The Lakers stood pat at Thursday’s trade deadline, showing how much faith they have in Derek Fisher to lead them to another championship.
While No. 2 was always going to be in the starting lineup, the lack of a move for depth behind him, says ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, speaks volumes about how comfortable the Lakers are with D-Fish running the show.
"By not biting on the lure of Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich or Indiana’s Earl Watson, the Lakers essentially choose to ride with Fisher into May and June and hope he can deliver another round of playoff magic. Not because of some sentimental attachment but because they know the man and remember everything he has done since being drafted in 1996."
Fish has always come through for the Lakers as a leader, even when he doesn’t deliver on the court. After missing a game winning shot against the Celtics on Thursday, Shelburne said Fish’s off-court poise mattered much more than on court heroics.
"On a night like Thursday, when Fisher went 1-for-9 from the field and missed what could have been a game-winning buzzer-beater in the Lakers’ 87-86 loss to the Celtics, Fisher knew exactly what kind of questions were coming his way after the game but still coolly and calmly stood in front of his locker and answered all of them."
Derek understands, a loss after all is a loss, but after over a decade of experience, he knows that it’s only one regular season game.
"It is what it is, and I accept it for what it is," says No. 2. "I’ve just always believed in allowing my work over time and over my career to speak for itself, and I’ll continue to do so."
Derek is comfortable with his position because he’s already built up the kind of legacy that allows him to endure the occasional off night.
"If you’re confident in yourself and you know your teammates are confident in you, you take the shot and live with the consequences."
Of course, Thursday at Boston was a rare miss. The aftermath when Fish usually launches a game-winning shot is far more fantastic.
"Fisher can still remember the sound of an entire city cheering for him at the Lakers’ championship parade in June, the echo of his two game-changing 3-pointers in Game 4 of last year’s NBA Finals in Orlando and the quiet self-satisfaction he felt in the locker room afterward when his teammates shook their heads and happily muttered ‘He did it again.’ "
Just like he always seems to do it, be it against San Antonio in 2004 or five years later, draining a shot against the Heat to keep Los Angeles alive. But the biggest thing that sets Derek Fisher apart from his peers, says his coach is the man inside:
"Well, it’s just character," Jackson said last season. "We always said that character has got to be in a player if they’re going to be great players. You can’t just draft it. It’s not just about talent; it’s about character, and he’s a person of high character. He brings that to play, not only in just his gamesmanship but also his intestinal fortitude."
Character that allows him to face the music when he misses and character that allows him to hear the praise when makes it, which inevitably he will.
To read Shelburne’s entire must read piece, click here.
NEXT UP
After a full weekend of rest, the Lakers head to Tennessee to play the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow night. The game tip offs at 5 p.m. PST.
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