After making a crucial mid-range shot in the fourth quarter of his first NBA playoff game, an energized Austin Reaves jogged back on defense and screamed toward the L.A. Lakers bench saying, “I’m him! I’m him!”

The meme-mable moment was one of the defining images of the 2023 NBA playoffs. It was extra special for Reaves because his basketball journey is better than a Hollywood script.

He came into the league as an undrafted free agent. He earned himself a roster spot with the Lakers in 2021 on a two-way contract before securing a fully guaranteed two-year, $2.4 million contract. This summer, he’s expected to attract several suitors in free agency. The Lakers can’t afford to lose Reaves and must do everything within their power to keep him on their roster.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka told reporters during his end-of-season media availability that the team intends to keep its young core together, and at the top of that priority list is Reaves.

Pelinka sees Reaves as a major part in making the puzzle fit to compete for championships. But the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement might make it challenging for the Lakers to retain Reaves, who could potentially command a lucrative deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 million to $80 million.

The Lakers can offer Reaves — who is a restricted free agent — a four-year deal worth about $51 million. Opposing teams could offer Reaves nearly twice that amount, but the Lakers can match it.

“We have a lot of great young players,” Pelinka said. “Austin, in particular, had an incredible year. He defines really what’s at the heart of playing for the Lakers. He’s a selfless, team-first guy. He lives in the gym. He loves the big moment. He’s been able to meet the big moment. I think he’s a guy that, regardless on what his deal is, I don’t think it’s going to change him as a person. And we’ll hang our hat on guys like that, that compete, love the game, love their teammates. We’re proud to have him as part of this franchise.”

The blockbuster three-team trade in February that brought D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley to the L.A. and sent Russell Westbrook to Utah had a major ripple effect. But it wasn’t the result most expected.

Russell, who was thought to be the most valuable piece in the Westbrook trade, had a roller-coaster second tenure with the Lakers. When he was making shots, he was a major contributor. But when he struggled to score, he was useless on the court and became a defensive liability. Russell struggled mightily in the Western Conference finals against the Denver Nuggets, averaging just 6.3 points and shooting an abysmal 13% from 3-point range. D-Lo was so awful in the WCF that he lost his starting spot in Game 4. The Nuggets went on to sweep the Lakers and advanced to their first NBA Finals.

Vanderbilt had his moments on the defensive end, but was offensively challenged (shot under 20% from the field). He was in and out of the starting lineup and barely played in the fourth quarters. Beasley was suppose to provide the Lakers with some much-needed 3-point punch. But a terrible shooting slump (25% FGM) got him benched and the only time you saw him on the court was during garbage time.

Ultimately, the biggest benefactor in the Westbrook trade was Reaves.

Moving Westbrook elevated Reaves and gave him more opportunities as a primary playmaker, especially on pick-and-rolls. Reaves’ accent into the starting lineup coincided with the Lakers’ late-season push. AR earned the trust of Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and his staff, as well as the team’s superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who have embraced him with open arms.

There are approximately 450 guys playing in the NBA, and Reaves feels he belongs in this rare community.

“His game speaks volumes,” former Lakers guard and Spectrum SportsNet analyst Derek Fisher said about Reaves, who is becoming a fan favorite and something of a cult hero in Lakers Nation.

“[Austin is a] balanced offensive player. [He] can score at all three levels; at the rim, mid-range, pick and roll, shoot the three,” Fisher added. “He can guard multiple positions. Great basketball IQ. There’s no surprise in his production.

“Austin is a great example of it’s now where you start, it’s where you continue to finish as you move through your journey. Everybody’s journey is different. He has proven himself. And he’s not done yet.”

Fisher can relate to Reaves. Like Reaves, Fisher grew up in Arkansas. D-Fish was a key role player on the Shaq-Kobe teams in the early 2000s. His big moment came during the 2001 playoffs where he got in a zone and the Lakers rode his hot hand all the way to a second straight NBA title.

Reaves’ coming-out party came in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies. His fourth-quarter takeover carried the Lakers to an unexpected road victory in one of the most hostile environments in the basketball.

“There’s a lot of emotions. You dream about being on a stage like this,” Reaves said. “It’s the playoffs. I got hot late.”

On six straight possessions when the game was hanging in the balance, Reaves was responsible for 13 Lakers points that allowed L.A. to pull away. Reaves made two mid-range shots, a layup, a 3-pointer, knocked down two free throws and assisted on a Davis dunk.

He scored 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter on 5-for-5 shots from the field. For the game he was 8 for 13 from the field. Not a bad playoff debut for the second-year undrafted guard from Oklahoma.

“When you got guys like Bron and AD, it makes life a lot easier,” Reaves said. He said his first impressions on the playoffs is that the game is more physical but a lot of the “little stuff” stayed the same.

Reaves was instrumental in helping the seventh-seeded Lakers knock out the Grizzlies in six games. But he was far from done. He may not have produced highlight-reel moments against the Golden State Warriors in the conference semifinals, but he was a major factor in knocking out the defending NBA champs and essentially ending the Dubs’ dynasty.

