Derek Fisher 2.0?

The 1996 NBA Draft will forever stand out in the minds of Lakers’ fans as the day Kobe Bryant entered the NBA, drafted by the then-Charlotte Hornets who proceeded to trade him to the Lakers 15 days later. The Lakers had their own selection in that draft as well, using the 24^th overall pick in the first round to draft an unheralded point guard out of the University of Arkansas, Little Rock- some guy named Derek Fisher. Fisher went on to spend the first eight years of his career with the Lakers, teaming with, among others, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Robert Horry to win three NBA championships (2000-02).

Fast forward to the 2006 NBA Draft. A decade after drafting Derek Fisher, the Los Angeles Lakers, picking 26^th, again used a late first-round selection to add a point guard to the roster- this time selecting Los Angeles native Jordan Farmar from UCLA. After a decent-but-mostly-uneventful rookie season in which he averaged 4.4 points, 1.9 assists (vs. just 1 turnover) and just over 15 minutes per game, Farmar dedicated himself to improving his game and his conditioning as much as possible the off-season, even joining some fellow NBA players in Bora Bora for some intense yoga sessions. He reported to training camp ready assume an increased role with the Lakers and wasted little time in showing off the improvements he’d made over the summer, more than doubling his scoring and assist averages in the preseason, in only about 5 more minutes per game. This improvement looks to have carried over to the beginning of the regular season as well, with Farmar averaging 7 points, 2.6 assists (down from about 4 in the preseason, although his assist/turnover ratio is an impressive 2.6:1) and shooting just under 50% from the field (up from just 42% as a rookie) in just under 20 minutes a game. And frankly, Jordan Farmar’s statistics do not do justice to the quality of his play and the strides he’s made as an NBA point guard! Jordan Farmar’s rather modest 12 point, 4 assist stat line is dwarfed by the incredible role he played in sparking the Lakers to their November 4 victory over the Utah Jazz. Watching that game, you’d swear he had 12-and-4 in just the fourth quarter!

So what’s the significance? What’s the connection between Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar? Well, consider Farmar’s on-court demeanor and style of play, the fact that he, like Fisher, seldom, if ever makes a mental mistake. Though Fisher wasn’t necessarily a deadly outside shooter, if Kobe was not an option, most Lakers fans preferred that Fish take the big shot. And though Fisher never put up eye-popping, Steve Nash-type assist numbers (his career high is just 4.3 apg), but it seemed like he was always there to make the key pass.

Again, the importance? Two days after the ten-year anniversary of the 1996 NBA Draft, the Lakers seem to have duplicated the feat by drafting the man who looks poised to become the next Derek Fisher!

Something's Happening Here...

There’s something happening with the Lakers. Three games into the season is clearly too early to make any bold proclamations about a team’s fate over the long run, but the about-face performed by Los Angeles’ Lakers’ over the past week, in the face of constant distractions, has been as nothing short of phenomenal. A young team with a disgruntled superstar, who’s been called selfish by his detractors in the best of times, has gelled into a selfless, cohesive unit, seemingly overnight. Kobe suddenly seems to trust his teammates- and they’re proving themselves worthy of his trust. All of a sudden, this is a pretty dangerous team!

The off-season was dominated by Kobe Bryant’s trade demands, the organization’s statements about its apparent willingness to trade him, the subsequent in-house feud between Kobe and the Lakers’ front office, with the media there to document and magnify every non-event. The start of the regular season did nothing to diminish the chaos and the Lakers turned in an opening night performance against the Houston Rockets that, despite a brilliant comeback in the final 90 seconds, could best be described as uninspiring. Against this backdrop, the team’s next two games of the young season would consist of a trip to Phoenix and a visit to Los Angeles from the Utah Jazz, yet another Western Conference contender. It was hard to see anything but a disastrous start to the season for the Lakers. That’s when (for now at least!) the worm began to turn.

In the two days following the Lakers’ season-opening loss, while everyone was speculating that it was only a matter of “when” and not “if” with regards to a possible Kobe Bryant trade, a funny thing happened- Kobe’s rumored suitors saved the Lakers’ locker room. On Halloween, Mark Cuban announced that his Dallas Mavericks, one of the three destinations on Kobe’s “wish list”, would not be pursuing a trade for the Lakers’ superstar. The following day, John Paxson, GM of the Chicago Bulls’, the most frequently rumored destination for Kobe, announced that the Bulls were also putting an end to their pursuit of Kobe. These two events didn’t put an end to all the turmoil in LakerLand, but they allowed the Lakers (and Kobe Bryant in particular) to relax and make basketball their primary focus again.

