To read the Los Angeles media of late, Derek Fisher is almost an afterthought. The former Little Rock Parkview and UALR point guard, who has played on three NBA championship teams with the Los Angeles Lakers, hasn’t been given much consideration lately in the Los Angeles media. The Lakers have been at the center of a media frenzy since early July. First came the news that Kobe Bryant had been arrested in Eagle County, Colo., on suspicion of sexual misconduct. Bryant has not been charged, though a decision could be made this week. Then came news that perennial all-stars Gary Payton and Karl Malone would sign with the Lakers. The NBA forbids signing free agents until July 16, but Payton, a point guard last season with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Malone, a power forward with the Utah Jazz, have notified Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak they will sign with the Lakers. Fisher, in town for Corliss Williamson’s Legends In the Rock charity basketball game, can’t talk about the Bryant case. He can talk about his future with the team. "When you step back and look at it and you’re already talking about a team that has Kobe and Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal], just adding Gary to that and thinking about those three guys on the court at the same time, " Fisher said, starting to laugh. "Then you add Karl Malone to that and it almost becomes comical." Both Malone and Payton will take big pay cuts to join the Lakers. Malone earned $19.3 million last season while Payton earned $12.6 million. Payton’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, believes Payton could have garnered up to $35 million, which was offered by the Portland Trail Blazers. Malone, who has averaged 25.4 points per game in his 18-year NBA career, isn't as much of a problem for Fisher. He’s considered the greatest player in Jazz history and will play the power forward position that has been occupied by a combination of players including Robert Horry, Devean George and Samaki Walker. Malone could pass former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA’s all-time scoring record by averaging a little more than 12 points a game over the next two seasons. Payton, however, figures to play Fisher’s position, leaving in doubt his future. Payton, considered by many the greatest player in Seattle SuperSonics history, has averaged 18.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in his 13 seasons in the NBA. Payton is a two-time All-NBA first-team player, a ninetime first team All-Defense selection and was the defensive player of the year in 1996. That’s when he earned the nickname "The Glove." "I think all four of us can score 20 points a game, I think so," Payton told the Los Angeles Times. "I can get a lot of easy baskets, and Karl, when Shaq is getting double- teamed, he can hit that little mid-range jumper, and Kobe’s going to be Kobe." Notice no mention of Fisher. The Los Angeles Times got off this subtle blast: "Payton, who used to dominate Derek Fisher and Tyronn Lue, now must become them." The media hasn’t necessarily put the blame for the Lakers’ loss in last season’s NBA playoffs on Fisher. But it’s not coming to Fisher’s defense, either. It also isn’t giving Fisher, who has averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists during his sevenyear NBA career, credit for the job he’s done. Fisher was one of two Lakers — including Bryant — to play in all 82 regular- season games and 12 playoff games this season. Fisher took the second-round loss to the San Antonio Spurs hard. "That was extremely disappointing," Fisher said. "Initially it was really hard to deal with but it has taken me a little bit of time to step back and really appreciate what we had already accomplished. There really was no failure last season." At least for now, Fisher remains a part of the Lakers’ mix. That was the case this week as Fisher, in town for Saturday’s game, was summoned by the Lakers to return to L. A. on Thursday. He returned to Little Rock on Saturday and played in the second game at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock. "I can only do what I can and that’s to go out and play. I think I’ve proven my worth and my value to the team," Fisher said. Right now, that value is in question. All the talk is centered around O’Neal, Bryant, Payton and Malone. Hardly anyone mentions that the other opening day starter may be Fisher, providing the Lakers keep him around. Once Payton and Malone sign, the Lakers will have 12 players under contract, including point guards Payton, Fisher and Jannero Pargo (Arkansas Razorbacks). "Gary Payton obviously plays the point guard position and that will, one way or another, affect me," Fisher said. "Whether he’s the starter or I’m the starter or they play us together or how many minutes are there still has to be determined." Small forward Rick Fox will likely start this season on the disabled list after a foot and tendon injury suffered in the first round of the playoffs. He could return as early as November or as late as February. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson may then choose to move Bryant to the small forward, allowing Fisher to start alongside Payton at the guard positions. "I think they’ll definitely find ways for all of us to be effective and any time you can add those kind of pieces to a team, I think we all have to humble ourselves and say, ‘ This is something that is going to get us back to the point where we want to be, ’" Fisher said. "I think those two guys are definitely a great start to that." Fisher could also be relegated to coming off the bench to spell Payton, which would be the case if Bryant remained at guard and George started at small forward. "I definitely think Phil will find what balance works best for us. More than any other year, training camp will be really important in trying to figure out who fits in where," Fisher said. "Overall, it definitely adds more depth to our team. When you think about the San Antonio Spurs, about the Sacramento Kings or the Dallas Mavericks, these are teams that are 7, 8, 9 guys deep. Adding those two guys gets us closer to being able to match up with them in a lot of ways." There also remains the possibility that Fisher, who is in the final year of his contract, could be traded. If the Lakers participate in some type of sign- andtrade deal with Utah to get Malone or Milwaukee to get Payton, Fisher could be thrown in to dump salary and fill needs for those teams. Fisher also has been mentioned as a possibility with the Memphis Grizzlies, whose General Manager Jerry West drafted Fisher while with the Lakers. On Saturday, Fisher was just glad to be home. Even if it was just for a little while. Here, he’s definitely not an afterthought. "I love coming home for whatever reason. I don’t really have to have a reason to come home, but I’m all for an event that allows us to give back to our community," Fisher said. --

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