Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE
One of the rumors I didn’t think to consider this off-season, is a Derek Fisher return to the Los Angeles Lakers. A Fisher return to L.A. seems unlikely, however people are starting to speculate.
Fisher recently showed up for a workout at the Lakers practice facility. During the session he played with none other than new Lakers’ point guard Steve Nash.
Now people will read into this, but the reality is that it’s very unlikely Fisher will return to his former team. The main reason being, he’s not able to re-sign with them until March 2013 under the new collective bargaining agreement.
This decision will likely boil down to what other contenders show interest in Fisher. The Chicago Bulls were one team rumored to have interest, but Fisher reportedly turned down an offer from the team.
I think the main questions are, will Fisher only play for a contender? And if no one else shows interest, will he just wait it out and rejoin the Lakers?
Of course there’s always the issue of playing “second fiddle” to Nash. Would Fisher be okay with that? Is he willing to swallow a little pride for a chance at one more ring?
Just as a basketball fan, I would be in favor of a Fisher return to L.A. But it seems like a long shot at this point, and I won’t even be surprised if he retires, rather than join a second tier team, if he doesn’t want to go back to the Lakers.
If he does decide to play, he has to be willing to play any role a contender is willing to offer to him.
Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter @the_realfish
