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Really, Fish has done an admirable job, a career year, but he’s too one-dimensional as a starter, in my humble opinion, which is the source of his inconsistent impact on our team. His leadership has undoubtedly great – his OFFcourt leadership, that is. His work ethic, professionalism, and imparting his wisdom and experience to the young players. But his ONcourt leadership? Jacking up threes early in the shot clock isn’t the type of oncourt leadership to rave about. Fish’s real impact and value to the team wouldn’t be diminished if he comes off the bench.So am I endorsing Farmar as the should-be starter? Not exactly.Some take it for granted that Farmar would naturally step into the lineup as a starter, but I’m not so sure. That’s the thing – what is Farmar’s future? Destined to remain a sixth man scorer? If he wants to start, he needs to be a better halfcourt player, a better defender. He’s effective right now as a Barbosa, a Pargo, a small, quick scoring guard who tries to steal points on the second unit. But does his game really fit in with the starters? I think that’s an unresolved issue. Either Farmar needs to change his game or we need to get somebody who can fit with our starters without being a liability. One thing he can’t do is grow. Being small could be an asset: quick, small point guards who head the offense, create, break down defenses – like Chris Paul. But those players are rare. They’re franchise point guards, almost impossible to obtain given our situation. Luckily, our triangle offense could accommodate a different kind of guard, a role player, much easier to obtain than a star. What kind of guard?

• He needs to be able to play defense. Size can help – a lot. Interchangeable defenders helps take away the advantage of pick and rolls, play a more robust zone defense, and helps on switches and close outs on shooters. Length also helps defend the passing lanes, block the entry pass.
• Offensively, he must be able to shoot. Since Pau became a Laker, suddenly our team doesn’t need another guard to create. Kobe’s two man game with Pau, Odom and Walton’s ability to move the ball, all negate the pressing need for another playmaker. So the other perimeter guy NEEDS to be able to shoot.
• A big plus would be the ability to move without the ball, cut to the basket and finish. Something Fish utterly lacks.

A guy like Chauncey Billups would be good. Little chance of getting elite players. So who?

• Kirk Hinrich wouldn’t be bad, except everything about him is overrated. His defense, shooting, leadership, toughness, everything is overrated. But he is the right kind of player.
• Beno Udrih can shoot, can finish, can play off the ball. His defense is also underrated, and he has good size. Problem? The Kings traded Bibby to make Udrih their PG of the future.
• Chris Duhon’s days as a Bull seem over. He’s no bigger than Farmar or Fish, but he’s a good defender and can shoot adequately.
• Jose Calderon – can shoot among the best, pass among the best, good size, but the Raptors would most likely keep him at any cost, including getting rid of TJ Ford to make it happen.
• Steve Blake – top shooter, top defender, great leadership and toughness. But not a free agent, and Portland seems intent on keeping him as their starter.

Possible Laker Candidates to fill that position:

• Farmar – get stronger and quicker on defense to compensate for his lack of size. Incorporate better off-the-ball play.
• Fish – get younger, taller…
• Vujacic – actually a decent option against bigger guards, but doesn’t have the quickness to stay with the elite, and his off-the-ball play leaves much to be desired. His drives look like something out of the Nutcracker.

Yet, on the subject of Vujacic, perhaps the Lakers should go with a 2-guard at the point, like Ron Harper and Brian Shaw. No, they wouldn’t be able to stay in front of the likes of Chris Paul, but who can? With Bynum back, a legit basket protector could discourage penetration, and the benefits of a very big guard would be better help defense, better defensive rebounding, and on the other end, a clear mismatch.But that just may be the answer – instead of trying to find another Chauncey Billups, perhaps we should be looking for a Brandon Roy, a Ginobili, a versatile 2-guard at the point who brings certain defensive strengths, even if it’s not the ability to stop an elite point guard, which might be an elusive goal anyways. Who can stop Chris Paul?You can’t, but you can try to make his life miserable on the other end.