Say what you want about Matt Barnes, and personally I wasn't a big fan while he was at Orlando, but the guy plays outstanding, tough, what I call East Coast defense and he's also good for draining the occasional three. Matt Barnes is a huge addition to the Lakers and he brings a nasty and tough attitude to the Lakers which is something they needed.
And personally I love the fact that he took less money to play with the Lakers...
A couple of years ago you could've made the claim that the Lakers were soft and a lot of people did but I don't know that you can say that anymore with the additions of guys like Ron Artest and Matt Barnes. And what I really like about Matt Barnes is like Ron Artest he can hit a big three in a big game. He's done it before with Orlando so it's not like he's never been there before.
Is it any coincidence that the Lakers are focusing more on defense as their stars start to decline?
We can all talk endlessly about how Derek Fisher is an aging point guard and about how he can no longer cover the faster point guards in the league but the one thing that is undeniable when you talk about Derek Fisher is the fact that D Fish can and does hit game-winning shots.
And with the continued deterioration of Kobe Bryant, I can't see why the lakers are even playing around with the possibility of losing Derek Fisher because the Lakers will need Derek Fisher if they want to repeat as champions this year.
Were it not for Ron Artest in the NBA Finals, the Lakers could've lost to the Boston Celtics. Obviously this post isn't about Ron Artest but the point is that you can't rely on Kobe Bryant to hit all of the game-winning shots any more so you need guys like Derek Fisher to hit such shots because do you really want to leave another championship ring in the hands of someone like Ron Artest or Lamar Odom?
If it's not Kobe with the ball with the game on the line, I either want the ball in the hands of Pau Gasol or Derek Fisher. Unfortunately with the decline of Kobe, Laker fans better expect to see Pau Gasol get more attention from the defense down low so that leaves us with Fish and that's why the Lakers need Fish.
It's this facet of Fisher's game that makes him a necessary component for the Lakers championship aspirations this coming season.
Last season Derek Fisher was paid $5million and last I heard the Lakers were offering about $2.5 Million... Fish has already come out and said that he wants to return to LA and that he's not chasing money but that's still a pretty big gap between Fish and the Lakers and personally I'm hoping that Derek Fisher is just going to Miami to up the price the Lakers have to pay for him. Clearly Miami is a competitor for his services now that they've resigned Dwyane Wade and signed Chris Bosh and LeBron James...
Obviously Derek Fisher isn't a prime time player anymore but what he is is a perfect complimentary piece for a team that's looking to win a championship. He's a point guard that can shoot from long distance and like I've already said he's a guy that can win you games with the clock winding down. And I haven't even mentioned the fact that he's a veteran leader in the locker room...
The Los Angeles Lakers need Derek Fisher to repeat and I hope the Lakers realize it sooner than later.
