Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeWaters
before the playoffs started, my friend was talking about how great Derek Fisher is. How he plays such great defense. We were arguing about how the lakers would do against the Jazz. My friend is a big fan of Deron Williams, but insinuated he would not be able to do all that much against Fisher's D. I hotly disputed this.
Well, we know who was the ignoramus on this one. Me.
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I love D Fish but he's not a talented defender. Derek has a hard time getting through screens and goes beneath them too often allowing his opponent to have an open look at the basket. It's kind of a catch-22 though because when he goes over the top as he should he's too slow to get back into the picture to play defense. Watch any playoff game with the Kings and Lakers from yesteryear. Bibby torched him.
What he lacks in physical ability though Fisher makes up in smarts and strength. He's strong and is tough to back down allowing him to guard bigger guys than his height should allow. He's also not afraid to step into traffic and take a charge. He's good for at least one a game. He can also flop when necessary.
I don't think Deron's day was as much a result of Fisher's D as it was the Lakers team D. They can defend the pick and roll much better with agile bigs in Gasol, Odom and Turiaf. Kobe and the other guards play the lanes and they all collapse and rotate extremely well.