Lakers Notes: Iverson, Alston, Fisher

Currently in second place in the Pacific Division, the Lakers are 2-3 on their six-game, 10-day Grammy road trip. Ever since the Grammy Award ceremonies started being held at the Staples Center in 2004, the Lakers have been forced to take a lengthy road trip at this point of the season each year. Here's a look at some Lakers-related items as the team heads to Toronto this afternoon to conclude their road trip against the Raptors.

• ESPN's Stephen A. Smith says there was conversation between Allen Iverson and the Lakers about a possible contract offer. Terms of the deal would have required Iverson, 36, to spend time in the NBA Developmental League before joining the Lakers. Smith suggests signing Iverson would be a mistake given the fact that he is simply not a point guard.
• Rafer Alston, more of a true point guard than Iverson, was recently signed to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers' NBA Developmental League affiliate. Smith contends Alston and the Lakers have talked about promoting the 35-year-old former Rockets guard to the parent club at some point in the future. There is no timeline in place for the move, however.
• Patrick Ewing points to Derek Fisher's NBA lockout duties as a cause for his poor performance thus far this season, says Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Ewing speaks from experience as he previously served as the president of the Players Association and believe his Achilles problems during the '98/'99 season stemmed from spending too much time talking and not enough time working out. Fisher, 37, is currently averaging 5.2 PPG, his lowest output since his rookie year.