Reaves was the steady hand Ham turned to whenever the Lakers offense goes off course. Each time the Lakers called on No. 15, he delivered in big-time fashion.

“We trust him with the ball in his hand, early in the game and late in the game,” LeBron said about Reaves. “I’ve been around the game long enough to know great basketball IQ players. I know the type of player that fit with my game. I knew Austin would be that right away. I’m gonna give a lot of credit to Coach [Frank] Vogel in throwing him into the fire and learn on the fly, and allow him to make mistakes. Play through a lot of stuff. But I knew the type of player we would get in Austin.”

Reaves was a huge Kobe Bryant fan growing up in Newark, Ark. Because of it, he was given the nickname Hillbilly Kobe. But former Lakers forward James Worthy, who now works for Spectrum SportsNet, may have the best nickname for Reaves’ old-school style of basketball: “Pistol Pete” Reaves.

Pistol Pete is a reference to the late great Pete Maravich, a basketball pioneer who mesmerized fans with a unique style that was the epitome of the way the game was played in the 1970s.

“I believe in all our ball handlers. I believe in [D’Angelo] Russell. I believe in [Dennis] Schroeder. But I have to say this, Reaves is the best decision maker of the three, especially down the stretch,” Worthy said. “He can pass. But more importantly he draws fouls. He can complete the old-fashioned 3-point play. When he gets the ball and starts to navigate and the defense is beside him or behind him, he is going to get that little bump, shot, floater or he’s gonna make the right decision.”

Reaves is a 3-handicap in golf, so he is extremely dialed in when it comes to details. And he is ultra competitive.

“He doesn’t panic. A lot of guys will make a pass one second too early. Not Reaves,” Worthy said. “He will wait. He is so fun to watch. Extremely smart player.”

For the past two years, the Lakers had been searching for a No. 3 option to complement LeBron and AD. As it turned out, the missing piece to their complicated puzzle was sitting under their nose. Or, sitting on their bench.

Reaves’ confidence grew with the increased playing time. Having more opportunities with the ball in his hands elevated his profile. Other NBA players, like Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard, were taking notice. Lillard tweeted: “My bad … Reaves like that.”

Reaves enjoyed a major breakout in the final three months of the season, and the Lakers posted the league’s best record since the All-Star break. In his final 18 regular-season games, Reaves averaged 18 points per game, shot 57% from the field, 42% from the 3-point line, and nearly 6 assists. In 64 games in his sophomore NBA season, he averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from 3-ball range.

Reaves took his game to a higher level in the playoffs. He averaged nearly 17 points per game, five assists, and shot 56% from the field. He was even better in the conference finals, averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 assists while shooting lights out from the field (55%) and from behind the 3-point line (56%). He also was a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line. The Lakers were outplayed by the much more disciplined and cohesive Nuggets, but Reaves was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing playoff finish.

Reaves told reporters that the biggest lesson he learned in his first playoffs was how mentally taxing it was.

“I think the mental part of basketball and probably a lot of other sports is maybe more of the battle. You definitely become mentally drained at points of the year,” he said. “[You have] to keep that strong to have the discipline to stay up on your other treatment because when you get mentally drained sometimes all you want to do is lay in bed and go to sleep. So, the mental part is just as big as the physical part. And that’s basically what I’ve learned in this playoff push.”

L.A. owned the third-best net rating after the trade deadline, even with LeBron missing 16 games. With Reaves in the starting lineup with James, Anthony Davis, Russell and Vanderbilt, L.A. outscored opponents by 37 points in 77 minutes down the home stretch. During the play-in game against Minnesota, Reaves played the entire fourth quarter and overtime. It said a lot about Ham’s confidence in the second-year pro. Whenever Reaves was paired with LeBron and AD on the court, the Lakers +/- metrics were sky high.

Reaves has carved out a nice role on a squad with two players on the NBA’s top-75 team. His big jump puts the Lakers in a challenging spot to re-sign him this offseason. NBA insider Shams Charania said it would be tough for the Lakers to match any offer north of $60 million.

If a team offered Reaves four years, $90 million, which is not entirely impossible, the Lakers will have to bite the bullet and absorb the salary cap hit.

“I want to be here,” Reaves told reporters during exit interviews. “[L.A.] feels like home to me, in a sense. Obviously, it’s a lot different than my actual home. It’s a little bigger. A lot more people. Worst traffic. But, I told somebody a couple of months ago that it feels like home for me. The way the fans support me; players, coaching staff, front office. This is definitely somewhere I want to be, but we’ll see what happens.”

Anthony Davis celebrates after draining a playoff buzzer-beater. (Getty Images)

Anthony Davis yelled “Kobe” after hitting the biggest shot of his young NBA career. He sprinted down the sideline and jumped into a swarm of teammates who were eager to mob him.

Davis’ special shoutout was an obvious homage to the late great Kobe Bryant — the legendary Los Angeles Laker who had a habit of sinking game-winning shots throughout his Hall of Fame basketball career.

