Derek Fisher Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Derek Fisher Has No Plans To Retire

May 29th, 2012 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Derek Fisher experienced arguably the worst regular season of his long career in 2011/12, a year that saw him traded away by the Lakers in a salary dump. Still, despite his declining production and increasing age (he turns 38 this summer), the veteran guard has no plans to retire, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). Fisher told Mayberry that he intends to continue his career beyond this season.

After Fisher was traded to the Rockets by Los Angeles, Houston bought out his contract, which included a player option for next season. Upon becoming a free agent, the point guard signed a rest-of-year deal with the Thunder. He'll hit free agency again this summer, at which point any team can sign him, including the Lakers — CBA rules forbid teams from re-signing traded players for a year after the trade or until their contract expires, whichever comes first. In Fisher's case, his contract will expire in July, allowing him to re-sign in Los Angeles if he so chooses.

Given his production in 2011/12 though, Fisher is probably not a great bet to sign for more than the veteran's minimum this summer. While he has extensive playoff experience and provides leadership off the bench, he set career-lows this season in points per 36 minutes (8.4) and PER (8.0), among other categories. He was also at the center of some off-court drama, when the NBPA attempted to oust him as union president.

Western Notes: Nuggets, Fisher, Jordan

May 20th, 2012 at 8:40am CST by Daniel Seco

The Western Conference playoff picture became a bit clearer on Saturday evening as the Thunder knocked off the Lakers at the Staples Center to take a 3-1 series lead. The Lakers entered the fourth quarter with a nine-point advantage but could not overcome timely shooting from Kevin Durant as they fell 103-100. Let's take a look around the rest of the conference to catch up on the latest stories making headlines on this Sunday morning.

Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post suggests the Nuggets use some of their depth to move up in the draft to acquire Austin Rivers. The team has too many wing players and not enough minutes to go around, which makes some combination of Arron Afflalo, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler expendable. The Nuggets currently hold the 20th pick in the draft and would need to move up to approximately the 10th slot to have a chance to draft Rivers.
The signing of Derek Fisher earlier this season has proven to be a key move for the Thunder as his leadership has been evident in the team's locker room, writes Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. It helps that Fisher, 37, won five rings during his two stints with the Lakers, giving him instant credibility with players like Nick Collison. "It's like having another coach, but he still has the respect of the players. It doesn't feel like he's preaching at you, he just makes a lot of sense."
T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times says while DeAndre Jordan is a fun teammate to have around the Clippers organization, he needs to do more on the court to justify his hefty contract. Chris Paul, nearly a foot shorter than Jordan, is averaging the same amount of rebounds per game as the former Texas A&M star (5.0).

Odds & Ends: Rose, Bulls, Knicks, Terry

May 12th, 2012 at 9:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Bulls announced that Derrick Rose underwent successful surgery to repair the torn ACL he suffered a few weeks ago and faces an eight-to-ten month recovery period, writes K.C. Johnson and Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune. In separate pieces, Johnson evaluates the performance of each player on Chicago's roster and talks about how the team's salary cap-restrtictions creates the need to be innovative in trying to improve the roster this summer. Here are more of tonight's miscellaneous links:

The Knicks will be looking for another point guard to partner with Jeremy Lin, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Among Berman's list of targets are Kirk Hinrich, Gary Neal, Derek Fisher, A.J. Price, Jannero Pargo, and Jonny Flynn. He also mentions Ramon Sessions, Raymond Felton, Goran Dragic, Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson, and Steve Nash, but I think that the names on this latter list would only be sought after if contract talks with Lin were to somehow fall apart.
After recently having his interim tag removed, Knicks GM Glen Grunwald has a lot of work cut out for him in the upcoming months, says Al Iannazzone of Newsday. He also adds that with the mid-level likely committed to Lin and no first-round pick, Grunwald will have to be creative with trades and free agency in order to address their back court needs. In another article, Iannazzone goes over the five biggest questions facing the team moving forward.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News speculates that Jason Terry could be on his way out if Deron Williams lands with the Mavericks (subscribers only).
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld engaged in his weekly NBA chat with fans. Here are some of his notable thoughts: the Magic may try to package their #19 pick along with Jason Richardson or Chris Duhon to create cap relief, Austin Rivers' game is comparable to Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford, and predicts that Dwight Howard will wind up signing with the Nets eventually.
Bob Young of the Arizona Republic offers his input on the chances of reportedly interested teams in their pursuit of Steve Nash. Phoenix, Toronto, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Portland are given consideration.
John Rohde of NewsOK explores how the support of his Thunder teammates has played a pivotal role in Eric Maynor's road to recovery from a torn ACL.

