Ball or Nuthin' » Derek Fisher

NBA Negotiating Unfairly Makes Players Look Greedy

T Lamont — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:30:00 +0000

For decades, gladiators have taken to hardwood arenas across the country, defying the concepts of speed, acceleration and gravity – and putting on an astounding display of athleticism for all to see.

It’s early November, and we are without one of the nation’s greatest past times.

When you go to an NBA game, and look at the prices for for everything from food to drinks to merchandise, do you get the feeling that the league is losing money?

If so, you may be one of the millions of disappointed NBA fans, and might be able inclined to follow the reports of the media. You would probably think that the Players Association should accept the recently proposed 51-49 percent split of basketball related income (among the other issues on the table), simply because they may very well be fighting a losing battle. You may also feel that the players should fold because, well, they are millionaires who will see more money in a year than most working class members of society will see in a lifetime. And after agreeing to the owners’ (and Stern’s) compromise, that fact won’t likely change.

But the problem with that thinking?

They already have proposed a compromise.

The NBAPA has already relented to decrease its share of the BRI from 57% to 52.5%. The BRI is a medley of components including regular season ticket revenues, local and national broadcast revenues, playoff ticket revenues, in-arena concessions and merchandise and more. In short, this represents a 4.5% slide that could bring them a projected 10% loss in salaries.

But owners wanted more than that. They initially pushed for their percent of the BRI to be 55%, thus leaving the players with 45%. Add to that the owners’ desire to implement a hard salary cap, and it becomes easy to see why any employee would be up in arms.

Certainly, the LeBron James’s and Kobe Bryant’s of the league won’t be affected. They are the NBA’s elite: headliners that all the fans pack arenas to see. Likewise, the top rookies pretty much have their pay scale set in stone for their first few years in uniform. But as with any society, it is traditionally the working, middle-class who feel the brunt of the consequences. The same will ring true for the NBA.

NBPA President Derek Fisher has been outspoken about the owners' desire to monopolize league revenues.

This is not a sobb story for these players. They will still live comfortably with amenities that most can only dream of.

But I wouldn’t take to kindly to such a dramatic potential reduction in my pay either.

And financial scales are all relative, aren’t they? We can generally say that these ballers are blessed to make millions per year for playing a game. But the perception of riches can always be a biased concept. A businessman with all of the usual perks, including a nice six-figure salary, may be regarded as spoiled by a manager at McDonald’s. Likewise, that McDonald’s manager could be the envy of a lifelong food worker who was never seemingly able to transition into a role of authority.

Among a great number of people, there will always be a sentiment that they should suck it up, play and be satisfied.

But the truth is that they have already offered to sacrifice tremendously, and it’s the owners who want more. For NBA fans who are business owners, perhaps you can relate to them.

As for the other 99% of us who have someone else sign our checks, we should be able to empathize with employees who are taking a pay cut…only to fatten the pockets of people who don’t even bring us to the arenas.

Dallas Convincingly Sweeps Los Angeles

T Lamont — Mon, 09 May 2011 04:00:57 +0000

Get Shareaholic

This was certainly not what we expected.

The Oklahoma City Thunder? Perhaps. The San Antonio Spurs? OK, we’d buy that.

But I’d attest that there was absolutely no one (at least in their sane mind) who believed that the Dallas Mavericks would defeat, and even sweep, the Los Angeles Lakers – who, mind you, had the home court advantage in the series.

Breaking down the box scores would be virtually useless in determining the demise of the Lakers. The reasons that the Mavs are headed to the Western Conference Finals is three-fold:

1. Phil Jackson did nothing to illustrate what many believe – that he is a coaching mastermind. The Mavericks stole Game 1, after a meltdown of unusual proportions from a team with an NBA championship pedigree. L.A. also let Game 3 slip out of its grasp late in the final quarter. And in a game that would be declared a must-win by sheer definition, the Lakers were dominated from the opening tip in Game 4. Nowitzki consistently damaged Los Angeles, but Jackson did nothing out of the ordinary to slow down the big German. P.J. has to take the fall for not making adjustments to prevent Dallas from taking full advantage of their sole mismatch. The Lakers knew that the Mavs would also rely heavily upon its shooting, and Dallas did so without much resistance. Wide open looks seemed to be the theme, and there is absolutely no excuse for that when a team is down 0-3 in the series. So, Jackson needs to bear his part for the lack of preparation, adjustment and motivation of his team.