“That’s a shot Kobe Bryant would hit,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of Davis’ 3-point shot from the wing in front of the Denver Nuggets bench to beat the clock. It lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 105-103 victory over the Nuggets in Game 2 of the 2020 Western Conference finals inside the NBA bubble at Disney World.

“To me, AD just flying through the wing like that, catch and shoot with the game on the line in the biggest moment of our season, nothing but net, that’s a Mamba shot,” Vogel said.

It was fitting the Lakers wore the special Black Mamba Nike jerseys in their dramatic win over Denver. Davis, who has only been a Laker for one season, said it’s no coincidence the 2020 Lakers play with more “swag” while wearing the Black Mamba uniforms.

“We just feel like we play a little different,” the 27-year-old first-team All-NBA forward-center said. “Our swag is a little different. Every time we put on those jerseys, obviously, we’re representing him. But especially in those jerseys. It was his jersey. The one that he created. Anytime we put it on we feel like we want to win.”

The significance of the game-winner wasn’t lost on Davis. He knew it will define his Lakers career. He also knew he put himself in rarefied air, joining a list of legendary Lakers who made unforgettable buzzer-beaters in the playoffs.

OneManFastBreak ranks the five best playoff buzzer-beaters in Lakers history.

5-Anthony Davis’ Mamba moment vs. Nuggets (2020)

The Lakers were down 103-102 with 2.1 seconds in the game. The play was drawn up for LeBron James to catch the ball at the elbow. But Rajon Rondo saw Davis break free from Mason Plumlee, who inexplicably decided to call switch at the last second instead of fighting over the top of the screen. Rondo fired a perfect bounce pass to AD, who caught the ball in perfect shooting position and launched a high-arching shot over the outstretched arms of 7-footer Nikola Jokic and swished it with no time left. AD called his walkoff 3-pointer the biggest shot of his career. He wasn’t afforded many opportunities when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans. Being with the L.A. Lakers has allowed AD to be on center stage. He now has the mic, and he’s not about to let it go.

4-Kobe Bryant sets Staples ablaze vs. Suns (2006)

Kobe was no stranger to clutch shots. He was at his absolute best when his best was needed. The Lakers entered their 2006 playoff series against Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns as underdogs. The Lakers were two years removed from the Shaq-Kobe era. This was Kobe’s team. He carried the franchise on his back during a season in which he averaged a league-leading 35.4 points per game and scored a mind-boggling 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. The Suns were championship contenders, but Kobe’s individual greatness pushed the Lakers to a 3-1 series before eventually losing in seven games. Few NBA fans remember the Suns’ comeback. Many remember Kobe’s heroics against the Suns in Game 4.

3-Derek Fisher beats the clock vs. Spurs (2004)

Can you attempt a shot with 0.4 seconds left? Derek Fisher proved you can. In the 2004 conference semifinals between the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan gave the Spurs a 73-72 lead after hitting an 0ff-balance fallaway shot at the top of the key. The Spurs fans thought the game was over and home team was poised to take a 3-2 series lead. San Antonio’s dreams were dashed with one improbable fling — a Fisher Fling. Before Gary Payton inbounded the ball, the Spurs double teamed Kobe Bryant to deny him the ball. Payton had to look elsewhere. Fisher flashed in front of him and received the pass. In one motion, Fisher turned to his left and fired a shot that barely left his left hand as the red light turned on. D-Fish tallied just eight points in the game, but none bigger than the last shot he swished with 0.4 seconds left. The Lakers went on to knock out the Spurs and advance to the conference finals.

2-Jerry West sinks 60-foot heave vs. Knicks (1970)

For many millennials and centennials, the name Jerry West doesn’t ring a bell. In the era of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, West’s name surfaces mostly as an NBA executive and special adviser on the Golden State Warriors. It might be time for generation Y and Z to learn some basketball history and see how West played a huge part in creating what the NBA is today. Google him, folks. West, known as Mr. Clutch for much of his career, made a shot during the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks that may never be duplicated. Dave DeBusschere’s short jumper gave the Knicks a two-point lead with three seconds left. L.A. had no timeouts, so Wilt Chamberlain quickly inbounded the ball to West, who took three dribbles before launching a desperation heave from the backcourt that somehow went through the hoop sending the game into overtime. Because the 3-point shot didn’t exist in 1970, it only counted as two points. Had West’ shot happen in 2020, it would have been an obvious game-winner. The Lakers went on to lose the game and the series, but the legend of Jerry West grew.

1-Big Shot Bob saves Lakers vs. Kings (2002)

Robert Horry built his NBA resume around making big-time shots in May and June. Because of his uncanny ability to rise up in big moments, he earned the nickname Big Shot Bob. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were without a doubt the most valuable players during the Lakers’ three-peat. But the L.A. dynasty would have ended sooner without the heroics of Horry. You could make a strong argument the Lakers would not have beaten the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 conference finals without Horry. The Kings were seconds away from taking a 3-1 lead in the series when Horry bailed out the Lakers. Kobe and Shaq both had an opportunity to tie the game, but both missed. Kobe missed a driving shot in the paint while Shaq flubbed a point-blank shot in front of the rim that Vlade Divac ended up punching out instead of grabbing the ball. The loose ball bounced to the top of the key and fell into the hands of a guy with a reputation for making clutch shots. Without hesitation, Horry got his feet set and shot the ball over a rushing Chris Webber and drained it as the buzzer sounded for a 100-99 heart-pounding L.A. win. It was not only the greatest playoff buzzer-beater in Lakers history but one of the greatest playoff buzzer-beaters in NBA history.