The night following John Paxson’s statement, November 2, the Lakers took the floor in Phoenix as heavy underdogs against a Suns team that had thoroughly dominated them in the teams’ first-round playoff matchup last spring. Few, if any, expected the Lakers to be competitive, let alone victorious in Phoenix, which made their spectacular blowout win over Suns, in which they led by as many as 31 in the fourth quarter, an absolute shocker. If that weren’t enough, the fact that no Laker scored as many as 20 points and Kobe Bryant led the team not in points, shot attempts or minutes played, but assists, made the evening feel particularly significant.

The Lakers returned home to face the Utah Jazz, one of the NBA’s top teams, two nights later. The Jazz, who are extremely versatile on offense, not to mention a much stronger rebounding and defensive team than the Suns, figured to bring the Lakers back to Earth. In a much more competitive game than the contest in Phoenix, the Lakers and the Jazz locked up in a very entertaining game that really tested both teams. Kobe Bryant led six Lakers (SIX!!!) in double figures with 33 points (he also added 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks), with fellow starters Derek Fisher (19 points, 5 assists), Luke Walton (10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) and Ronny Turiaf (10 points, 4 rebounds) joining him with double-digit points. However, the biggest impact from the Lakers’ supporting cast was by two of the team’s young reserves, Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar. Despite fouling out in the fourth quarter, Bynum was almost unstoppable, making six of seven shots on his way to 15 points, while adding 9 rebounds in just 19 minutes. Also, with Derek Fisher on the bench in the second half, Jordan Farmar was able to step right in and take command of the team, scoring 12 points, handing out 4 assists and helping spark the Lakers to 73 second half points and a relatively easy 10-point win.

Needless to say the Lakers must manage to build on this early-season success by continuing this run of outstanding play against the remainder of the league as well. Their next two games, both at Staples Center, will see the Lakers take on Chris Paul the 3-0 New Orleans (which should be quite a challenge), and then the winless Minnesota Timberwolves. With the schedule poised to take a far more difficult turn in the coming weeks, it is very important that the Lakers take advantage of every winnable game they play. However, regardless of what happens in the short term, the 2007-08 Lakers have shown that despite not having many household names, there is certainly a good amount of talent on this team. If they continue to play the same brand of passionate, selfless basketball we saw over the weekend, this team could exceed everyone’s expectations.

Don’t look now, but there’s something happening in LakerLand…

Derek Fisher Looking Like the Lakers' MVP

For all the talk about his mental and emotional impact on the Lakers, Derek Fisher’s on-court contribution could be even bigger in 2007-08. Entering the season, Fisher’s return to the Lakers was supposed to be as much as a mentor to the team’s young players and stabilizing influence in the locker room as a full-time point guard, but after his 17-point, 4-steal, 1 turnover performance on Tuesday night, it looks like his acquisition could pay its biggest dividends in the form of his on-court production. With Jordan Farmar not quite ready to take over the full compliment of responsibilities that go with the position and 2007 first-round selection Javaris Crittenton still in need of quite a bit of seasoning before he can become a regular contributor, the Lakers may look to Derek Fisher to play 35+ minutes a night and score 12-15 points per game.

The Season Opener

Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers still had Kobe Bryant, but not lamar Odom, as they tipped off the 2007-08 season with a 95-93 loss at Staple Center against the Houston Rockets. After leading for much of the first half, the Lakers were outplayed in the third quarter, trailing by as man as 14 points. Trailing by 12 points with nine minutes remaining, the Lakers looked to be fading fast and on the verge of getting blown out in their home opener. Despite stemming the tide over the next 7:30, a bucket by Yao Ming with 1:36 remaining had the Lakers trailing by the same twelve point margin, 92-80.