2. Too much finger-pointing caused the Lakers to crack at the seams. With every loss, there’s a theme – Who’s to blame? Was it Kobe Bryant not passing the ball? Or not being aggressive enough? Was Pau Gasol playing too soft once again? Did the Lakers pound the paint and get production from Andrew Bynum? Was Derek Fisher too slow and old at the point? Was Lamar Odom too inconsistent? Reporters fire many questions away at losing teams, and its imperative that the responses don’t insinuate that the team’s weakness lies within any one specific player. Phil and his team often entertain these questions far more often than they should, damaging team chemistry and focus.

The Lakers' self-critical nature may have curtailed their attempt at a three-peat.

3. What was the Black Mamba doing? Kobe Bryant had an expected stat line in the series opener, putting up 36 points on 29 shots. But after somehow letting the Mavs walk out of the Staples Center victorious, the media attention shifted to focus on the fact that Bryant had zero assists – and that the Lakers weren’t exploiting their obvious advantage in the paint. Game 2, Kobe came out and gave a concentrated effort to distribute the ball – in particular passing the rock into the post. Even after falling short in Game 2, Bryant played with the same passiveness when the series moved to Dallas. Today, Mamba showed some signs of life in the first quarter (13 points), but the Mavericks had shot the Lakers out of the building by halftime. It almost seemed as if Bryant was pulling a Gilbert Arenas – not shooting the ball to spite his coach and his naysayers – as if to say “look what happens when I’m not aggressive”. In addition to that, Bryant failed to save the Lakers with his usual array of late-game heroics that we’ve been accustomed to. Clearly, there was something bothering Mamba, and I’m not buying that it was strictly the Dallas defense.

Although, we’ve become used to witnessing nothing but success from the Lakers, there’s certainly no reason to blow up this team. Their core of Bryant, Gasol, Bynum and Odom remains one of the best in the league based on their combination of size, skill and experience. A few pieces to increase the team speed and quality depth would help put L.A. back where we’re used to seeing them.

But as for now, enjoy two more rounds of the NBA postseason without Jackson and the Mamba.

Phil Jackson to His Team: “You Just Got Punk’d”

T Lamont — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:08:10 +0000

Get Shareaholic

New Orleans won again. So what, right?

Although the Hornets have played a tough four games – with the series split two games apiece – you might be inclined to instinctively think that the reigning NBA champs are in full control of their destiny.

But you’d be very wrong.

Kobe Bryant is playing on not one, but two sprained ankles after getting beat by Willie Green off the dribble last night. Technically, Derek Fisher may not have sprained ankles, but he looks like he has been while attempting to slow down Chris Paul. And quite frankly, so do the rest of the Lakers. To top it all off, Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom continues to call out the team’s apparent lack of urgency. Of course, that comes after he stuffed the stat sheet with 6 points (on 1-7 shooting), 4 rebounds and no assists.

So, to recap all of that, Los Angeles has unhealthy, unskilled and unmotivated players trying to avoid a first-round upset against a team with inferior collective talent.

With that being said, raise your hand if you think that the Hornets are going to win this series.

"Hey Phil, please keep single-covering me with Derek Fisher..."

As you sit there with your hand still firmly gripping your mouse or on your touch pad, the fact is that there is a sense of uneasiness in Lakerland. To say that L.A. is being bullied would be an understatement. But to understand that the bully is a 6-foot tall point guard (albeit one of the best in the Association) is certainly a head-scratcher. Everyone – including the Lakers – realized that Paul has the ability to keep the Hornets in contention, but I don’t think either team even believed that he could scare them. Right now, Los Angeles is scared and confused. They know that the ball remains in their court. They know that they have undeniable advantages in four of the five starting positions on the court. But the fact is that the series is tied because of the exploits of Paul, who is manning the only position on the court where New Orleans has a clear advantage.

In the midst of a series that was supposed to be a breeze, Phil Jackson has now been forced to coach.