Derek Fisher helped bring five NBA championships to the L.A. Lakers. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The biggest news of the NBA trading deadline didn’t come from Orlando. In fact, the much talked about Orlando deal didn’t happen as All-Star center Dwight Howard finally put down his flip-flops and decided to stick with the Magic for at least one more season.

With the Dwight Howard sweepstakes on hold until next season, the most stunning news on trade deadline day was the reported deal involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets that would send longtime Laker fan favorite Derek Fisher to the Rockets for forward Jordan Hill.

The deal appears to be a financial decision for the Lakers, who were unwilling to pay the 37-year-old Fisher $3.4 million this season and next season. But to give up one of your team captains and linchpins on five Lakers championship teams for a backup forward who has done absolutely nothing in the NBA is a bit mind-boggling.

Sure Fisher has lost a step or two on the court, but what he brings to the table goes beyond the stat sheet. He is the ultimately glue guy, someone who plays his position and does it with great class and professionalism. And despite his advanced age, Fisher remains one of the game’s best clutch shooters. That’s something you can’t put a price tag on.

Fisher is a selfless player who is one of the most respected guys in the entire league, not just in the Lakers organization. He is the voice of reason, and his opinions carries a great deal of weight. Kobe Bryant has gone on record that one of the guys he listens to is D-Fish. The two of them have grown up together in the Lakers family and have the utmost respect for one another. They’ve been through plenty of playoff wars and undoubtedly the two leaders inside the locker room.

You don’t just give up on a Derek Fisher. At the very least, you allow him to decide his own fate. The Lakers owe Fisher at least that much for what he has meant to the franchise for much of his 16-year NBA career, 13 of them wearing purple gold. What is the harm in keeping a veteran guy who makes big shots in the fourth quarter on your roster for a playoff run? Are the Lakers in such a financial hole that they can’t afford to pay a player $3.4 million? And what does this mean for the Lakers moving forward? You know Kobe can’t be pleased about this move. He reportedly canceled an appearance on ESPN Radio in L.A. minutes after the Fisher news broke, which gives a clear indication that Kobe wasn’t consulted on the matter.

If the trading Fisher was a salary dump for the Lakers then the team just dumped on their NBA championship hopes this season.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Lakers star Kobe Bryant is surrounded by reporters at the team's practice facility in El Segundo. (US PRESSWIRE)

You can’t blame Kobe Bryant for looking and feeling a little surly these days.

On the eve of training camp and the start of the 2011 free agency period, the Lakers thought they had All-Star point guard Chris Paul in a three-team deal. Just hours after the CP3 trade began circulating, commissioner David Stern nixed the trade citing the NBA-owned New Orleans Hornets were not getting enough in return.

Days after the Paul trade fell apart, the Lakers moved popular teammate Lamar Odom, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, to the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. How did Bryant react to the news? He said “I hope management knows what they’re doing!” Not exactly a ringing endorsement for general manager Mitch Kupchak and team executive Jim Buss.

Then, on Wednesday, the Clippers – the junior varsity team of Staples Center – landed the coveted Paul, and the Twitterverse started blowing up with plenty of chatter on how the Clippers have now surpassed the Lakers as the No. 1 in Los Angeles.

Two days later, on a very windy Friday afternoon in Southern California, TMZ reported that Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences” and asked for joint custody of the couple’s two daughters. TMZ said Vanessa is ending the 10-year marriage because Kobe has been unfaithful.

Talk about a rough last 48 hours for the Black Mamba! No wonder he left Friday’s practice without speaking to the media and was extra terse with reporters on Thursday when he was asked about the CP3 deal to the crosstown rival Clippers.

Despite all the trouble in Lakerland, Kobe Bryant remains focused on the task at hand, which is to chase his sixth NBA championship ring and a 17th title to the Lakers franchise.

Bryant reportedly looks great in practice and his troublesome knee seems to be healing well. Bryant still has 7-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum to lean on offensively and defensively, and he still has good friend Derek Fisher by his side when things get crazy in the locker room. Newly acquired forward Josh McRoberts is a terrific athlete who will add energy and punch off the bench, and could start on occasion should Bynum or Gasol gets hurt. And don’t think for one second that the Lakers are done wheeling and dealing. They are still in play to obtain All-Star center Dwight Howard and they are still in the market for a point guard.

There are lots of questions left to be answered for the Lakers, including how the team will function without Phil Jackson’s trusty triangle offense and how long it will take them to trust first-year head coach Mike Brown. But one thing is for certain, Kobe Bryant is still one of the best players in the league and he will never allow the Lakers to play second-fiddle to anyone, especially the Clippers.