At that point, thanks to some outstanding defense by the Lakers, along with some poor execution by the Rockets, the Lakers launched what was shaping up to be a miraculous comeback. After a 3-point play from Kobe Bryant made the score 92-83, Luke Walton and Jordan Farmar executed a beautiful trap on Tracy McGrady, with Farmar coming away with the ball and kicking it ahead to Kobe on the right wing. Kobe buried a 3-pointer to pull the Lakers to within 6 points with more than 1:25 remaining. The Rockets turned the ball over again on their trip down the court, as Derek Fisher stripped the ball from Yao Ming. Fisher got the ball ahead to Farmar, whose layup cut the Rockets’ lead to just four points. With 35 seconds remaining, Jordan Farmar fouled Houston’s Mike James, putting the career 80% free throw shooter on the line for two shots. Rather than ice the game, James missed both free throws to continue the Rockets’ implosion. The rebound went to Kobe Bryant, who made a driving layup at the other end, makingt he score 92-90. Following a time out, the Lakers capped off the rally by forcing Rafer Alston into yet another Houston turnover in the corner. After Derek Fisher’s steal with 22 seconds left, Kobe brought the ball up the court and found Fisher on the right wing for the game tying (if only his foot hadn’t been on the 3-point line, but behind it!) jump shot from Derek Fisher! 92-92!!!

Sadly, this is where the night peaked for the Lakers. With 13 seconds remaining, Tracy McGrady brought the ball up the floor for the Rockets and found Shane Battier a few feet behind the 3-point line on the right wing. With the clock winding down and a hand in his face, Battier put up a high, arcing 3-point attempt that found its mark- Rockets lead, 95-92 with 2.5 seconds left. After a timeout, Battier took an intentional foul on Kobe Bryant before he could attempt a game-tying 3-pointer (an effective, obvious but seldom-used strategy- seriously, why don’t more teams do this?) with 1.5 seconds remaining. After making his first free throw, Kobe intentionally (and beautifully) missed the second attempt, managed to get his own rebound, but had his shot blocked from behind by Rafer Alston as time expired.

The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant (surprise!), who scored 45 points, although he made just 13 of 32 field goal attempts and 18 of his career-high 27 free throw attempts. Kobe also added 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals to his stat line. Derek Fisher was also a huge contributor for the Lakers, scoring 17 points on 6-9 from the field and getting 4 steals. For the Rockets, other than the obvious hero Shane Battier, the team’s superstar duo of Tracy McGrady (30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and Yao Ming (25 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots) was the driving force behind the victory.

Hey, Who Are Those Guys With Kobe?

Enough about Kobe Bryant! Well… at least for today. With all talk about the Lakers this offseason focused on Kobe’s future, it’s easy to forget about all the other players on roster. While Kobe is obviously still the focal point of this team, the supporting cast’s ability to make plays will ultimately determine just how far this team goes.

So just how good are these guys? A breakdown of the non-Kobe Bryant Lakers roster:

In The Backcourt

• Jordan Farmar- Last season’s first-round pick had minimal impact as rookie (15 min/gm, 4.4 ppg, 1.9 apg), but Farmar is a solid floor leader who’s played extremely well in the preseason, averaging 9.5 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in just 19 minutes per game. Preseason stats, though generally worthless, can be useful in identifying the emergence of second and third-year players. If his preseason play is for real and Farmar can play at this level for 25 minutes a night, he’ll be a big part of this team.

• Derek Fisher- His veteran presence on and off the floor, championship experience, as well as his relationship with Kobe Bryant will prove invaluable to the Lakers. Toss in the fact that he still has some game (10 ppg, 3.3 apg in 2006-07), and Fisher could be one of team’s most valuable players in 2007-08.

• Sasha Vujacic- After three seasons with the team, Vujacic hasn’t managed to develop into anything more than an occasional contributor. What’s worse, it’s unclear exactly what type of player he is- he’s not a pure point guard or a pure shooting guard, and his all-around game isn’t not good enough for him to be a combo-guard. This is probably his last season with the Lakers.

• Javaris Crittenton- Crittenton, the #19 overall pick in the draft, didn’t exactly fill a need on the roster, but he’s an exceptional athlete that could grow into a star. He definitely needs more experience and improved consistency on his jump shot, but Crittenton has a chance to be a contributor for the Lakers as the season goes on.

