Archive for the ‘Players’ Category

Fisher ponders coaching career

Derek doesn’t look like he wants to let go of this game after he’s done.

ESPN: Derek Fisher has steadfastly maintained plans to keep playing after his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers expires, but when retirement beckons, coaching is one of the options Fisher is considering.

“I think about a number of different things that I feel like I enjoy doing and could be committed to and passionate about doing,” said Fisher after Sunday’s practice in El Segundo. “That’s probably what would be the most important thing in terms of the impact of my decision about what I do after I’m done.”

Having always been observant of coaching strategies and approaches, Fisher said he finds himself thinking even more at this stage of his career about how he’d handle issues during a game.

“I think we all have a natural instinct to visualize ourselves in certain positions and places in our lives. Obviously being closer to the end than the beginning, those pictures are coming into vision clearer and better than they did when I first came into the league.”

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Sasha suffers grade I shoulder sprain

Its a shame this happened on a great night for him.

Twitter: Injury update: Sasha Vujacic suffered a grade one sprain of the right shoulder.

Can Shannon fly as high?

Before Shannon dunks tonight…

O.C. Register: There was the broken hoop in the front yard and the busted rim in the back of the modest Maywood, Ill. home. Not to mention the bent Nerf hoops that landed in the garbage bin on a monthly basis.

Then there was the 10-speed bicycle poking through the bottom of the screen door, and the TV stand that eventually had to be replaced because the cabinet door was ripped from its hinges.

The damage done to Sandra and Chris Brown’s home over the years by their son cost them plenty in repair bills, but it’s a price they gladly say was worth every penny. That’s because the reward has been watching their middle child turn into one of the most exciting NBA players currently in the league.

“With Shannon, it was always something with speed and jumping when he was growing up” Sandra Brown said.

Shannon Brown, Lakers guard and leaper extraordinaire, is taking his best qualities to Dallas’ American Airlines Center, where he will show off his skills against two-time champion Nate Robinson, Gerald Wallace, and either DeMar DeRozan or Eric Gordon in an attempt to become the NBA Slam Dunk champion.

The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. and televised on TNT.

Brown said it’s an honor to have been selected to participate in the contest won by some of the game’s biggest stars, including teammate Kobe Bryant (1997), who will aid him in the competition Saturday.

Brown said many people view him simply as a “dunker” but he tries to bring his all-around game out nightly when he comes off the bench.

“But when it’s time to dunk, I don’t hold back,” said Brown, who is just the fourth Lakers player to compete in the dunk contest, joining Michael Cooper, Antonio Harvey and Bryant.

And when he gets running, don’t look away.

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Derek Fisher plays his 1,000th career game

Congratulations to Derek, who reaches the 1,000 games milestone.

Derek Fisher, who had started his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and helped lead them to a 3-peat and just recently championship #4 (sharing that glory with Kobe Bryant). The invaluable 6-1 guard will be reaching (possibly) the biggest milestone of his career. Tonight against his former team, the Utah Jazz, Derek Fisher will play in his 1,000th career game.

1,000 games seems forever for this 35 year old veteran as his body has suffered the effects of wear and tear over the 14 years in the NBA and its undoubted that he has left his mark in the NBA over the 1,000 games as it seems like his career is winding down.

Off the court, Derek has been more than just a player. He has been the vocal leader, sharing in his experiences, his glory & triumph and his hardships and defeat. The team has picked off and learnt from Derek and used that to help them win championship #15 for the Los Angeles Lakers.

There were many aspects that made Derek Fisher well respected around the NBA . However, one aspect of Derek Fisher that hasn’t aged and grown weary over the years is his spirit and dedication for the franchise that drafted him and he has shown his love by playing his part in rewarding them with 4 championships in his career.

There is no doubt that Derek played a huge role in his quest for his 4 championship rings and whether it was hitting a clutch shot which he has done countless times over the years (and has never been reluctant to take big shots), or whether it was getting into the grill of his teammates and telling them to tighten up on defense, his actions will be remembered for years to come and will most certainly write another chapter in the big book of the irreproachable Laker history.

It has been a long roller coaster career for Derek, none the less, it has been a great one.

Why Fisher is still good for the Lakers

Derek is too valuable to let go, whether many fans like it or not.

O.C. Register: I did not tell Derek Fisher he is slow and done and the problem with the Lakers.

I did the next-best thing, as far as many Lakers fans are concerned: I told Fisher you think he is slow and done and the problem with the Lakers.

He smiled.

He could smile because he is uncommonly confident and because I was bringing it up at a time when Fisher had just reiterated his worth not just to this franchise through the past but to this team right now.

He had 14 points on 50 percent shooting, six assists, two steals and one turnover Saturday night, when the Lakers won in Portland without sore-ankled Kobe Bryant. Beyond the numbers, Fisher was the undeniable leader on the court all night long – Pau Gasol might be the second All-Star, but he was the one needing counsel from Fisher during second-half warmups – with words that alternately educated and encouraged so many teammates.

It was no coincidence that Fisher was more assertive in Bryant’s absence.

“He and I are co-captains, and we work together to manage this team,” Fisher said. “So when he’s out, I know guys are going to look to me more than usual, so I just try to be even more vocal, more aggressive, stronger out there on the floor. They need to see me not worried about the fact that Kobe’s not playing – and I don’t think they’ll worry much about it either.”

I did not tell Fisher he is slow and done and the problem with the Lakers because I do not believe it is true – even if so many others do.

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In a limited role, Sasha Vujacic tries to stay positive.

Sasha tries to find a way to stay positive over little playing time.

L.A. Times: Reporting from Indianapolis – He has been told that his role might be limited, something that was not the case for Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic the two previous seasons.

It happened again Wednesday night, when Vujacic played a little more than 3 1/2 minutes against the Indiana Pacers.

The key, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson pointed out, will be how Vujacic performs when he is on the court and his demeanor during this time.

“It’s disappointing to him,” Jackson said.

Vujacic played a career-high 17.8 minutes during the 2007-08 season and averaged a career-best 8.8 points. He averaged 16.2 minutes and 5.8 points last season.

This season, Vujacic was averaging 7.5 minutes and 2.3 points before Wednesday night’s game.

Vujacic is basically the fifth guard in the rotation, playing behind starters Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher and reserves Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown, who has taken over the role once reserved for Vujacic.

“The thing is, P.J. [Jackson] knows what I can do,” Vujacic said. “Obviously we are playing a different kind of basketball and we all know that. The rotations are doing good and we are playing just different than before.

“In the beginning, it was kind of unexplainable. But I talked to P.J. a couple of times. I’ve just got to stay ready. There’s no reason to get down. If you get down, when you go in, you’re not going to do what you are supposed to do. So I just try to stay positive.”

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