Kobe will file all the negativity surrounding his life and use them as motivation. Don’t ever count out Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Derek Fisher, president of the National Basketball Players Association, speaks at a press conference at Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. Fisher is joined by Chris Paul (left) and Maurice Evans (right). (GETTY IMAGES)

Commissioner David Stern and his band of greedy NBA owners had been basking in the glow of their complete annihilation of the players on the negotiating table.

The owners wanted a higher luxury tax on teams that go over the salary cap threshold, they got it. The owners wanted to reduce the years on guaranteed contracts, they got it. The last remaining chip for the players, the basketball-related income or BRI, went down faster than the stock market. The owners wanted a 50-50 split on BRI, they got it.

The collective bargaining negotiations have become a complete blowout for Stern, his deputy Adam Silver, and the hardliners led by Peter Holt of the San Antonio Spurs, Paul Allen of the Portland Trail Blazers and Dan Gilbert of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even the great Michael Jordan, once the face of the National Basketball Players Association during the 1998 NBA lockout, has joined the dark side.

Yahoo! Sports basketball writer Adrian Wojnarowski compared the one-sided labor talks to a 30-point blowout on the basketball court. Stern and the owners throwing alley-oop passes, pressing fullcourt, keeping their starters in late in the fourth quarter as they run up the score on the players.

On Monday, the NBPA finally had enough. Union president Derek Fisher and executive director Billy Hunter put an end to the owners’ in-your-face celebration by slapping an antitrust lawsuit against the league.

Fisher went Kevin McHale on Stern, clotheslining him on a breakaway and dropping him on the floor like Kurt Rambis.

Fisher and the more than 400 members of the players’ association are disbanding as a union and are taking the NBA to court. Not the basketball court, but the court of law. Fisher told members of the media who were gathered in New York for the NBPA press conference that the players cannot comment further on the current state of the lockout because of legal issues.

This is something basketball fans have been fearing for months, which is a lost 2011-12 season, but it had to be done. The disclaimer of interest Hunter referenced to the media is not something the majority wanted but it was the only way to stop the owners from railroading the players.

The NBA players have been and are willing to negotiate a fair deal. The mere fact that they moved down from 57% to 50% on BRI should have told the owners that they are conceding and just wanted to save face and avoid further humiliation. All the players wanted at this point was a little tweak in the system so they can have a little bit of freedom in free agency. That’s all.

But the owners laughed at that last request from the players and proceeded to slap high fives and kept piling on. The owners didn’t want just a slice of the pie, they wanted the whole box and the sauce.

The players didn’t want to file the antitrust lawsuit, but the owners forced their hand. The NBA lockout continues because the owners are unwilling to call off the dogs. The owners were not satisfied with a blowout victory. They wanted to absolutely destroy the union. That is the biggest reason why the 2011-12 season is in jeopardy.

Gordon Gekko may have said that “greed is good.” But in these tough economic times, greed is definitely not the answer to solving the current state of the NBA system.

Even though the lawsuit is now hanging over everyone’s heads, it doesn’t mean either side cannot continue to negotiate. Stern and the owners can still reach out to the players, but they have to deal with their lawyers first. Nonetheless, there is still a six-week window in which both sides can get back to the table and hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement.

The players have said all along that they are open to negotiate with the owners, and there is still time to save the season. It is up to the owners to extend their hand and meet the players halfway.

According to Whitlock, Hunter and at least one member of the union’s executive committee confronted Fisher about their belief that Fisher’s push for a 50-50 basketball-related-income split with NBA ownership was part of a deal Fisher had privately cut with David Stern and/or Adam Silver to deliver the union at 50-50.

In response to Whitlock’s story, Fisher issued this statement to the players via e-mail on Tuesday: “Usually I wouldn’t even dignify absurd media reports with a comment. But before these reports go any further, let me say on the record to each of you, my loyalty has and always will be with the players. Anyone that questions that or doubts that does not know me, my history, and what I stand for. And quite frankly, how dare anyone call that into question. The Players Association is united and any reports to the contrary are false. There have been no side agreements, no side negotiations or anything close. We are united in serving you and presenting the best options and getting everyone back to work. The attempt by ‘sources’ to divide us will be unsuccessful. We will continue to work every day to do right by you, the businesses that depend on our league and our fans.”

Derek Fisher says he remains loyal to the union and denies any side deals with NBA commissioner David Stern. (GETTY IMAGES)

You could almost feel the frustration in Fisher voice as you read his note, and he is willing to put his reputation on the line to get his point across.

I’m going to defend Fisher on this one.

I have had the privilege to speak to Derek Fisher on more than one occasion as a member of the Los Angeles media covering the Lakers. I have followed his career since the day he became a Laker in 1996. I saw his first-ever pro game while playing for the Lakers summer league team 15 years ago. I have seen Fisher go from little-known reserve guard to starting guard for the five-time world champion Lakers. I have seen Fisher grow from an inconsistent jump shooter to one of the best clutch shooters in the history of the game.

