Derek Fisher is the prototypical point guard role player. His regular season production is not as important as the leadership and experience that he provides for the team. His playoff clutch performances alone are worthy of his $3.7 million salary. With only two seasons guaranteed (third season as a player option), D-Fish will be depended on to help lead the Lakers to another title at a very reasonable price. Fish even voiced his displeasure at his contract situation, but he nevertheless re-signed with the Lakers this past off season for less money than many people felt he deserves.
None of this should affect his performance this season though. From a guy as classy as D-Fish, you can definitely expect him to maintain the same level of consistency as his career winds down (he’s 36 already, yikes!) and deliver a few more game-winning shots. *Can’t remember the last time you’ve seen D-Fish dunk? Check out the video below for Fish serving up a facial on The Answer.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IosPPe_fAbs
Steve Blake was signed this offseason to give the Lakers an additional option at point guard. As a 7 year veteran of the league, Blake will earn $4 million a year for the next 4 years. Not exactly a bargain, but he’s a great fit for the Lakers. Blake will split point guard duties with Fisher and basically provide the team with another smart, heady, dependable player.
Now that Blake has secured a long-term contract, he can focus on basketball and help the Lakers win. Worst case scenario: Steve doesn’t fit into the Lakers’ system, he fails to produce when called upon, his defense turns out to be worse than advertised, he clashes with teammates, or he battles injuries during his time with the Lakers. If any of the above happens, his 4 year $16 million dollar contract will become somewhat of a burden.
However, don’t count on Blake to disappoint, you can pretty much depend on Blake to be a solid, but not flashy contributor to the 2011 championship team.
Luke Walton. Aah there’s not a single player on the Laker’s roster that I’ve been more adamant about since day one of his career. Luke Walton is infinitely mediocre. He was praised early in his career for his smart play and ball-passing abilities, but let’s face it, he’s just not that good. He’s an all-around pretty average player who’s pretty good at passing, and decent at a few other things.
He’s a very spotty shooter, and I don’t trust him to create a shot for himself or defend anyone athletic. I liked it when they played the Star Wars music when he came in, and I admit he’s a decent looking fellow. But passing skills aside, Luke is rather overrated. Overrated to the point where he was signed to a lucrative deal which has him under contract with the Lakers for three more seasons at $5.2, $5.7, and $6.1 million. It’s safe to say now that this was one bad contract.
The injury bug has hit him particularly bad recently, and it seems he won’t be healthy at the start of this season. If the Lakers had the chance to move this contract they most definitely would, but I don’t think they’ll find any takers.
The truth is, a healthy Luke is more valuable to the Lakers than most other teams (mostly because of how the triangle really focuses on good passers and versatile players), so they had to overpay him a little to keep him. I hope he can recover and contribute to the team, but it might take awhile. *On a side note, here’s a random video I found of Luke Walton going Costco shopping with Jordan Farmar.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Caaq-qujL84
Sasha Vujacic, “The Machine,” is one player I’m looking forward to seeing next year. Why? Because Sasha is in the last year of a 3-year $15 contract which will pay him $5.5 this upcoming season. The last time Sasha was playing for a new contract he shot over 40% from the three point line and made 1.6 threes per game. Back then, “The Machine” was in—he was hip, he was cool, he was quirky, and he was foreign.
Now, two seasons later, with a huge drop-off in play and injury problems, Sasha has something to prove. Vujacic has to prove he’s more than just an annoying player who shoots blanks. Not only does he have to prove that 2008 wasn’t a fluke and win back some of his fans, but he’s playing for a new contract and more money. If The Machine’s still broken this season and the Lakers are underperforming, look for the Lakers to try to find any takers for his expiring contract and trade for someone new.
On a side note, during that playoff run in 2008 and when The Machine hype was in full bloom, I ran into Sasha at a movie theater in the South Bay. I think he was on his way to watch 88 Minutes. I told him the movie sucked and he laughed. I also took a picture with him where both of us are holding up our arms like we just followed through on a 3-point shot. Too bad I can’t find the picture anywhere or I would show you guys.
Next: The Star Players