The Mavericks miss Derek Fisher despite Darren Collison’s impressive production since the savvy old point guard’s sudden departure from Dallas.
That’s why the Mavs agreed to a 10-day deal Monday with 37-year-old point guard Mike James.
“Looking for the closest thing to Derek Fisher out there,” a Mavs source said.
That doesn’t mean Collison will lose his starting job again. He shouldn’t. And not just because Collison has played pretty well since Fisher’s exit, averaging 16.3 points, 5.3 assists and 1.8 turnovers while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor while starting the last six games.
James, unlike Fisher, hasn’t been a starting point guard in the league for a long time. He last started for a 19-win Washington team in 2008-09. James, who has career averages of 10.4 points and 3.6 assists, has played a total of 15 NBA games in the last three-plus seasons.
James, who scored 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting in a blowout win Saturday during his D-League audition with the Texas Legends, might be able to help the Mavs with his veteran savvy. Perhaps he’s a better option as a backup point guard than Rodrigue Beaubois and Dominique Jones.
But a poor man’s Derek Fisher definitely shouldn’t take minutes away from Collison.