Whenever I spoke to Fisher, he always looked me in the eye and articulated his message in a very calculated and well-thought-out manner. Unlike many NBA players, Fisher is genuine and truly cares about his job. You may not get a true sense of what he is all about by watching him on the court because, quite frankly, the man plays like a bulldog and is not afraid to bite back.

But in reality, Fisher is about as level-headed as they come off the court and is very balanced. He is a real stand-up guy. Having said that, I don’t think there was a side deal between Fisher and the league. I just can’t imagine Fisher, who has never backed away from a challenge, giving in and taking shortcuts. That’s not who Fisher is, and TNT’s David Aldridge agrees with me.

“Derek Fisher has killed himself these past eight months. He must have gone across the country 20 times,” Aldridge said on NBA TV. “I don’t buy at all the notion that Derek Fisher has somehow gotten a side deal with David Stern. I just don’t believe that knowing how hard Derek Fisher has worked in trying to get a deal done for the players. Is Derek and Billy on the same page at everything? I’m sure they’re not. I’m sure David Stern is not 100 percent in agreement with the owners. We know that for a fact because Micky Arison just paid $500,000 [for comments he made recently].

“Derek Fisher doesn’t do side deals with anybody. I don’t believe that. This is a high-character guy.”

Now, I’m not going to say Whitlock is in the wrong here either. I’ve never met Whitlock but I am very familiar with his writing, and is a well-respected journalist. It is not clear who his source is, but one thing that is clear is Whitlock has put his reputation on the line by building his story around this source.

Before we shame Fisher for this alleged deal with Stern let us not forget the fact that Fisher is not a lawyer. He is a basketball player and he is merely thinking and acting like a basketball player during these labor talks. Hunter, on the other hand, is a veteran lawyer who knows a thing or two about negotiating labor contracts. Hunter has far more experience in these heated negotiations than Fisher.

So, why is Fisher getting crucified for acting and thinking like a basketball player?

Fisher is smart enough to know that if a 50-50 deal is the only roadblock in the lockout then he’s probably saying to himself “let’s do this!” And I’m sure he’s not alone. He probably heard enough voices in the players’ union that a 50-50 split is acceptable.

As union president, Fisher has to pacify the superstars and the non-superstars. He has to please Stern and Hunter. And he has to deal with the agents who is at the forefront of the BRI battle. Try wearing Fisher’s shoes for a change and see how you deal with all this nonsense. I got your back, D-Fish.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Federal mediator George Cohen was instrumental in ending the 2011 NFL lockout. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The NBA has a messy divorce on its doorstep. The NBA players association want their share of the basketball-related income (BRI) and don’t want to be capped on their spending habits, while the owners claim they are out of money and blame the players for maxing out their credit cards.

So, with billions of dollars at stake and the season in serious jeopardy, both sides have drawn a line on the sand and summoned a third-party negotiator to settle the argument. Enter George Cohen.

Who is George Cohen? He is a mediation attorney and the director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, which provides free mediation service in contract negotiation disputes between employers and their unionized employees.

Cohen was the mediator during talks between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. He is one of the most respected labor lawyers in the country and understands sports labor negotiations. He worked for the Major League Players Association and the National Basketball Players Association during his 40-year career for Washington, D.C., law firm Bredhoff & Kaiser.

He was also a member of the National Hockey League Players Association advisory board before being appointed to the head of the federal mediation service by President Barack Obama. Cohen represented the MLBPA before U.S. District Judge Sonia Sotomayor, now a Supreme Court justice.

Cohen mediated during the 2011 NFL lockout, helping bridge the gap between the owners and players, and ultimately a resolution was reached and the NFL season started on time. He also worked on owner-union disputes in Major League Soccer, the Metropolitan Opera and its musicians, the FAA’s dispute with Air Traffic Controllers and the American Red Cross and its unions. The NHL credits Cohen for helping prevent a complete cancellation of its 2004-05 season.

With Cohen sitting in the middle of the negotiating table, the NBA labor talks lasted 16 hours on Tuesday and nearly nine hours on Wednesday. Commissioner David Stern and league officials will meet again with NBA union president Derek Fisher and union executive director Billy Hunter on Thursday in New York.

Cohen ordered both sides to refrain from making any comments about the negotiations to the media, and so far both sides have declined to speak to reporters who, after nearly 25 hours of waiting, will have to brave through another marathon waiting session on Thursday. Make sure to bring your lunch ladies and gents because it could be another all-day affair.

Yahoo! Sports writer Adrian Wojnarowski wrote on Wednesday that some progress was made on the 50-50 revenue split in terms of basketball related income (BRI). TNT’s David Aldridge won’t speculate on what transpired during the meetings, but noted that having the two sides meet again Thursday can’t be a bad thing.

Wednesday was the 111th day of the lockout. Stern wiped out the first two weeks of the season – exactly 100 games – last week and vows to eliminate more regular-season games if there is no significant progress made this week. The cancellations marked the NBA’s first work stoppage since the 1998-99 season was reduced to 50 games.

If Cohen can somehow convince the owners and players that they can each profit from this new deal, then we may have a 2011-12 NBA season. If not, then it will be a very, very cold winter.

