30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Monday, July 12, 2010

Faithful Fish

The word "faithful" has multiple meanings. On one hand, it means "thorough in the performance of duty". It also can be defined as being "reliable", "trusted", or "loyal".


Derek Fisher fits both definitions to a T. The past few seasons, Derek has been a leader on and off of the court for the Los Angeles Lakers. His work ethic has never been questioned and he one of those players that consistently gives everything he has to his teammates. He's also one of the most "reliable" players on the court. He may not score 20 points, grab 10 rebounds, or even get 10 assists per game. But, when the game is on the line, Fish is about as reliable as it gets. In fact, he's so reliable that he's one of the few players that Kobe has "trusted" to make and take key shots at the end of the game.


Those are all traits that I value in my friends and family, but the one that stands out the most is the word, "loyal". Last week, Lebron and the Heat met with Derek Fisher in Miami. They had plenty to offer. How many point guards would turn down the opportunity to play alongside Prince James, Flash, and CB4 (now CB1?)? Well, Fisher did. So, most people assume he didn't sign with them because they didn't have enough money to offer. That may be the case in Miami. But there's a lot of money floating around the league this summer, but this Fish didn't bite. Instead, he stayed loyal to the team that drafted him in 1996. He stayed loyal to his teammates. And most importantly, he remained loyal to his fans.

Thanks Derek... You're a class act.

5 comments:

Dodgerbobble said...

I've been critical of D-Fish the last couple of years. He's an older PG that has a tough time guarding the younger, faster PGs. But, he's a leader and a winner, two things that are hard to teach.

Say what you will about the new Miami Heat, I still feel the Lakers have the best team in the NBA. They will three-peat.

Charles @ Hoopography said...

I'm not the biggest Lakers fan, but I do like Fisher. One of the best role players ever, and it seems like, one of the better guys in the Association. I'm glad he turned the Heat down because the only team I dislike more than the Lakers is the Miami Heat.

B.T.W., That Fisher Sign of the Times card is sweet. I love the UD Sign of the Times cards.

Unknown said...

Well, being a Blazer fan, I kinda hoped he'd go with the Heat and leave Kobe without so much ammo for the next season.

But congrats on keeping a real standup guy in the squad. I know it must feel good.

Sports Card Report said...

As a long time Lakers fan dating back to the early 90's - I couldn't be happier that Derek is back with the Lakers. The guy is true class, but is a fierce competitor and is a huge reason why they've made it to 3 straight finals.

If he took the money from someone else, heck, I wouldn't have blamed him one bit. But as you said Fuji, Fisher is loyal, and his role on the Lakers team is worth more then whatever he ended up signing for. Looking forward to what is shaping up to be an exciting 10/11 NBA season.

Fuji said...

dodgerbobble -yeah, it's pretty obvious that he's lost a step physically. it's difficult for him to guard the quicker guards... however his role as a leader is priceless. we'll have to see what other free agents the heat can lure to miami

charles - yeah, i'd never thought i'd ever hate a team more than the celtics... but i think that team has arrived with the new miami heat. i love those SOTT cards too... especially since they feature on-card autos.

g_moses - it does feel good. i can't imagine how pissed kobe would have gotten had the lakers let fish sign in miami.

sports card report - i agree, in this world money talks. if he would have signed for more money, so be it. in fact, i heard fisher will actually make less than blake this year. if that's the case, then i'm even more impressed with fish. he's the veteran... and i assume he's the starter... and he's taking less money than his back-up? money that other teams (not miami, they're tapped) could offer. now that's being loyal!