When the Lakers take the floor of EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, it’s become somewhat of a ritual for the crowd to vociferously boo the Lakers starting guard – but I’m not taking about Kobe Bryant. Instead, much of the hostility is directed at Derek Fisher. But why would a fan base continue to act so derisively towards a 35-year old point guard past his prime, when they have Deron Williams, a budding superstar who’s rapidly emerging as arguably the best point guard in the entire league? It’s as bewildering and convoluted to me as the final season of Lost.
The fact remains that even now, Jazz fans harbor some bitterness against Fisher because he left Utah in 2007 after his only season with the team. His time in Utah was brief but unforgettable. Just ask any Jazz fan to recall that postseason, specifically Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. To refresh your memory, Derek Fisher took a cross-country flight to the game, made his dramatic entry halfway through the third quarter and provided every ounce of inspiration, timely defense and determination within him to lead his team to an overtime victory against the Golden State Warriors. He didn’t just supply an emotional lift. Fisher singlehandedly outscored the opposition 5 to 4 during the overtime period.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWerZsJqZAY
This was the same man who had spent the entire day in New York, emotionally spent and mentally drained after Tatum, his infant daughter, underwent an emergency eye-surgery for retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer in the retina. Fisher devoted the majority of the day to be at his family’s side and somehow managed to play in the game when his team desperately needed him. Derek Fisher had come through for all the people in his life that depended on him most.
Just a couple of months later, Fisher requested to be released from the remainder of his contract in order to find the best medical treatment for Tatum. The Jazz owner, the late Larry H. Miller, graciously granted him his wish and Fisher left Utah, having left an indelible mark on the franchise.
NEXT: The Laker Years Missing Fisher
While the Jazz were coming off a successful playoff run, the Lakers had ended another forgettable season, suffering a first-round loss for the second straight year to their hated rivals, the Phoenix Suns. Kobe Bryant’s early dismissal provided him too much extra time for his mounting frustration to reach its boiling point. He publicly expressed his desire to be traded unless the Lakers were willing to make the moves necessary to become a championship caliber team. Who could blame Kobe for being angry that he had to share a backcourt with guys like Smush Parker, Chucky Atkins, Shammond Williams, Tony Bobbitt, Tierre Brown, and Von Wafer? The Lakers knew they had to pull the plug on their lone superstar act and find a supporting cast able to fully compliment Kobe’s talent.
As the Lakers front office hoped to appease their superstar, they needed to find a player Kobe would respect, a person he could trust, and someone who shared his insatiable desire to win. Fisher was the perfect fit for the Lakers. The team needed him. But more importantly, Kobe needed him on his side: to be the Watson to his Holmes, the Schneider to his Sandler, the Pesci to his De Niro. And once Pau Gasol arrived in Los Angeles, Phil Jackson knew he had a capable crew of goodfellas.
NEXT: Fisher Adds to His Legacy
It should only take me 0.4 seconds to remind Lakers fans of how crucial Derek Fisher has been to the Lakers success over the years. He has produced some of the greatest moments in our storied history.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mav2iBA1cwo
Take a look back at the most pivotal game of last year’s finals, the Lakers arduous ascension back to the top.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGDMOh8YB2U
It’s Game 4 of the 2009 NBA Finals, Lakers up 2-1 in the series but Orlando is seconds away from evening up the series. Kobe Bryant, plagued by a poor shooting night is getting smothered and the Magic defense is daring anyone else to beat them. Down by 3, the Lakers turn to Fisher. Despite missing all five of his previous 3-point attempts, he’s never shy about taking the shot. Fisher gets the ball in his hands, dribbles up to the right wing and pulls up over the helplessly outstretched arms of Jameer Nelson. Splash. We’re going to overtime.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To3bnB03bL8
Lakers tied in overtime with roughly 30 seconds left. Kobe is trapped by the double team and looking for a teammate willing to seize the moment. Odom and Ariza are open but Kobe is looking for his most reliable option. Fisher darts into Kobe’s line of vision at the top of the key, catches the pass 30 feet from the basket and rises up again. Swish. Vintage Fisher. He comes through yet again for his team in a crucial playoff game, first at the end of regulation, and again in overtime. This is a very familiar sight not only for Lakers fans, but for Jazz fans as well.
