<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">OAKLAND - Question: do you (and you know who you are) still think Warriors guard Derek Fisher is a $37 million mistake? That's what I thought. A year ago it was natural to wonder what in the world Warriors executive vice president Chris Mullin was thinking when he gave the former Lakers guard such a hefty six-year contract as a free agent. You had to believe Mullin thought Kobe was part of the deal. Am I right? Not only did Fisher fail to land a starting job with the Warriors, but he also struggled adjusting to life as a backup. And now? Well, the Warriors would hate to think where they'd be without Fisher, who has turned into their super sub and one of the best sixth men in the NBA. Fisher scored a team-high 26 points Tuesday night in the Warriors' 110-107 win over the Seattle SuperSonics. Entering Wednesday night's game against the Houston Rockets at the Arena, he had scored at least 15 points in six straight games. Fisher is shooting 45.1 percent from the field and a sizzling 44.9 from 3-point range -- 10th-best in the league -- where his rainbow trey has been deadly accurate. It' obvious that Fisher has grown comfortable coming off the bench. And it's equally clear by Fisher's increasing minutes in the wake of guard Mickael Pietrus' knee injury that coach Mike Montgomery finds comfort in having Fisher, such a solid, reliable veteran, on the floor. Especially down the stretch. "I've gotten accustomed to it at this point," Fisher said of his role before Wednesday night's game. "I don't lose much sleep over it. "I'm just trying to stay focused on doing what I have to do when I'm out there. That's the only thing I can control. It's been working well for me so far through the first 20 games." Fisher has had a solid season from the outset, but his playing time increased dramatically after Pietrus was injured Nov. 21 against the New Jersey Nets. "He's playing with confidence right now," Montgomery said. "He's playing a lot of minutes. He's knows he's going to play a lot of minutes. I think he's really responded." Fisher has found himself smack in the middle of a Warriors offensive resurgence of late. During their first 14 games, they averaged 94.1 points. In the past seven before facing the Rockets, they averaged 108.4. Montgomery said that upsurge is largely a matter of playing more up-tempo teams. Then again, Fisher often has been on the court when the Warriors have gone small and forced the issue, using three guards (Fisher, Baron Davis and Jason Richardson) along with forwards Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy. On most nights, playing small ball gives the Warriors their best chance to win. They can run with the NBA's rabbits such as the Phoenix Suns and Sonics. They can force the smash-mouth teams such as the Detroit Pistons and Rockets to run and take them out of their comfort zone. "I think it's effective," Dunleavy said before the game. "It basically dictates tempo. It either gives you an advantage or makes a team match up to your strengths. "In that regard, against most of the teams I think it's a highly effective lineup. I'd like to see more of it. ... That's our most difficult lineup to put on the floor for teams to defend. Why not go with it?" It didn't take Montgomery long to call on Fisher against Houston. He entered the game with 3:35 left in the first quarter and played the rest of the first half. At times he played point guard. At times he played shooting guard. He played with a big lineup and played small ball. At one point he fed Andris Biedrins on a pick-and-roll for an easy hoop. At another, he grabbed an offensive rebound and scored inside. Late in the third quarter, Fisher hit a long jumper off the break, putting the Warriors ahead 70-66. Then with 10:30 to play, he drained a 3-point shot, giving the Warriors an 80-71 edge. For good measure, he nailed another 3-pointer with 7:14 left. That put the Warriors ahead 86-78. With 5.9 seconds left and the Warriors clinging to a 96-95 lead, Fisher forced a turnover. Then he was fouled and made two free throws. "I think Fish is playing really well," Dunleavy said. "I think last year when he came, he was a little unsure of what he was supposed to bring. ... I think he's filling his role nicely. "He's really shooting the ball well and provides a great outside threat for us. He's hit some big ones for us this year. I think he's really got into a comfort zone."</div> Source
I think the point most people were arguing when Mullin first signed Fisher was that he was signed as our STARTING PG. I don't think Mullin or anybody knew Fisher would become the ultimate sixth man...now that he is, well, it's all gravy in the navy.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kensaku:</div><div class="quote_post">I think the point most people were arguing when Mullin first signed Fisher was that he was signed as our STARTING PG. I don't think Mullin or anybody knew Fisher would become the ultimate sixth man...now that he is, well, it's all gravy in the navy.</div> Bingo! He's horrible as a PG (unless you have Shaq and Kobe.) But as a 6th man, he's hit some big jumpers. I wish Fisher would just accept that he's a catch and shoot guy, well maybe a couple of dribbles jump shooter, but whenever he's dribbling around, he kills the offensive flow and a turnover waiting to happen.
i've been saying it all year...i don't mind when fish is running the 2 spot...when he runs point, and controls the offense, he's too shot-oriented, and doesn't focus on ball distribution. he takes some dumb shots at times, which pisses me off, but unlike last year, ive been loving his play for the mostpart.