Rohde On Perkins, Fisher, Brooks

May 2nd, 2012 at 6:36pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The series between the Thunder and Mavericks has arguably been the most competitive playoff matchup in the first round, with both games coming down to the final possession. Game 3 is tomorrow night in Dallas, where the Mavericks enter with a 23-10 home record. The Thunder come in having won 21 games on the road this season, which is recognized as the third-best in the league. John Rohde of NewsOK tackled a few miscellaneous topics about an Oklahoma City team that appears primed to make another deep playoff run:

The arrival of Kendrick Perkins in addition to the development and maturity of the team's younger players has solidified the Thunder's repuation as a tougher team.
Derek Fisher spoke about the key to winning on the road and the team's mental toughness in a brief Q&A with Rohde.
Head coach Scott Brooks touched on a variety of topics, including how much his team studied last year's conference finals matchup with Dallas in preparation of this series, the Thunder's success on the road, and the need for improvement in spacing the floor.

NBPA Under Investigation By U.S. Attorney’s Office

April 27th, 2012 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Already in turmoil as it works through a conflict involving executive director Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisher, the National Basketball Players Association is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney's office, report Scott Soshnick and Mason Levinson of Bloomberg.com.

According to Bloomberg, the union confirmed the news in a statement today, saying "the NBPA will cooperate fully with the government’s investigation." The union has also appointed a six-member committee of player reps and executive committee members to oversee an internal inquiry, including a financial audit.

The NBPA has been in the news frequently this past week, after a call for a business review by Fisher led to the executive committee requesting the union president's resignation. Since then, Hunter has faced accusations of nepotism, with reports suggesting that many of his relatives are on the NBPA's payroll or have business relationships with the union.

Latest On Discord In Players Union

April 25th, 2012 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The turmoil among NBPA leadership continues to dominate headlines as the Association hopes to turn the focus to its postseason, which will get underway this weekend. Here are today's updates on the conflict involving Derek Fisher, Billy Hunter, and the NBA players union, with the latest up top:

A lengthy Yahoo! Sports investigation delves deep into how exactly Hunter's relatives are connected to the players union. Adrian Wojnarowski and Rand Getlin report that the NBPA executive director sought a $7MM+ investment from the union for a bank with ties to his son.
The union's executive committee sent out a memo to player representatives that depicted union president Fisher as a "rogue leader who has been deliquent in his duties since the end of the lockout," reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. The memo says the executive committee has become "increasingly concerned" by Fisher's actions and presents a timeline of events that led them to call for Fisher's resignation.
Hunter defended himself against accusations of nepotism, telling Howard Beck of the New York Times that "there's nothing illegal" about a payroll that includes a number of Hunter's relatives, who he says are highly qualified for their positions.
At the Huffington Post, Etan Thomas, a member of the executive committee, wrote an open letter to Hunter and Fisher calling out both men for their recent actions and imploring Fisher to resign.

Latest On Derek Fisher, NBPA

April 23rd, 2012 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA Players' Association is beginning the process of conducting an independent review of the union, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The NBPA is hoping Derek Fisher will voluntarily step down as union president now that the business review process is underway.

A group of player representatives headed by James Jones will begin the process of selecting a management consulting firm to conduct the review, potentially with input from the MLB or NHL players unions, according to Berger. Part of the reason the executive committe was initially upset with Fisher's call for a review was Fisher's decision to use the law firm Patton Boggs without consulting all the executives, says TNT's David Aldridge.

It's unclear what Fisher expects the business review to uncover. Aldridge hears that Fisher claimed to have sources inside the union that said things weren't right and a review concerning the appropriation of funds was needed. According to Berger, the NBPA's business relationships and "hiring the right people for the right jobs" are a pair of issues that concern Fisher. A report over the weekend suggested that Billy Hunter had multiple family members working for the NBPA, but Aldridge's source says "nepotism is not the issue [Fisher]'s calling for a review of."

Both Berger and Aldridge conclude that things may get messier before they get better. One of Aldridge's sources said Hunter and Fisher were "both guilty of not communicating better, making sure that everybody is on the same page." You can catch up on the discord in the players' union with our posts on the subject here and here.

Latest On Discord In Players Union

April 21st, 2012 at 4:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:15pm: Evans says Fisher did not participate in a conference call the committee set up to give Fisher and Hunter a chance to share their sides of the story following the audit request, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Evans is upset the union's business has gone public, and says that Fisher has not been absent from many union activities of late.

4:03pm: Derek Fisher remains committed to staying as president of the National Basketball Players Association, even as the NBPA executive committee has voted 8-0 to ask for his resignation. Still, Fisher's opponents seem to have a replacement already lined up, as Maurice Evans tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that he believes fellow committee member Chris Paul will be the next president.

“He played an intricate role during the lockout and throughout the negotiations," Evans said of Paul. "He has the confidence of a lot of guys on the board and around the NBA. Going forward, we believe that he would do a great job. That has yet to be determined or voted on and we’ll address those matters down the road. For now, we’ll continue to support every member of the executive committee and value every member’s opinions.”

