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Derek Fisher Buyout

March 22, 2012 by · Comments Off on Derek Fisher Buyout 

Derek Fisher Buyout, From the moment the Lakers traded Derek Fisher to the Rockets, a buyout was heavily anticipated. The odds of Fisher remaining with an 8-ish seed for the remainder of a career in its severe twilight felt low. And even with Kyle Lowry sidelined, third-stringer Jonny Flynn traded to Portland, and the Rockets looking to make a playoff push, one never got the impression the front office was as interested in Fisher as the incoming first round pick.

Thus, it was expected Fisher would eventually join a contender, and a decision didn’t take long to materialize. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein is reporting that Fisher and the Thunder have agreed to terms and the veteran will be paid with a portion of the team’s mid-level exception. Royce Young from Daily Thunder is reporting the old man (cheekily wearing “37”) will be in uniform tonight against the Clippers), and Sam Amick from SI has a copy of Fish’s statement about joining a new club.

From minute one, the Thunder felt to me like the most logical destination. For starters, there’s a need for his services. Eric Maynor’s season-long absence has created a void at backup point guard yet to be productively filled by rookie Reggie Jackson or Royal Ivey. 10-15 minutes from Fisher could provide some utility and remove a ball-handling burden from James Harden in the second unit. The Thunder are a supremely talented team with a legitimate chance at a championship, but low on legitimate championship experience.

Beyond Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed, both of whom have rings, nobody else has even been to the Finals. Fisher brings a serious helping of “been there, done that” to the table. And latching on with a Western Conference squad allows him a potential crack at the Lakers during the playoffs, and I’ll go out on a limb and predict that prospect is mighty tantalizing to him.

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