I got into an argument with a buddy of mine. He insisted D.Fish is a good defensive player, and flops like a pro should. Now, I think he is lousy defender, really slow. Who's right?
I haven't seen him play since he was on the Lakers but I always thought he got away with ridiculous amounts of contact when he was playing in the purple and gold. I know one thing, even back then he would rather flop than fight through a pick.
He is (or was -- I haven't watched him recently) a good defensive player who, unfortunately, flops in a very unsportsmanlike way, imo.
Man I hate Fisher...thank God he never became a Rocket...and to answer your question, flopping is not defense, it's acting.
I think he flops because he cant keep up with opposing guard. He is farily slow on the defensive end and he has to flop to stop penetration.
As JV said, he was a good defensive player when he was with the Lakers. I watch a lot of Lakers games since I live in LA (and you know I hate the Lakers with a passion). He is not exceptionally gifted athletically. But he is reasonably quick and he is smart. He has a knack of taking the charge. Some of those are flopping. But I've always said that in order to flop in a charging situation, you have to have good position. And that takes defensive skills. Fisher is very good at that. But many of his flops in non-charging situations are quite ridiculous and I hate it.