It's unclear what must happen for Fisher to be removed from his post. SI.com's Sam Amick says union bylaws are unclear on whether Fisher can be forced out if he refuses to go. Kennedy writes that Fisher may reconsider if the 30 team representatives join the executive committee in calling for him to resign, but as we heard yesterday, not all the player reps oppose Fisher.

The controversy was stirred earlier in the week when Fisher called for an audit of the union's finances. According to Evans, Fisher alleged that executive director Billy Hunter engaged in misappropriation of funds, poorly handled decisions during the lockout, and allowed nepotism take hold in the union office. Three members of Hunter's family work in some capacity for the union, while a fourth was used as outside counsel during the lockout, Amick reports.

A routine financial audit in February found no issues, Kennedy writes, and Evans rejects the notion that the committee is standing in the way of transparency, calling for the union to move forward with its business. There have been allegations that Fisher worked out a deal on the side between himself and the league during the lockout, and though Evans said some of Fisher's actions have been questionable, he wouldn't specifically confirm claims of a side deal, according to Kennedy.

NBPA Wants Derek Fisher Out As President

April 20th, 2012 at 4:44pm CST by Michael Pina

4:44pm: The NBPA confirmed in a series of tweets today that it has asked for Fisher's resignation. Maurice Evans, a member of the executive committe, spoke to Craig Stouffer of the Washington Examiner about the issue, explaining why the executive committee wants Fisher to step down.

"We sent out a letter on behalf of the entire board to Derek, telling Derek that we have appreciated his leadership up until this point, up until the lockout," Evans said. "From the end of the lockout to now, we have been dissatisfied with his actions. There's been a number of actions that have been questionable, and that have lost him the confidence of the board, not the other players, because the other players are not up to speed with what's going on."

2:27pm: Fisher made a brief statement on the issue at the Thunder's shootaround today, saying that he takes his position very seriously and that he's fighting for what's best for the players. Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman has the full transcript of Fisher's comments.

12:03pm: Not all the player reps are on board with ousting Fisher. One player rep told Wojnarowski, "Before we let Billy [Hunter] do anything else, I want an audit of this union… A lot of guys feel that way."

11:40am: Hunter is pursuing a call of team player reps today to vote on removing Fisher from his position, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski. Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that it's unclear just how much power the player reps have in the decision.

FRIDAY, 10:35am: In a letter to executive committee members, Fisher urged them to live up to their "fiduciary responsibility" and vowed not to resign, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

"He's lost the confidence of the players and he's not representing our interests," one union member told Berger. "We gave him the courtesy of having the option to resign without letting this thing get messy."

THURSDAY, 10:11pm: Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Billy Hunter, the executive director of the NBA Player's Association, has convinced the union's executive committee to seek the resignation of the organization's president, Derek Fisher.

Reportedly, the main reason for their fallout came when a power struggle occurred after Fisher convinced the executive committee to vote for an independent auditor to look into the union's finances. Hunter then turned around and convinced the committee that an audit wasn't necessary, and that they should instead try to oust Fisher from his position.

Mistrust between the Player's Association's two most public figures was first created during the lockout, when various players were forced to choose which side they trusted. As it stands, Fisher refuses to step down, and has two years left to serve as NBAPA president. Hunter has three-plus years left on his contract.

Odds & Ends: Van Gundy, Villanueva, Fisher, Magic

April 7th, 2012 at 9:13pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Several of tonight's NBA matchups have intriguing stories to follow. The Sixers, losers of three out of their last four games, collide with the Magic, who have lost five in a row. The Celtics hold a half-game lead over Philadelphia for the Atlantic Division crown, but face a challenge tonight as they play the surging Pacers, who are on a four-game winning streak. Tonight's Grizzlies–Mavericks matchup has a full-game impact on both teams in the Western conference standings. The Clippers and Kings complete their home-and-home series tonight at Staples Center, just a few days after DeMarcus Cousins had some unflattering words for Blake Griffin following Thursday night's game. With that aside, we'll keep you updated on today's miscellaneous stories here:

John Hollinger of ESPN explores the different coaching options Stan Van Gundy has if he leaves the Magic (Insider link). It is worth noting that Hollinger lists a TV gig with ESPN or TNT, the Clippers, and Wizards among several other possibilities.
Charlie Villanueva is "dying to play," writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. The six-year veteran has played in just two games since returning from an ankle injury.
While Derek Fisher hasn't shown a statistical improvement compared to his numbers with the Lakers this season, the Thunder remain hopeful that his intangibles and big-game experience will pay dividends toward the development of the team, says J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today.
In what he considers to be a "sneakered soap opera," Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel shares his thoughts on what to expect from the Magic as they finish the rest of the season and head into the summer.
Antoine Walker announced his retirement from the D-League, tweeted Marc J. Spears of Yahoo.
Expected to file for retirement in June, Brad Miller briefly reflects on a storied career with Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
Shabazz Muhammad of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School is the only NBA-ready player among the participants at the Nike Hoops Summit, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo.