far as my importance to the team from a spiritual perspective in our locker room and whatnot, I think Lamar is equally important," Fisher said.
"His personality and the way he carries himself. . . . Lamar is a very caring person and a lot of times he cares more about other people than himself. To have a guy like that in the locker room, a lot of times he’s an example for a lot of other guys on our team.
"And what he went through this past year, going to the bench — and I mean he’s an all-star caliber player — and in a contract year to come off the bench and he’d never done it before in his career, he did it as well as anybody could ever do it and his team won a championship at the same time."
SHOOTING FOR CHARITY
Derek helped kick off the Lakers’ upcoming 3-on-3 tournament Wednesday, an event held August 14 to 16 that will feature 70 teams, with all proceeds going to support the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
As related by the Orange County Register, it was David Arquette who got to play the role of No. 2 in the opening event:
Maybe it was the wind or the trajectory. Maybe it was the 100 or so eyes watching, not to mention the cameras that were rolling.
But as hard as he tried, Derek Fisher couldn’t bury a long-range shot from 33 feet high above L.A. Live and watched actor David Arquette celebrate the lone make during Tuesday’s publicity stunt to kick off the Lakers’ 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament.
Arquette, a regular at Lakers games, missed the first of his first four shots, hit the rim and backboard with his next two then buried the fourth. He raised his hands in victory and let out a primal yell from the third-story balcony.
"Now you know what it feels like to be Derek Fisher," said emcee Mychal Thompson, the former NBA player-turned-radio-personality.
RELATED STORIES
Derek Fisher takes a shot at keeping Lamar Odom (LA Times, July 22, 2009)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-elliott22-2009jul22,0,4634555.column
Can Lakers’ Fish make one from way downtown? (OC Register, July 22, 2009)
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fisher-shot-first-2502658-lakers-tournament