Lakers Derek Fisher

Derek Fisher now will go from point guard for the Lakers to point man for about 430 players, hoping that in his role as president of the NBA Players' Assn., he can help negotiate a new collective-bargaining agreement with league owners. Fisher said the union wasn't happy with the last proposal received from owners about week ago. "Frankly, we're disappointed in the context of it," Fisher said after his exit interview Tuesday with Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

It's the end of an era -- again -- for the Lakers and Derek Fisher. The Lakers have traded the veteran point guard and a conditional draft pick to the Houston Rockets for forward Jordan Hill, a Rockets team source confirmed to The Times. Fisher played his first eight NBA seasons with the Lakers before leaving for Golden State and later Utah, only to return prior to the 2007-08 season. He won five championships with the franchise. Fisher became expendable after the Lakers acquired point guard Ramon Sessions from the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier Thursday.

Staff writer Mike Bresnahan ties up some loose ends on days of Lakers playoff games. -- The Fisher effect Derek Fisher hasn't exactly been great, making nine of his last 47 three-point attempts (19.1%), but his on-court leadership will be missed tonight. In fact, after crunching a series of important logarithms and permutations, I think his absence will cost the Lakers exactly 7.1 points in Game 3. OK, maybe all I did was subtract Jordan Farmar's playoff scoring average from Fisher's.

Reporting from New Orleans — Derek Fisher couldn't help but laugh. The ink had barely dried on Mike D'Antoni's resignation papers, but the Lakers guard was being asked about Phil Jackson . Could he see the former Lakers coach taking over the New York Knicks next season? "Recognizing how competitive he is, and how much he still loves the game itself and from his great memories of New York, from that standpoint I wouldn't be surprised," Fisher said. "But I would be surprised from a quality-of-life standpoint.

La Vida Fisher. Knowing how loco this subculture is, as Derek Fisher does, it's still a mind-bender to find yourself written off one moment, and a hero the next . . . for saying a few words to your teammates before the fourth quarter of Game 3, when they turned the Western Conference finals around. You've heard of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans? Meet Fish and his 11 Lakers.

After further review, Derek Fisher's last-minute, series-tilting, arena-deflating three-pointers still counted. In fact, his shot at the end of the fourth quarter was even more than the end of an 0-for-5 night from long distance for the Lakers' veteran guard. It was the left-handed Fisher going to his right, off a couple of long, space-consuming dribbles -- a rarity for the spot-up shooter -- before hoisting a 26-footer on the move over Jameer Nelson with 4.6 seconds left in regulation.

He sounded like a coach. He sounded like a statesman. But more than anything, Derek Fisher sounded like he was dribbling the ball up the court against the Boston Celtics in the 2010 Finals, daring anybody to step in his path. "There have been moments when it's been draining," he said, his voice rising. "But it's not draining me of my overall energy and passion for playing this game I love to play. " Fisher may currently have the worst sports job in America, but it's exactly where he belongs, the Lakers' soul now serving as the locked-out NBA union's spine.

Every so often, Derek Fisher delights in reminding that he's alive, well and still capable of hitting clutch shots.? Usually it's in the playoffs. ? Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon will be All-Stars one day, perhaps even while still playing for the Clippers.? Only Pau Gasol and the Lakers, among NBA championship contenders, could open a seven-game road swing with a game in their home arena.? Via Twitter or any other form of communication, Peyton Manning doesn't need LeBron James to defend him.?

Derek Fisher fought off a sinus infection and started his 525th consecutive regular-season game, the longest streak among active players. It remains to be seen whether he can also fight off his dwindling playing time. The veteran Lakers guard played 25 minutes Friday against Phoenix after logging only 19 in each of the previous two games, completing his lowest three-game total since November 2006, when he was with Utah. Lakers Coach Mike Brown has had the Talk with Fisher, telling him he might not finish games as often this season.

Reporting from New Orleans — Derek Fisher couldn't help but laugh. The ink had barely dried on Mike D'Antoni's resignation papers, but the Lakers guard was being asked about Phil Jackson . Could he see the former Lakers coach taking over the New York Knicks next season? "Recognizing how competitive he is, and how much he still loves the game itself and from his great memories of New York, from that standpoint I wouldn't be surprised," Fisher said. "But I would be surprised from a quality-of-life standpoint.