NEXT: Derek Fisher: The Man
Derek Fisher is often regarded as the weak link on a team full of all-star quality players. What separates the Lakers from most teams in the league is their length and versatility. Compared to the majority of his teammates, Fisher possesses the least of these characteristics. It’s true that he can’t defend against quick, penetrating guards like he used to and sometimes it’s frustrating to see him drive hard to the basket, only to blow a layup. But he makes up for his physical deficiencies by playing the game with intelligence and without apprehension. Consider the innumerable times Fisher has sacrificed his body to draw a charge against an often quicker, more athletically gifted opponent who’s running towards him at full speed. I’m not suggesting the criticisms against Fisher aren’t legitimate but there’s a reason the Zen master continues to utilize Fisher as his starting point guard, despite his obvious shortcomings.
Fisher’s contributions on the box score are often paltry but he brings stability, intensity and integrity essential to a championship team. On of team of characters, Fisher’s greatest attribute is his character. Derek Fisher is not soft, he never quits on his team, he always competes hard, and he never puts himself before his team. Even on a team boasting a surplus of 7-footers, Fisher stands above the rest.
In a league where the two main slogans are “Where Amazing Happens” and “NBA Cares,” I’m hard-pressed to find an individual who embodies what the NBA is trying to represent better than Derek Fisher. It’s no surprise that he also happens to be the president of the National Basketball Players Association. In an era where NBA players are relishing at the opportunity to be explicitly coveted by teams competing to sign them to max contracts (see: Free Agent Class of 2011), Fisher took a substantial pay cut when he left Utah to sign with the Lakers. Even though he was set to earn the largest salary of his career, he chose to act out of the best interest of his family instead.
NEXT: The Tale of Two Cities
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In Fisher’s single season as a Jazz player, they had their deepest playoff run in nearly a decade. It provided the fans with a cause for jubilation, a moment they could cherish, reminisce about forever. Their most vivid playoff memory no longer had to be the heartrending sight of Michael Jordan shoving away Byron Russell to sink the buzzer-beater that cemented his status as the greatest to ever play the game. Derek Fisher inspired and uplifted an entire city and provided them with a lasting memory.
When Fisher returned to Salt Lake for the first time since his departure, the boos were emphatic. Somehow Fisher went from receiving standing ovations like a rocker to being treated like he was John Rocker. I can understand why Jazz fans were upset. The Jazz needed Fisher as much as the Lakers did. In case you’re not convinced, the Jazz have failed to duplicate their success of 2007 because they’ve been eliminated every year by a formidable foe and a familiar face: The Lakers and Derek Fisher. Their loss was undoubtedly our gain. But he felt he had to leave because his first priority was to his family, not himself or the city that began to understand his worth.
Lakers fan should never underestimate Fisher’s value. In his three-years away from Los Angeles, the Lakers played in only 12 postseason games, while Fisher completed 16 games in the 2007 playoffs alone. Kobe has never made it past the first round of the playoffs without Derek Fisher. But as teammates, Bryant and Fisher have made three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals and the streak looks likely to continue. Last season, Kobe finally lifted the 350-pound burden lifted off his back by winning his first title without Shaq. The only commonality that remains from all the Lakers championships teams this millennium is the trio of Kobe, Phil, and Fisher.
It might all just be coincidence and good fortune for a guy like Fish. In life, good things tend to happen to good people. Regardless of how Utah fans feel, I can’t think of another basketball player who’s been more deserving of all his successes than Derek Fisher. I hope the city he came back to agrees.