There is a reason players — even elite players — should not get to play general manager, too.
With that thought in mind we bring you this news on the eve of Derek Fisher making his return to Los Angeles as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder — Kobe Bryant wants him back. And Lamar Odom too, according to Scott Howard-Cooper at NBA.com.
Kobe Bryant is planning a hard push to recruit Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom back to the Lakers as free agents in the summer, a source familiar with Bryant’s thinking told NBA.com as Fisher prepares to return to Staples Center as a member of the Thunder.
Whether either would be receptive is unclear – Fisher and Odom loved their seasons in Los Angeles, but were hurt to be traded within the last 3 ½ months. It is known, however, that Bryant plans to use his close friendship with both to convince them that a reunion is in everyone’s best interest, bruised egos and all.
Does he want to bring the triangle offense back, too? Wait, don’t ask him that.
Kobe is being loyal to guys he knows helped get him rings, guys he trusted. But these are bad ideas. And besides, we don’t know if either of these guys wants to come back or if Lakers management would welcome them back.
In the case of Derek Fisher… there’s nothing left in the tank. There is a reason the Lakers had to get Ramon Sessions. Fisher’s legacy as a Laker is intact, but there should be no future. He is a bad fit for this system at the PG spot (he had a PER under 10 for three seasons), and is shooting 32.8 percent since being traded to the Thunder. He will be 38 next season and is a defensive liability. It’s just time to move on.
Odom may have some good basketball left in him, but he is a sensitive player who asked to be moved from the Lakers when they tried to trade him in the Chris Paul deal before the season. Now he’s going to come back? Then there is the money — we can expect Dallas will buy out the last year of Odom’s $8.2 million deal (a $2.4 million buyout) and he will be a free agent. However, the Lakers already have more than $80 million on the books for next season (I’ll assume they will pick up Andrew Bynum’s option). They can’t offer him much, and since every dollar they offer him gets doubled due to the luxury tax they don’t want to. Basically, the Lakers can only lowball him, which he would find insulting from a team that tried to trade him.
The Lakers front office is smart — look for them to go through the motions on guys like this to keep Kobe happy. But neither deal makes any sense for the team going forward (unless Odom is willing to play for peanuts).