The former defensive wizard and coaching icon, who makes use of non-traditional philosophies to get the best out of his teams, took a different approach after last night’s loss:

“We got punked out there tonight…”

Nothing to think about. Nothing left to decipher.

Sometimes there’s nothing like some good, old fashioned name-calling to get a team focused.

But with his championship pedigree on the line, we can rest assured that P.J. will come with a few wrinkles to his game plan. Don’t be surprised to see one of – if not all of – the following come Game 5:

Loose cannons like Matt Barnes are valuable commodities in the postseason.

- Less Derek Fisher. We all know why. But we’ll say it one last time – Paul is going to get arrested for assault and battery when x-rays reveal the damage to Fisher’s ankles after the series. Fisher can resurface during those key offensive possessions during which floor spacing is critical, but otherwise…

- Don’t switch on pick and rolls. The Hornets live and die by CP3′s ability to create opportunities for his lesser skilled teammates. Switching on pick and rolls provides Paul with an even greater mismatch than the one he already has – imagine that – on Fisher. The Lakers need to fight through and recognize the offensive set, or trap and rotate. Basically, they need to play real defense and not just rely on their size around the basket.

- Put Matt Barnes on Paul. Barnes may not be the ideal player to use on Paul, but the defensive specialist is only getting 12 minutes of burn per game in the series. In a postseason setting, he is the type of player that can make a difference. He’s a throw-away player – meaning you don’t need anything from him offensively, and you can use him as a bruiser. Let Barnes put his body on Paul, and pair his length with his quickness to give the All-Star a different look. He’s got six fouls. Let him use them.

Fisher Leads Late Push by Lakers

T Lamont — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 04:25:21 +0000

Get Shareaholic

“Faith…nothing means more to me than helping this team win.”

That was Derek Fisher’s response when asked what inspired him to keep competing throughout such a tough, physical game in which his team had squandered a 17-point lead.

Odom brought the goods tonight, shooting 5-5 from the floor off the bench.

The Lakers certainly had faith in him as his fourth quarter heroics enabled Los Angeles to pull out a key Game 3 victory in Boston, 91-84.

The game saw Los Angeles establish the aforementioned huge lead, only to see it vanish in the final quarter. And while Kobe Bryant had an inefficient game (more on that later), his team carried the Lakers to a win which reverted home court advantage back in favor of Los Angeles.

Here are my assessments of what went down in Game 3:

- Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combined to connect on just two field goals through three quarters. Allen never made a shot in this game. Although this essentially kept Boston from winning, a fellow named Kobe Bryant allowed Boston to remain in touch with L.A.

- Even by his standards, Kobe Bryant took several poor shots (particularly in the third quarter) that kept Boston in the game. Bryant (10-29 FG) seemed so preoccupied with going for the jugular, that he ignored his teammates. And it was those teammates that came up big in the fourth, when Kobe was uncharacteristically shut down. The Celtics were absolutely struggling offensively in the third quarter, and it was certainly an opportunity for the Lakers to extend their lead. They didn’t and, consequently, found themselves in a dog fight for the rest of the night. Hopefully, Bryant will review tonight’s game tape, eat a little humble pie and realize that L.A. has an insurmountable height advantage that they need to tap into.

- Is there anyone more willing to take big shots in the fourth quarter than Derek Fisher? The veteran guard scored eleven points in the final period, including attempts during which he absorbed major amounts of contact. But Fisher’s tough three-point play with 48 seconds left in the game showed his true colors. He knew he was going to be hit very hard, but he concentrated to make to tough layup – and then got up to swish the ensuing free throw. I’ve never really been a Derek Fisher fan, but this play clearly indicated that this guy really is the heart and soul of the Lakers.

Ray Allen displayed one of the all-time worst performances in NBA Finals history.

- Boston appears to be incapable of getting at least two of their “Big Three” (Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett) into a sustained offensive rhythm. Garnett looked like the colck was turned back tonight. Allen, after a record-setting performance in Game 2, didn’t convert a field goal tonight (0-13, 2 points). Pierce connected on three triples, but missed just about everything else. In Boston’s two losses, he has waited too long to force the issue. Pierce needs to be aggressive early and often – he’s the Celtics’ most versatile offensive player.

- How many times has this been said: When Lamar Odom plays good, the Lakers win. And it seemingly always holds true, and tonight was no exception. Odom was 5-5 for 12 points.

