04/18/24
March 18, 2012
Derek Fisher No-Show After Lakers Trade: Veteran guard Derek Fisher has not reported to Houston after being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Rockets on Thursday with a first-round pick for forward Jordan Hill. Fisher's longtime backcourt mate Kobe Bryant was shocked by the trade and didn't seem happy that GM Mitch Kupchak did not speak to him about the deal. The Lakers also dealt forwards Luke Walton and Jason Kapono to the Cleveland Cavaliers and added guard Ramon Sessions and forward Christian Eyenga. ProBasketballTalk claims the Rockets will buy out Fisher's contract.
posted by rcade to basketball at 03:16 PM - 12 comments
You're right about the pick. I've fixed the post. Fisher has gotten his buyout.
Are employees traded in your field, and are salaries capped off under a scheme in which an employee's salary is sometimes valued more than that employee? This isn't about Fisher's work ethic. It's about how the game is played.
posted by rcade at 06:05 PM on March 18, 2012
a scheme in which an employee's salary is sometimes valued more than that employee?
/somewhat off topic rant on
You bet. Worked for a few large companies that played "HR Roulette" ... one actually had a policy to replace a certain percentage of the top earners each year with junior personnel.
Has to be the most ridiculous practice I've ever come across. Think of it - a company rewards it's key employees until they are top earners and then removes 1/5 of them each year. Completely destroyed morale there and motivated the top earners to seek employment elsewhere ... that company no longer exists.
/rant off
Fisher's situation reminds me of Hines Ward. Both players were loyal to their teams and key contributors 2 or 3 years ago, and both got punted as their performance dropped off. Would like to see the teams approach these type of players regarding other roles within the organization before moving to more drastic measures.
posted by cixelsyd at 09:17 PM on March 18, 2012
Fisher could sign with the Lakers again this season correct? If he waits a month or so?
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 10:41 PM on March 18, 2012
Not until July.
posted by rcade at 11:15 PM on March 18, 2012
Didn't Fisher do this same thing before? Go to another team and then end up back at the Lakers mid-season?
posted by bperk at 12:07 AM on March 19, 2012
/off topic response
one actually had a policy to replace a certain percentage of the top earners each year with junior personnel
What in the world was the GOAL of that policy? I can't see what possible benefit it could have.
posted by LionIndex at 01:17 AM on March 19, 2012
LionIndex, probably reduce payroll costs.
posted by apoch at 05:08 AM on March 19, 2012
...probably reduce payroll costs.
And then, when possible, delay hiring that junior employee to fill the post so the company can save a few weeks or months pay and benefits in its attempt to save as much as it can.
posted by roberts at 06:53 AM on March 19, 2012
Didn't Fisher do this same thing before? Go to another team and then end up back at the Lakers mid-season?
Not that I can see. ("Transactions", about 4/5 down the page)
posted by yerfatma at 09:57 AM on March 19, 2012
It wasn't mid-season but he asked for that release from the Jazz with the reasoning that he wanted to be closer to his daughter's hospital.
Looking at that basketball refernce link, Fisher's numbers are just awful. He's never posted an above average PER in his career? I realized he's been bad the last couple years but the numbers suggest he's never been good.
posted by tron7 at 10:18 AM on March 19, 2012
Not until July
Effectively ending his career.
What in the world was the GOAL of that policy?
Primarily cheaper labor, I assume. Possibly also give HR types something to do to make them feel important.
What may be more interesting is that the company had to contract out the more involved work to it's former senior employees at 3 to 5 times their salaried burden rate after it had severed major portions of it's IP. Some folks I know are still on that gravy train providing expertise to another company that scavenged the original's carcass.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:29 AM on March 19, 2012
Veteran guard Derek Fisher has not reported to Houston after being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Rockets on Thursday for forward Jordan Hill and a first-round draft pick.
The link says the 1st round pick, the one the Lakers acquired from Dallas for Lamar Odom, is going from the Lakers to the Rockets. If it were Jordan Hill and a first round pick to the Lakers for Fisher, it would make no sense. Why do you give up a player and a pick in order to buy out the player you trade for?
I guess my Judaeo-Christian work ethic will never allow me to understand how an employee can refuse to work for his employer yet demand to be paid some settlement for trying to get a new job. I wish I could have gotten away with that when I was working.