It was believed that veteran point guard Derek Fisher had finally found a home for this season, after being unemployed for the first couple of months while reportedly waiting for the right situation to present itself.
But after spending just a few weeks in Dallas, Fisher has come to the conclusion that family is more important to him at this time.
Fisher asked to be released, and the team has granted his request.
From Marc Stein of ESPN.com:In a statement he issued Saturday night to confirm the move, Fisher said: “In Tuesday’s game against Philadelphia, I suffered an injury to my patellar tendon. The recovery time will be approximately two weeks. With this news and the difficulty I have been having being away from my family, I have asked the organization to waive me so I can return home.
"(Mavericks owner) Mark Cuban has been extremely supportive and has granted me this request. I cannot say enough good things about this organization. From Mark, to Coach (Rick) Carlisle, to the players on the Mavericks’ team, I sincerely thank them for the opportunity.
“I have made decisions in the past, leaving money and opportunity on the table, and I will need to do that again. My family is my priority and that is where I choose to be. I won’t close the possibility that I will play again, however for now my family and being close to them remains the priority.”
This sounds like the end of the line for Fisher, at least in terms of the rest of this season. Should his family issues be sorted out in time for the playoffs, in wouldn’t be a surprise to see him land with a contender before the postseason begins.
Fisher averaged 8.6 points, and 3.6 assists in nine games with the Mavericks, while playing over 25 minutes per game.
Dallas is expected to call up Chris Douglas-Roberts from the D-League to replace Fisher on the team’s roster.