Fisher can also be out of control, but we can't complain because he's been huge in Mickael Pietrus' absence. Without an honest 3-point shot, we're stuck with Murphy on trail 3's from deep and a streaky Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, and Mike Dunleavy Jr going off iron or off the top of the backboard. The guy who can make the 3-point shot from different places on the floor seems to be Fisher. His finesse and mental toughness is superb. I also hate it when Fisher decides to take matters into his own hands with the ball, but I think he knows the other guys don't know the plays, so why bother? It's hard to run plays when your passes to guys moving off the ball become telegraphed passes. If some guy isn't cutting hard where he's supposed to, I ain't passing and looking like I threw the ball away! Philsmith knows how much I hate the 3-point shot in transition and on fastbreaks. Use clock dammit and also pass the ball once in a while and make the ball go inside before it goes out!
Fisher is shooting 46% so far for regular field goal percentage with an average of 10 attempts per game. Damn! He's having a career year after 8 years in the league. Fisher's value must be super high now. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/derek_fisher...x.html?nav=page
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CohanHater:</div><div class="quote_post">Time to package him and Murphy for a legitimate banging 4 or 5 </div> , I'm still all over Pau Gasol's jock but any 4/5 with a nice post game and solid defense will do.
Pau Gasol turns the ball over quite a bit, but I love the fact he has both an inside and outside game, can block shots, score with either hand equally, and he's got some pretty good athleticism for a 7'0-7'1 dude. His shot is virtually unblockable, kind of like Rasheed Wallace. He's a good passer too. He's way overpaid. He's not clutch enough and he's pretty soft defensively. I still think he's pretty exciting to watch since most 7 footers are stiffs and lack an all around game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">Pau Gasol turns the ball over quite a bit, but I love the fact he has both an inside and outside game, can block shots, score with either hand equally, and he's got some pretty good athleticism for a 7'0-7'1 dude. His shot is virtually unblockable, kind of like Rasheed Wallace. He's a good passer too. He's way overpaid. He's not clutch enough and he's pretty soft defensively. I still think he's pretty exciting to watch since most 7 footers are stiffs and lack an all around game.</div> Agreed. He does have alot of negatives and hes overpaid which is why i think it is somewhat realistic that we could land him. I think his pros far outweigh his cons though and hes very skilled for a big man these days.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Run BJM:</div><div class="quote_post">Agreed. He does have alot of negatives and hes overpaid which is why i think it is somewhat realistic that we could land him. I think his pros far outweigh his cons though and hes very skilled for a big man these days.</div> Memphis has to start somewhere though. Pau Gasol ain't a star, but he's a player to watch out for. The big men in the NBA tend to get better as they grow older, get more experienced, and get stronger. If Gasol steps up and is carrying the team he'll be a star for sure. BTW what the heck is up with that beard? Man, that thing is ugly on him. It looked like brother Pau joined some religious Cult. The Grizzlies have been doing pretty well so far this year for a small market team, I doubt they trade him anytime soon because he did enter the league very young and was suprisingly very good playing at 240 lbs. I remember I posted back on the Grizzlies forum a while back and the moderator Voodoo Child was so ticked at Mike Miller he would rather have Dunleavy Jr instead. Damn, I'd take Mike Miller any day of the week over Cheaney and Dunleavy Jr. Good size, good shooting, nice ballhandling, and athleticism. I'll take it! The softness on defense can be worked on because after watching Dunleavy, nothing can be softer. I'm also pretty sure he wouldn't brick as many times on the catch and shoot as any of the other Warriors not named Fisher. Oh well, Dunleavy does posess some of the best courtvision and decision making in the league. Since his game is so conservative when he's not playing too hot, we never get to see his creativity on the fly that much. He's also got some very quick hands, that's a plus...