• Coby Karl- Despite the similarity in their first names, if “Coby” gets anyhere close to as many minutes for the Lakers as “Kobe”, the season is a lost cause.

In The Frontcourt

• Lamar Odom- Odom is the Lakers’ #2 option on offense and an almost ideal basketball player. He’s tall, unselfish and incredibly skilled. At his best, Odom’s stat lines are similar to those that Magic Johnson would produce in his prime- unfortunately, injuries and inconsistency have kept him from ever fulfilling his potential for more than a few games at time. Other than Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom is the Lakers’ most attractive trade target and is frequently mentioned in trade rumors. Ideally, the Lakers will be able to acquire a third quality player to team with him and Kobe, but the reality is that Odom may have to be dealt in order to bring another star to Los Angeles.

• Luke Walton- Walton is NBA rarity and a real asset to the Lakers- the quintessential intelligent role player signed to a reasonable long-term contract. There won’t be many (or any) games where he carries the team, but he can be counted on to play composed, mistake-free ball and chip in 12, 5 and 5 (points, rebounds and assists).

• Ronny Turiaf- One of the most energetic and likable players in the NBA, Ronny Turiaf is reminiscent of Kurt Rambis, only with more talent. As the Lakers’ only true power forward, Turiaf will be counted on to come off the bench and guard some of the West’s best big men and to hit the board (particularly the offensive glass).

• Brian Cook- There’s a lot to like about Cook. He’s a good outside shooter, capable of putting up 25 or 30 points on a given night, he normally plays within himself and he has a very reasonable contract. The biggest problem with Brian Cook is that he’s REALLY one-dimensional- not much versatility on offense and little-to-no defense or rebounding. With that said, his value as a spot-up shooter is justified by his cap-friendly contract.

• Maurice Evans- The most underrated member of the Lakers. Evans is an explosive athlete whose effort level is off the charts. He can make on both ends of the floor and, on any given, he blow up for 30 points on any given. Expect an outstanding season from him in this, his contract year. The Lakers will be smart to keep him.

• Vladimir Radmanovic- An off-season mistake from a year ago. Radmanovic is a serviceable offensive option, but his game is almost a mirror image of Brian Cook’s, at 160-170% of the salary. Radmanovic’s outside shooting range, which extends beyond the 3-point line, could make him an attractive target at the trade deadline for a contending team in need of outside shooting. That is, if the 3 years and more than $19 million left on his contract after this year doesn’t scare away potential suitors.

In The Middle

• Andrew Bynum- He may be most famous for his indirect role in almost trading for Jason Kidd and for being the object of Jim Buss’ man-crush, but the fact is that Andrew Bynum looks like he’s going to be a pretty good NBA big man. At only 19 years old (his birthday is tomorrow; Happy birthday, Andrew!), he’s just learning the NBA game and has already shown the ability to play effectively against NBA competition. At 11.8 ppg, he’s the Lakers’ #2 scorer in the preseason and by far the team’s top rebounder, averaging 8 per game. Who know how good Andrew Bynum is going to be, but at least it looks like he’s going to be pretty good!

• Kwame Brown- A big body in the paint who should chip in about 9 points and 6 rebounds a game- not bad of a #1 overall pick in his 7th year, huh? Actually, Kwame should be traded by the deadline, as his $9 million deal expires at season’s end. This cannot come soon enough. Hopefully he can produce 5-8 good games for the Lakers this season. How is this guy not better than he is?

• Chris Mihm- Although missed all of last season with an ankle injury and entering this season as the Lakers’ 3rd option at center, Chris Mihm is a more-then-serviceable center. In 2005-06, when he was healthy, he averaged more than 10 points, 6 rebounds and a blocked shot per game. He seems to be close to 100% now, averaging 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in less than 13 minutes per game in the preseason. Despite the talk of Chris Mihm be the odd man out at center, his contribution this season will likely exceed expectations.

The 2007-08 Lakers are a team that is shrouded in question marks. Will Kobe Bryant finish the season as a Laker? Can the front office make any moves to get him some help? (More on this here) Will any of the team’s young players elevate their game to new heights? If so, who?

This Laker team could win anywhere from 25 to 50 games this season (40-45 is a likely estimate), but one thing is clear: there is a collection of young talent here that, given the opportunity, could mature into a solid NBA team in the not-too-distant future.