OTRBasketball.com: Sky - Viewing Profile - OTRBasketball.com

Fisher has value as a leader, as the good cop to Kobe's bad in chemistry, in rising up to help win key playoff games How much is that worth? Lakers have decided it's worth less than 4M.

Things to factor in

Pro: trust of coaches and teammates, leadership, clutch play, Kobe listens to him, can defend slower physical guards, good for being a key piece in a finals win each of last two years.

Con: bad regular season play was markedly worse than 2008-09, can't play more than 20 minutes per in 2010-11 or risks Horry 2003 burnout, can't defend speed for even tenths of a second, bad in transition and finishing, shooting percentage is dropping. Old.

The other thing I add is we just saw a contract drive. Luke contract drive, rewarded, sucked ever after. Sasha contract drive, rewarded, sucked ever after. I don't think Mitch wants to go for the contract drive threepeat with Fish, particularly given how much Fisher dropped in the regular season. They want him back, but for what they expect him to be able to do in 2010-11 post contract drive. They also want to limit their risk, hence the one year offer. Fish wants two, both for the money, and to be locked in as union president in the lockout season. There is room for compromise but I think there's a ceiling. Somewhere around 2 years totaling 7 million or under, 1 year at 4. If Fisher absolutely insists on 2 and 10 imo his days as a Laker are over.

As for if they had Blake do they win. I think they are better. He's a real point, he can throw low post entry, he can manage games, run transition, see the floor, play intelligent angle D, he does everything better than Fisher on a skill basis and is six years younger. Fish is more clutch, a better leader, Blake is a much much more skilled point guard. He'll make the bigs more effective. He can get them the ball where Fisher can't, because Fisher is and always has been a 2 playing 1..

I think Fisher will be re-signed, but I don't think he'll be that happy about the money. He'll start but Blake will see more minutes and Blake could very well close.

Artesticle - Raja doesn't have the handles for 1. He's a decent passer they can try him at 1 a la Harper but Harp had more skills to play that position.

Big appetites around here but not much reality with Buss wanting to cut payroll. They keep Fisher, probably around 3. Shannon leaves if he gets more money or a longer deal. Farmar is gone. DJ and Powell likely gone. The picks make the club and that just leaves three roster slots. Crittenton at vet min at 1. Raja Bell at 2/3. And a vet min big, preferably a center. That's it.

B-b-b-but that means the 1's are Fisher, Critt and Sasha, that sucks! Yup. Welcome to Buss' world. They're only going to carry five guards. They have no intention of using the full MLE. In likelihood they will only spend two vet min contracts, one on Critt, one on a big. Only one free agent will be signed for more than vet min. That's Raja in the clubhouse. Bell or Blake not both, and if one of the fa's is Critt that makes it Raja. Buss is expected to go cheap we need to calibrate our expectations accordingly.

I'd like to see them take Warren if he drops. I'd also take Jerome Jordan ahead of Zoubek, lot more upside. if they want a refrigerator though, Zoubek can work. Based on who they invited to work out it seems that Mitch is seriously looking at taking two bigs, lots of centers and 4's. Very few points in the workout list: Collins, Heurtel, Randle, Reynolds, that's about it.

This is a business. That business lost 20-25M in profit. Odom may well go as a result.

No Skip. They can do far better than that. No Half Man/Half Balsa, not what they need and he melts too often under pressure.