Dallas Mavericks Encouraged With Derek Fisher's Debut

By John Raffel

Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

Derek Fisher didn’t have the greatest of debuts for the Dallas Mavericks and has already demonstrated that he’s going to be a valuable addition for the franchise.

But the Mavericks still have major plans for the 38-year-old NBA veteran point guard, who signed with the team on Thursday.

On Saturday in a victory over the Detroit Pistons, Fisher started and saw 24 minutes of action with two points. He was  1-for-8 from the field with three assists and three turnovers. He scored on a goaltending violation by Kyle Singler at the 6:53 mark of the opening quarter.

“He ended up a significant plus in the game,” said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle. “It’s going to take some time for him to get his legs. I’ve been saying that all along. I liked when he and (Darren) Collison were together. I thought that was pretty productive lineup.

“He enhances our situation a lot of different ways. He gives us more options, and his experience, you just can’t substitute what that means.”

The former Los Angeles Laker and five-NBA champion looked rusty and appeared to be out of sync with the defense at times, but Elton Brand said Fisher is only going to make the team much better and it doesn’t come at a bad time considering the Mavericks are battling to get over the .500 mark.

“Derek Fisher solidifies the unit, he keeps us tight, and he’s a proven veteran,” Brand said. “There’s not a shot he hasn’t seen, not a defense he hasn’t seen. He’s very heady and very smart out there. Darren Collison played his role great. He came off the bench and helped us lock up and created turnovers. He’s playing his role.”

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