“As good as the Lakers can be, I don’t see them being dominant,” Bucher said on his ESPN podcast. “I know that they inquired about Harris from the Nets, which to me says they are very worried about their perimeter defense, and they got to be looking at that Ron Artest-for-Trevor Ariza trade and going: ‘God, you know what, Derek Fisher is older than we thought, Jordan Farmar is not a defensive presence, Kobe Bryant is going to be driving one of these wheelies to get up and down the floor here any second, what are we going to do in a situation where we’re playing against a really quick perimeter player, maybe more than one? We’re in tough spot.’”
Harris has been a bright spot for the Nets in an otherwise disappointing season. The 26-year-old point guard is averaging 15.3 points per game this season while playing for the worst team in the NBA.
The Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference, but they have lacked consistent play at the point. Starting point guard Derek Fisher has struggled in recent weeks, but despite his inconsistent play, head coach Phil Jackson wants him to start, the Los Angeles Times reports.
“We function so much better with Derek on the floor as an offensive team that it’s very important for him to be out there,” Jackson told the Times. “He has all the knowledge that’s necessary for a lead guard. He knows how to keep our guys in what we want to get done out there on the floor. It’s very important, and we actually talked a little bit [Thursday] about that, in supporting him in situations where defensively he may be playing back-to-back games or may be overmatched in a certain situation.”
Fisher has contributed to the Lakers’ past playoff success as well. While the four-time NBA world champion has played in 176 career playoff games, Harris has played in just 38 postseason tilts.
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 18. Which team’s jersey will Harris be wearing after it passes? Only time will tell.
