When Derek Fisher stroked two three-pointers in Game 4 of the 2009 NBA Finals, propelling the Los Angeles Lakers toward an eventual NBA Championship, it marked the greatest moment of a great career.
 Showing what the "d" in D-Fish stands for (Getty Images). |
But D-Fish isn’t ready for the sun to set on that career yet, as quoted in the LA Times and the Orange County Register:
“I’m definitely not shutting it down after this season,” Fisher said. “As far as I can tell, I count six fingers, so there’s a little bit left to accomplish.”
No. 2 talked to management this offseason to let them know that he has plenty of good basketball ahead of him. He plans to lead the Lakers into the 2009 season with the expectation to repeat as NBA Champions, as quoted in the Times:
“At this point, I’m just concentrating on the things I need to do to lay out the type of performance individually and having it fit collectively to make sure we win the championship.
“Anything short of that, anybody and everybody starts trying to find reasons why we didn’t. The first person they are going to point to is
[the point guard]. I’ve accepted it and I’m relishing the opportunity to continue to prove that age is not some kind of automatic you’ve got a sticker on your forehead that says you can’t play anymore.”COMMITTED TO THE CAUSE
In order to stay at his best and continue to provide the Lakers with quality play, Derek used this offseason to ramp us his training.Janis Carr of the Orange County Register talked with No. 2 about the specific things he did, including contacting Lance Armstrong’s strength and conditioning coach to work on his flexibility, mobility and strengthening his core:
“Fisher said he began wondering how individual sport athletes train, what is it they do that allows them to set world records at age 36, 37 or even 38 years old. And whatever they did, he wanted to try.
“As soon as I posed the question to myself, that’s when I started to think of myself as an individual athlete like a golfer or swimmer,” he said.
He later added that “if you’re willing to do the work and put in the time, it’s more than possible. The body is capable of so much more than we give it credit for.”
Derek’s commitment to continuing to grow and improve can be attributed to one of the strongest work ethics in the league. It stands as a model for his teammates and peers to follow. It also shows the importance of working on your game and staying active year-round, as quoted in the Pasadena Star-News:
“You can’t just show up at training camp and think your body is going to respond the way it needs to, to have the impact that you want to have I guess if I was just kind of hanging on, maybe the offseason wouldn’t mean as much to me.”
KEEP PUSHING
Behind D-Fish, the Lakers have plenty of depth and talent at the point guard position. Both Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown showed during the playoffs that they have the talent to start on many teams.But Derek doesn’t let the things that are outside of his control bother him he just focuses on being himself and playing his game. He’s aware that the rest will sort itself out as noted and quoted by Carr in the OC-Register:
“Fisher said also he isn’t bothered by younger players bucking for his job or opposing players testing his quickness on the court. He refuses to center on external motivating factors, because it might cause him to lose his desire to keep playing, to keep pushing him self.
“When I’m pushing myself through the worst of it, it’s really about me. That’s something I had to learn in my career and that was how to manage those outside peripheral things, like other players and opponents,” he said. “Those things don’t really matter at the end of the day.”
To his credit, D-Fish has the respect and admiration of both Farmar and Brown, as quoted in the OC Register:
“I don’t want him to slow down because he is our starting point guard,” Farmar said. “I really care about him as a person, so I want him to feel good about himself and play well. He’s on our team. I don’t wish any negative thoughts on him ever. I just want to play well also.”
The Lakers open the regular season a week from tomorrow on Tuesday, October 27 against the Clippers at Staples Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PST and the game can be seen nationwide on TNT.
Until then, three preseason games remain:
Tuesday, October 20 vs. Golden State in Ontario, Canada
Thursday, October 22 vs. Denver Nuggets in Anaheim, CA
Friday, October 23 vs. Denver Nuggets in San Diego, CARELATED STORIES
Lakers’ Derek Fisher is in prime shape to keep going (LA Times, October 6, 2009)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-fyi6-2009oct06,0,3680331.story
Fisher, 35, still runs the point (OC Register, October 7, 2009)
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fisher-farmar-guard-2596560-time-play
Lakers are on point with trio of Fisher, Farmar and Brown (Pasadena Star-News, October 7, 2009)
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/sports/ci_13502597