Derek Fisher has decided to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Credit Kobe Bryant with the assist.
"I have decided to continue with Kobe, continue with our teammates and the fans of Los Angeles," Fisher said in a statement on his website. "While this may not be the most lucrative contract I've been offered this offseason, it is the most valuable. I am confident I will continue to lead this team on and off the court. Let the hunt for six begin."
The Lakers have won two straight titles and five in Fisher's tenure with the team. He gets a three-year deal to return, with a player option on the final year. The total value of the contract is more than $9 million, a source told ESPNLosAngeles.com.
As the local ESPN Radio affiliate noted, the Lakers absolutely had to bring Fisher back. To allow Fisher to defect to Miami would have meant a VERY unhappy Kobe Bryant and the Lakers front office knows how much of a pain in the ass an unhappy Kobe can be. Miami signing Fisher would have more significant in how much it would have diminished the Lakers more than how much it would have added to the Heat.
And as someone noted, Kobe's won a title without Shaq. But he's never won a title without Fisher.
MD: You have to win, no matter what. SC: Why didn't you try that this year?
Originally posted by BigDaddyLocoSo, are the other two years of this deal for when Jackson retires at the end of the year?
Well, all things considered, one's for the upcoming year, another's for the lockout year, and the final one's a player option. And I think Fisher retires before he exercises that player option without Phil Jackson. Makes me wonder if the bulk of the contract is for the first year.
MD: You have to win, no matter what. SC: Why didn't you try that this year?