If any big Laker news comes down I’ll get to it as quickly as I can (busy work week), but here is some interesting reading to keep your mind occupied:
• The Los Angeles Times suggests that Derek Fisher could be waived under the new amnesty rules and would draw the interest of the Lakers if that happens. I like this idea better than the White Chocolate idea presented yesterday. I don’t have time to get into all the numbers today — and I don’t want to start getting into the numbers for all the potential Laker signings out there, nobody has that kind of time — but Fisher is a pretty average defender, although he has had a more difficult time with point guards than when asked to cover two guards. However, his offensive skills fit well with the triangle: He can hit the three, doesn’t use up a lot of shots and plays his role. Plus, I just have always liked the guy, and being a fan favorite should count for something.
• Hoopsanalyst has a piece up talking about the greatest trades in Laker history (and the rest of the Pacific division). What do you think was better — the trade that cleared the way for the Magic Johnson pick or the highway robbery that allowed the Lakers to draft James Worthy and add him to Kareem and Magic? This is good work and well worth the read.
• For college basketball fans, really interesting trial starting this week between the NCAA and the NIT that could, down the line, force huge changes on March Madness. The bottom line is this — if UCLA wins the Pac-10 or Cal State Northridge wins the Big West (an alum can dream, can’t he?) then they MUST go to the NCAA tournament. If you get an invite, NCAA rules for all sports require you to participate in the NCAA tourney. But what if a team wants to go somewhere else? Mark McGuire pulled his Marquette team out of the NCAA Tourney in the 1970s because he was pissed at the seeding. Should teams still be able to do that? Now all that’s a bit of a simplification, but that’s the core of what the argument is, the NCAA says you should have to go to their party and the NIT says you should be able to do what you want. If the NIT wins, it may force the NCAA to make changes or allow for promoters and teams to organize their own events (like college football). It’s worth following.