NBA players union executive director Billy Hunter (GETTY IMAGES)

Back in 1998, the NBA suffered a huge financial setback and public relations black eye when the league wiped 32 regular-season games and the best it could do was put together a 50-game schedule that started in January. Union executive director Billy Hunter was asked who won or lost in the collective bargaining war and explained that neither side came out unscatched.

“Did we blink? I guess we both blinked,” Hunter said hours after a new deal was reached in January of 1999 to save the season and the playoffs.

Fast forward to 2011 and we are in the same place again. Deja vu!

It’s like a bad Hollywood sequel. “The Lockout II” stars David Stern, reprising his role as the commissioner, and Hunter returns as the union’s embattled executive director. “The Lockout II” introduces a couple of new characters, Derek Fisher replaces Patrick Ewing as the union president and Adam Silver takes over for Russ Granik as the league’s deputy commissioner. However, the storyline and plot remains the same. Ultimately, the big dramatic final scene the players are expecting won’t reach the cutting room floor because the ending has already been written.

Even the script from the league hasn’t changed, just needing some very minor editing. Granik took the podium and addressed the media in 1998 and said the current system is broken. Silver didn’t have the benefit of a podium in 2011 but his message was basically the same. He said on Monday that the current system is broken.

Contrary to what Hunter said 13 years ago, the big winner from the 1998 lockout were the players. Let’s face it, from 2000 to 2010, the players – especially the superstars – enjoyed the fruits of the very long and hard labor debate of ’98. If the players didn’t think they won the last fight, then check out these numbers:

— $19.2 million for Gilbert Arenas.

— $21.2 million for Kevin Garnett.

— $21.3 million for Tim Duncan.

— $22.1 million for Rashard Lewis.

— $25.2 million for Kobe Bryant.

Those were the estimated salaries earned by each player last season. Kobe certainly earned his paycheck but you can argue that the other four were severely overpaid. Arenas was a bit player for the Orlando Magic and has never been the same since multiple knee surgeries. Duncan and Garnett are well past their primes and Lewis’ contract was like stealing money and is the very reason why the system has severe flaws.

The players will argue that nobody put a gun to the owners’ heads when they wrote these massive checks, so the players have a very good argument there. However, the owners will argue that under the current system overpaying for talent is the only way to stay competitive.

Two former NBA players who lived through the 1998 lockout were Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller. Barkley, who now works as a studio analyst for TNT, recently said on NBA TVs “Game Time” that besides revenue distribution the one gigantic issue hovering over this year’s lockout is competitive balance.

“We can’t have all our stars playing in just the major markets. It’s not fair to the game, it’s not fair to the system,” Barkley explained, an obvious strike at LeBron James’ highly debated decision to leave Cleveland for Miami last summer.

“This thing is about competitive balance,” Barkley continued. “Commissioner Stern, who I tell people is the best commissioner in sports and it has been that way for a long time, he’s not gonna let the NBA [become] like pro baseball where it is top heavy. All the teams with the most money get all the stars and then we have 10, 15 franchises dormant. He’s not going to let that happen.”

According to NBA insider David Aldridge, the Los Angeles Lakers’ team payroll reached $110 million last season. Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings had an estimated team payroll of $44 million.

One way to combat the disparity between the have and the have-nots is having a bonafide superstar in each market. “You can have a bad team in a small market, but at least if you have a star that team can make money,” Barkley said. “You’ve got something to sell to the public. But if you are not gonna have these stars in these small markets they are not gonna survive.”

Miller, who also works for TNT, agrees with Barkley but has a pointed message for the owners. “Stop overspending on these mediocre players!” the former Indiana Pacers guard said on NBA TV. “Maybe you should hire better general managers who can evaluate talent better. There’s no way you give Rashard Lewis $120 million, a 30-year-old shooting guard in Joe Johnson $130 million, Travis Outlaw five years $30 million. Start looking at your general managers. That’s the reason why we are in this mess in the first place because you can’t assess talent well.”

Miller predicts the players will blink and there will be a 50-game season, starting in January. However, Miller also said he wouldn’t be surprised if the whole 2011-12 season is wiped out. Barkley sees a lost season if the players don’t agree to the 50-50 revenue split on basketball related income.

“If they get a 50-50 split they can make money. If they get a hard cap that can work, or they can have a better revenue sharing system,” Barkley said. “The NBA has been preparing not to play this season for two years. When they went through the whole LeBron thing for the whole season, then the Chris Bosh thing happened. Then you have the whole ‘Where is Chris Paul going next, where is Dwight Howard going?’ You can see the NBA saying ‘We’ve got to stop this.’ ”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him @onemanfastbreak.

Union president Derek Fisher and union executive director Billy Hunter have the full support of the players. (N.Y. DAILY NEWS)

The NBA regular season is now on it’s 11th hour and 59 minutes. The preseason is gone and now the league is threatening to cancel the first two weeks of the real games unless some semblance of a new collective bargaining agreement is reached on Monday. Players union president Derek Fisher and union executive Billy Hunter are urging the players to “stand united,” and Fisher has gone out of his way to send that message to the rest of the players.

