EL SEGUNDO Shannon Brown knows his time will come, that day when he will start at point guard. Jordan Farmar is looking forward to that moment too, when a coach hands him the starting job.
Yet, the two young Lakers guards could grow old waiting for Derek Fisher show signs, any sign, of growing older and that's not happening. At age 35, Fisher is as fit and mentally fresh as he was when he first entered the NBA 14 seasons ago, only with less hair.
"I love the game," Fisher said. "Not just the 7:30 game, but I literally love the game of basketball – all the details and the preparation and the discipline that goes into how good you can be."
Fisher takes his job seriously and no one is going to send him to the old folks' home before he's ready. Keep the AARP card. Give him a reason to push himself, remind him he is on the down side of 30 and he will respond with an extra set of bicep curls or another hour on the stationary bike.
"I don't know if you ever can reach the top of the peak that we all seek, but I kind of enjoy pretending I'm getting closer and closer," Fisher said. "So that's what drives me."
Although Coach Phil Jackson has been tinkering with various backcourt lineups in training camp, with Brown and Farmar splitting time with the second and third units, Fisher's job appears safe. Jackson called Fisher "vintage" and believes the guard will play beyond this season, saying it's hard to see any flaws in Fisher's physical condition at the moment.
Fisher, too, said he wants to play beyond this season, the final year of a contract that pays him $5 million. He isn't worried about a contract extension at the moment, only winning another title.
"As far as I can tell, I count six fingers, so there's a little bit left to accomplish," Fisher said
With more championships and NBA seasons in his foreseeable future, Fisher took his training up a notch. He contacted Peter Park, the long-time strength and conditioning coach for seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. The two focused on flexibility, mobility and core work, aspects that would allow Fisher to help him extend his career.
Fisher said he began wondering how individual sport athletes train, what is it they do that allows them to set world records at age 36, 37 or even 38 years old. And whatever they did, he wanted to try.
"As soon as I posed the question to myself, that's when I started to think of myself as an individual athlete like a golfer or swimmer," he said.
He later added that "if you're willing to do the work and put in the time, it's more than possible. The body is capable of so much more than we give it credit for."
Farmar said he looks to Fisher as something of a well-conditioned role model.
"I'm glad he takes care of himself because he's someone I can look to in terms of my career if I can hopefully have a long career like he has, Farmar said.
Although Farmar would like to be the No. 1 point guard for the Lakers, he said he realizes that Fisher isn't going anywhere soon.
"I know what I can do and that's play my own game," Farmar said. "I don't want him to slow down because he is our starting point guard. I really care about him as a person, so I want him to feel good about himself and play well. He's on our team. I don't wish any negative thoughts on him ever. I just want to play well also."
Both Farmar and Brown downplay any sort of pending dogfight for the point guard spot as the season progresses. This is a contract year for all three, so all three will be looking for significant minutes to help their chances at an extension or big pay day.
Fisher said also he isn't bothered by younger players bucking for his job or opposing players testing his quickness on the court. He refuses to center on external motivating factors, because it might cause him to lose his desire to keep playing, to keep pushing him self.
"When I'm pushing myself through the worst of it, it's really about me.
That's something I had to learn in my career and that was how to manage those outside peripheral things, like other players and opponents," he said. "Those things don't really matter at the end of the day."
Re: Article: OC Register - Fisher, 35, still gets the point for Lakers
fisher is one of those rare athletes where i feel really glad for hearing him talk.
people assume he can play a long time because he's primarily a spot up shooter, not a drive and kick point guard, but i'm pretty sure he absolutely takes a beating. particularly fighting through screens. good luck dfish
Re: Article: OC Register - Fisher, 35, still gets the point for Lakers
Quote:
Originally Posted by SourGrapes
fisher is one of those rare athletes where i feel really glad for hearing him talk.
people assume he can play a long time because he's primarily a spot up shooter, not a drive and kick point guard, but i'm pretty sure he absolutely takes a beating. particularly fighting through screens. good luck dfish
yep, he's very well spoken and i do listen closely when he talks too... good point!
Re: Article: OC Register - Fisher, 35, still gets the point for Lakers
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoCalMike
Sorry DKLaker, this may push you over the edge.
Lol......nah, the only thing that would push me over the edge is starting Luke over Artest
The guy I feel most sorry for is Bynum, he'll pick up most of his fouls trying to stop PG's who blow past Fish......he'll be on the bench and Fish will still be on the court. This is the biggest blow to the development of Andrew Bynum.
I suspect that just like the Luke over Ariza thing, they'll make the right switch at some point in the season.
Isn't Fish the oldest starting PG in the NBA......behind Nash?
Re: Article: OC Register - Fisher, 35, still gets the point for Lakers
Quote:
Originally Posted by DKLaker
Lol......nah, the only thing that would push me over the edge is starting Luke over Artest
The guy I feel most sorry for is Bynum, he'll pick up most of his fouls trying to stop PG's who blow past Fish......he'll be on the bench and Fish will still be on the court. This is the biggest blow to the development of Andrew Bynum.
I suspect that just like the Luke over Ariza thing, they'll make the right switch at some point in the season.
:
Don't hold your breath. If it didnt happen in the playoffs shooting -20%, its not happening now. Fish has way too much seniority to be benched. It'll never happen no matter how badly he plays.
Lets just hope he doesn't give us reason to hope Phil changes his mind.
Re: Article: OC Register - Fisher, 35, still gets the point for Lakers
Quote:
Originally Posted by picc84
Don't hold your breath. If it didnt happen in the playoffs when Fish was shooting -20%, its not happening now. Fish has way too much seniority to be benched. It'll never happen no matter how badly he plays.
Lets just hope he doesn't give us reason to hope Phil changes his mind.
Oh, don't get me wrong....I don't want him benched, I still want him to get his minutes but I think he would have a stronger impact off the bench, providing leadership to the bench mob and getting to go up against backup PG's who are likely not as dangerous as the starter. This would also.....as I said really help Bynum.
Re: Article: OC Register - Fisher, 35, still gets the point for Lakers
Yeah , Im Lovin Fisher Right Now!
Think He will Be my All-time PG Veteran Since He Shot that killing J behind the Rainbow Line Last year against the Orlando Magic , He got So Much Confident in himself!
Other : Im Startin For Junior Varsity For Mannheim Bison!
Article: OC Register - Fisher, 35, still gets the point for Lakers
Fish has way too much seniority to be benched. It'll never happen no matter how badly he plays. 