- In an interesting instant replay twist, it was particularly enjoyable to see the offensive rebound play (with 39 seconds left) reviewed. It clearly showed that the ball went out of bounds off of Lamar Odom’s hand, but also revealed that the officials missed a foul committed by Rajon Rondo…which forced Odom to lose the ball. The officials could not use the replay to correct the missed foul call, but the could determine that the ball was out off of Odom. This was indeed a very interesting turn of events that forced the instant replay to reveal a mistake that couldn’t be corrected.

My Game 4 prediction: Boston adjusts and gets the job done. The Lakers will stay true to who they are, and not play top-notch basketball two games in a row.

Los Angeles Presents Sad Display on Christmas Day

T Lamont — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:54:14 +0000

Get Shareaholic

An unexpected thing happened on Christmas Day – the Cleveland Cavaliers waltzed into the Staples Center and whalloped the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers, 102-87. And while a 15-point final margin of victory sounds pretty convincing, the separation between these two teams was much greater than that yesterday.

Here are some of the ways that L.A. dropped the ball on Friday:

Overall Poor Performance: The Lakers just stunk on both sides of the ball. It was almost like they had eaten their Christmas dinner before the game. The Lake Show shot a measly 36% from the floor, including 27% (5-18) from the three-point line. They didn’t look any sharper defensively, allowing the Cavs to shoot 54% (39% from three).

Kobe Bryant: The box score indicates that he put up 35 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. But the manner in which he scored these points was forced and frustrated. Kobe shot 11-32 on his field goals, and was frustrated all night. His display on Friday proves that he expects the superstar treatment, and can be rattled when he doesn’t receive what he thinks he deserves. After leaving Cavs guard Anthony Parker in the dust on a couple of quick moves, Parker didn’t stop playing. Parker cleanly blocked Bryant twice from behind, and Kobe was very demonstrative toward the refs. His displeasure ultimately disrupted his team’s flow, turning the Lakers into an inefficient mess. At this point in his career, Kobe has to be mature enough to realize that his attitude will become that of his teammates.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers shot over 54% from the field on Christmas Day.

Supporting Cast: It’s a lot easier to play unselfishly when you have the lead and your emotions are under control. Neither of those was the case for the Lakers on Christmas Day. So, as a result, L.A. got limited contributions from its role players. Only two other Lakers scored ion double figures – Ron Artest, 13, and Pau Gasol, 11. Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom combined for 10 points.

Lakers Losing Their Cool: From the opening minutes of the game, the Lakers felt that the game was being called in Cleveland’s favor. But they were way off on their assertions. Throughout the game, they continually battled an invisible opponent – with a chip on their shoulders for no real reason. In total, the Lakers ended with 4 technical fouls and an ejected Lamar Odom. Lakers veteran Derek Fisher showed horrible restraint late in the game. After Mo Williams (8-13 FG, 28 points, 7 assists) totally destroyed the L.A. guard, Fisher was visibly irritated by the game’s pending outcome. Late in the fourth quarter – in an incident that should be reviewed by the league – Derek intentionally bumped Williams. It was a hard, blatant push that was very unfitting for a professional like Fisher.

Los Angeles Fans: As uncool as the Laker players were, the fans one-upped them during the Christmas day competition. In the final quarter, the Lakers picked up a couple of technical fouls – including the ejection of Odom. When this happened, it started raining signs, paper, and all sort of debris. In supporting fashion, the L.A. faithful was following the attitude and demeanor of their defending champion team. A classy move would have been for head coach Phil Jackson to demand the microphone and calm the restless natives. But that didn’t happen. Nevertheless, the fans should have exhibited a little more class for a regular season game that was televised nationally on the biggest holiday of the year.

Big Win for the Cavs: The Cavs showed great maturity and grace in the decisive victory. The cohesiveness of their unit was spectacular amidst the testy atmosphere in the city of angels. Toward the end of the game, reigning NBA MVP LeBron James showed leadership by gathering his teammates and keeping them focused on the big picture. Any road win is a good one. However, a road win against the team with the best record in the NBA in a game that everybody saw after eating their Christmas dinner…

That’s definitely priceless.