Ramon Sessions fitting in nicely in Lakerland

Since the collapsed trade of Chris Paul to the Lakers back in December, the one thing that has separated the purple & gold from the rest of the top teams in the league has been consistent production from the point-guard position. Though the 37 year old Derek Fisher has came up big time and time again while donning a Lakers uniform, a move needed to be made if Kobe Bryant and company planned on putting last year's crushing sweep to the eventual NBA champion Dallas Mavericks behind them and make another run a title no. 17. And with Thursday's trade deadline looming, it was now or never for the Lakers who were so desperately in need of help at point-guard that they were reportedly showing interest in free-agent Gilbert Arenas, but instead chose to pass on the troubled former All-Star.

Having grown accustomed to seeing the Lakers acquire big name players near the trade deadline in recent years, GM Mitch Kupchak instead decided to steer clear of the sexier trades for a low-risk, high-reward type of deal by landing back-up point-guard Ramon Sessions from the Cleveland Cavaliers along with former first round pick Christian Eyenga. In exchange for the fifth year player out of Nevada, the Lakers sent Luke Walton, Jason Kapono and a first round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft to the Cavs. To prevent a logjam at the point-guard position, the Lakers were forced to bid a farewell to longtime bearer of the purple & gold -- Derek Fisher and another 2012 first round draft pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Jordan Hill. With Fisher out, backup PG Steve Blake has inherited the starting role with Sessions taking Blake's former role serving off the bench.

Though it may have only been four games since his arrival, the Lakers appear to have struck gold with the addition of Sessions as he's shown more and more of his skills game after game. In his debut Friday night at Staples Center against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, Sessions put up 7 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in 19 minutes while showing Laker fans something they haven't seen from the point-guard department in awhile -- speed. In his next game against the Jazz, Sessions would showcase a bit more of his passing ability by logging 10 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists to go along with a steal. After a 14 point, 2 rebound, 4 assist, 1 steal performance in a losing effort on the road against Houston, Sessions would log his best game in a Lakers uni yet. This time it would be his shooting that was put on display as he dropped 17 points while collecting 9 assists to add to his 5 rebounds and 1 block, helping Los Angeles knock off the defending World Champion Mavs for the third time this season in as many matches.

Laker fans might not be used to having a point-guard that can attack the basket with such speed, but one thing that's certain is that they're loving every bit of it. The most valuable asset that Sessions will bring to the table is that he relieves Kobe from his duty of having to be the main facilitator now that Bryant appears to have a true point-guard who can dictate the game and control the tempo by creating plays. In every game he's been in so far, the Lakers have looked like an entirely different team with Sessions on the floor. Having progressed each game and only getting more comfortable the more he plays, I'd say it's only a matter of time before Ramon makes his way into the starting lineup as Steve Blake on the other hand has yet to solidify himself as the starter for the foreseeable future since Fisher's departure.

Currently boasting an overall record of 29-18, good enough for sole possession of the no.3 seed in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers appear to have solved their long standing issue at the point-guard position. At least it seems that way. However, the real test will be whether or not Sessions can go toe-to-toe with All-Star PG Russell Westbrook and Western Conference heavyweights Oklahoma City who the Lakers will most likely get a look at in the Playoffs this year. But before Mike Brown and co. can even look that far, they'll need to solve their woes on the road where they currently own a dismal record of 10-15.

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Phil Of The Future

As most teams in the NBA were anxiously waiting to find out where this year's most coveted free-agents were headed, one team in particular who wasn't in the sweepstakes for this offseason's marquee names were the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead of hoping to land a big name player, the repeating champions of the basketball world were hoping to re-land their future Hall of Fame coach of 12 years -- Phil Jackson. Jackson was reported as possibly retiring once he heard rumors that returning to the team for a 13th year would cost him a large portion of his paycheck. Jackson would have to settle for a seven million dollar pay-cut from $12 Million to $5 Million if he indeed decided to return to coach in Hollywood. However, it seems the relationship between Phil and Lakers owner Jerry Buss' daughter Jeanie Buss has once again prevailed, won over and encouraged him to return to the sidelines. Then again it could be the desire for a 12th ring and a third three-peat.

A key cog in the Lakers chances of three-peating next season hung on a thread when uncertainty was in the air of whether or not the Zen Master would continue to coach the team he's helped win 5-NBA Championships in 11-years. The one season without Jackson in '04-'05, the Lakers finished with a dismal record of 34-wins and 48-losses and failed to make it to the Playoffs. When first hearing about the pay-cut the Lakers organization wanted Phil to take, I thought the chances of him returning were slim to none unless he decided to coach home games only which was a possibility once upon a time due to his health. But after giving it tremendous thought and consulting his doctor, Phil made it public that he would return for what he called his, "Last Hurrah." With Jackson set to return, another question to be asked amongst Laker fans is, 'Famar or Fisher?'

The veteran Fisher who is a free agent this offseason has been in the NBA for 14 years, playing 11 of them in L.A.. Alongside Bryant, Fisher is the only remaining Laker player to stick around since the team won back-to-back-to-back championships in the early 2000's despite a brief hiatus from the Lakeshow where he split stints from 2004-2007 playing with both the Golden State Warriors ('04-'06) and the Utah Jazz ('06-'07). With his veteran leadership, Fisher played a significant role in the Lakers back-to-back role this year. But similar to Phil Jackson's case, Fisher would also have to take a pay-cut if he plans to take part in the Lakers shot at third straight NBA tittle. Hometown kid and UCLA alum Jordan Farmar on the other hand has shown talent at times, but it's unknown if the 23 year old point-guard is ready to take control of an All-Star cast. Why can't the Lakers keep both of them you ask? Earlier this week it was learned that the Lakers signed PG Steve Blake to a 4-year, $16 Million dollar contract. Whether or not that rules out any interest on Fisher's part is not yet known.

Dr. Feelgood - Another head coaching job that was recently secured was that of the Boston Celtics. Prior to surprising the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic in the NBA Playoffs, Doc Rivers made public that the 2009-2010 season would be his last as the coach in Boston due to the desire of spending more time with his family and watching his kids finish high school. But after coaching the C's to their second NBA Finals appearance in three years and consulting his family, his kids told him to return to doing the one thing he loves doing best -- coaching. With Rivers scheduled to honor the last year of his contract with the Celtics, has his return to the team encouraged Paul Peirce to stay put in Boston? And speaking of the Celtics, the team has reported that they've come to terms with Power forward/Center Jermain O'Neal, signing him to a 2-year deal.

Kobe 4 President!

Either you hate Kobe Bryant, or you love him. Either you're a Laker fan, or you despise them. Luckily I love both Kobe and the Lakers. With that being said, the Lakers surged passed the Jazz Monday night with a 107-96 victory over Utah. With the win, the Lakers took the series 4-games to 1-game, & advance to the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs. The winner of the Houston-Portland series will determine who faces L.A. in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

Since I've been following the Lakers ever since I could remember, Derek Fisher is another one of my favorite Lakers. He's the lone Laker alongside Kobe that's been with the team since the 3-peat which spanned from 2000-2002. But it seems like I'm not the only one who digs the Fish. Fisher's had an ongoing problem with a female stalker that has been following and harassing him since 2001. The situation has gotten so bad that Fisher's been forced to file a temporary restraining order against the woman. If you ask me, I'd say she wants "THA DICK!" For the rest of the story click here.