The main issue remains the split of the basketball related income. The players, especially superstars Kevin Garnett and Dwyane Wade, are not ready to give up their 57% cut of the BRI – which includes jersey sales and money earned from commercials – and have been very clear to the owners that they are not going to dip past 53%. Commissioner David Stern proposed a 50-50 split of the BRI, which the players quickly dismissed.

The BRI debate is just one of many issues facing the players. If you are in their shoes, and those would be extremely big shoes to fill, would you even consider signing off on these deals? Various sources with knowledge of the talks have shared some of the concepts being discussed with ESPN.com. Possibilities presented by the league as alternatives to a hard cap include:

• The institution of a sliding “Supertax” that would charge teams $2 in luxury tax for every dollar over $70 million in payroll, $3 for every dollar over $75 million in payroll and $4 for every dollar for teams with payrolls above $80 million

• A provision to allow each team to release one player via the so-called “amnesty” clause and gain both salary-cap and luxury-tax relief when that player’s cap number is removed from the books

• Shortening guaranteed contracts to a maximum of three or four seasons

• Limiting Larry Bird rights — which enable teams to exceed the salary cap to re-sign their own free agents — to one player per team per season

• Reducing the annual mid-level exception, which was valued at $5.8 million last season, to roughly $3 million annually and limiting mid-level contracts to a maximum of two or three seasons in length as opposed to the current maximum of five seasons

• A new “Carmelo Rule” that would prevent teams — as the New York Knicks did in February with Anthony — from using a Bird exception to sign or extend a player acquired by trade unless they are acquired before July 1 of the final season of the player’s contract

• The abolition of sign-and-trades and the bi-annual exception worth $2 million

• Significant reductions in maximum salaries and annual raises and a 5 percent rollbacks on current contracts

There are also still some teams, sources say, who are pushing for some sort of franchise-tag system similar to what the NFL employs as well as a restriction that allows big spending teams to exceed the annual luxury-tax threshold only twice every five seasons.

It remains to be seen how many of these concepts, many of which have been met with union resistance, actually become elements of a deal. According to several reports, the Fisher and Hunter met with the representatives from the owners’ side on Sunday night so everything is still in limbo. TNT’s David Aldridge says both sides remain $120 million apart. If that’s all, then anything less than a new deal is unacceptable at this point because both sides stand to lose $200 million if games are lost.

Source: ESPN.com

If you are judging from home and looking at this whole ordeal from the outside, it appears that Stern and the owners are winning this battle. The league is basically waiting for the players to crack, and it will be just a matter of time before that happens. Poor Derek Fisher, the embattled union president who has had the unenviable task of trying to keep his troops intact while satisfying those power-hungry agents. It’s like asking a bunch of 5-year-olds to not run around during recess. It’s an impossible task.

Just like 1998 when the season was cut down to 50 games, the players stood their ground until the majority of the players peeled off from the union and buckled under the pressure of losing their livelihood. Stern doesn’t seem concerned at all about losing regular season games in 2011 – and possibly the entire 2011-12 season for that matter – because that was the plan all along by the owners when the current deal expired on July 1.

“I don’t think they’re gonna play this year,” TNT commentator and Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley said on NBATV. “I think the owners have said ‘You know what, we’re gonna be like hockey. We’re gonna have to burn down the house and start over, come in with a cap and make this thing competitive for all the teams.’ That’s what the owners have said from the beginning. They’re not gonna budge this time. They’re not gonna play at all this year.”

TNT commentator Charles Barkley

Barkley noted that one of the biggest mistakes the players are making is that they are banking on a repeat of 1998, but the difference this time around is the fact that the owners are more willing to sacrifice the entire season to save their own bank accounts.

“I think the players are getting screwed by 1998. In the back of the players’ mind they are [thinking] ‘Oh, we’ll start the season in January.’ I don’t think you can compare ’98 to 2011,” Barkley said. “We’ve been in a recession for the last two or three years, some of these teams are really hurting, players’ salaries have continued to go up and they’re gonna continue to go up.

“The owners are saying ‘We’ll lose less money by not playing at all.’ I think that’s been their strategy from the beginning.”

As for the option of playing overseas, Barkley says this strategy only benefits the superstars. “This probably hurt the players,” Barkley said. “This thing is about stars, and the stars have been somewhat selfish talking about going overseas. The majority of the players are not gonna be able to go overseas.”

Barkley believes this current standoff could have been avoided had guys like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant gotten more involved in the early stages of the lockout. Instead, after being absent for much of the summer, the stars came out in droves and crashed the collective bargaining meetings in New York, which made it harder to get a deal done. Wade and Stern reportedly got into a verbal joust in one of the weekend sessions, adding more tension to an already stressful situation.

“Those stars just started showing up [to the meetings] for the last week. They should have been in there [from the beginning],” Barkley said. “The stars have more to lose than anybody. They just showed up last week, and it’s too late. They should have been in there like a month ago.”

Barkley added, “The people who work for these teams and work in these arenas they’re the big losers.”