1. The Lakers energy level should be there. Who cares if the Lakers play Sunday afternoon, the day everyone loses an hour to daylight saving time. Forget about the Lakers' lackluster focus in their recent three-game trip. Stop worrying about the team dynamics that's featured player frustration regarding Mike Brown's offensive system, film meetings extending into say-what-you-want meetings and whether a trade's happening before the March 15 deadline.  Regardless of their standing within the league, Lakers-Celtics games breed a whole other excitement level.

Derek Fisher fought off a sinus infection and started his 525th consecutive regular-season game, the longest streak among active players. It remains to be seen whether he can also fight off his dwindling playing time. The veteran Lakers guard played 25 minutes Friday against Phoenix after logging only 19 in each of the previous two games, completing his lowest three-game total since November 2006, when he was with Utah. Lakers Coach Mike Brown has had the Talk with Fisher, telling him he might not finish games as often this season.

Lakers-Clippers rivalry? Are you kidding? This is now officially a street fight. It used to be all that mattered when the Clippers played the Lakers was whether Jack Nicholson bothered to show. No more. This one clearly mattered. By the final period, there threatened to be more technical fouls and near-fights than basketball plays. The basketball wasn't that bad, either. Spectacular, actually, if you are measuring intensity. The Lakers will measure it any way you want. Led by that old hand, Kobe Bryant, they prevailed in a rough and rugged fourth period to win, 96-91.

He sounded like a coach. He sounded like a statesman. But more than anything, Derek Fisher sounded like he was dribbling the ball up the court against the Boston Celtics in the 2010 Finals, daring anybody to step in his path. "There have been moments when it's been draining," he said, his voice rising. "But it's not draining me of my overall energy and passion for playing this game I love to play. " Fisher may currently have the worst sports job in America, but it's exactly where he belongs, the Lakers' soul now serving as the locked-out NBA union's spine.

Reporting from Las Vegas -- Moving to reaffirm its solidarity in the face of discouraging labor negotiations, the National Basketball Players Assn. gathered with players participating in a so-called "lockout league" here Thursday. "We had a very colorful and engaging meeting covering the several topics and issues facing us and came out as unified and together as we've been through this whole process," Lakers point guard and union President Derek Fisher said. An estimated 35 NBA players stood behind Fisher wearing green T-shirts reading "Stand.

Even within the comfy confines of his basketball camp Friday, Lakers guard Derek Fisher couldn't escape the question that follows him everywhere. Fisher, president of the National Basketball Players Assn., fielded persistent questioning from campers this week about the current NBA lockout and whether it will alter the 2011-12 season. That will continue Monday when Fisher and the players union restart labor negotiations with the NBA in New York, the first meeting since the work stoppage became official on July 1 and a monthlong period that Fisher described as "weirdly quiet.

His playing time has increased as the Western Conference playoffs have progressed, and Derek Fisher has found a way to stay productive. Sunday against the Utah Jazz and its outstanding point guard, Deron Williams, Fisher was on the court for nearly 40 minutes, his high so far in the seven postseason games the Lakers have played. And Fisher, 35, was solid, scoring 10 points on four-for-seven shooting, and getting five steals, three rebounds and three assists in helping the Lakers to a 104-99 victory over the Jazz at Staples Center in Game 1 of the semifinals.

Derek Fisher sits in an almost-empty restaurant on a midweek morning in Cleveland that defines silence, save for the hushed conversation at a nearby table and the occasional clink of dishes behind a closed door. He seems to savor it as he sips his coffee. There will be little downtime for him in coming months. After the Lakers' playoff push ends, Fisher transitions from 13 teammates to about 420. FOR THE RECORD: Derek Fisher: An article in the March 8 Sports section about Lakers guard Derek Fisher and his role as president of the NBA Players Assn.

Derek Fisher now will go from point guard for the Lakers to point man for about 430 players, hoping that in his role as president of the NBA Players' Assn., he can help negotiate a new collective-bargaining agreement with league owners. Fisher said the union wasn't happy with the last proposal received from owners about week ago. "Frankly, we're disappointed in the context of it," Fisher said after his exit interview Tuesday with Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Derek Fisher sits in an almost-empty restaurant on a midweek morning in Cleveland that defines silence, save for the hushed conversation at a nearby table and the occasional clink of dishes behind a closed door. He seems to savor it as he sips his coffee. There will be little downtime for him in coming months. After the Lakers' playoff push ends, Fisher transitions from 13 teammates to about 420. FOR THE RECORD: Derek Fisher: An article in the March 8 Sports section about Lakers guard Derek Fisher and his role as president of the NBA Players Assn.