BONSIGNORE: For Jordan Farmar, the real world awaits

Former UCLA, Taft High standout Jordan Farmar severs ties from Lakers in hopes of landing starting point guard spot somewhere.

BONSIGNORE: For Jordan Farmar, the real world awaits
By Vincent Bonsignore, columnist
The LA Daily News
Posted: 07/03/2010 10:08:09 PM PDT
Updated: 07/03/2010 10:49:16 PM PDT


Jordan Farmar, who has spent his entire NBA career with the Lakers since being drafted by the team in 2006, is an unrestricted free agent. When it was all said and done, the Lakers did right by Jordan Farmar on Wednesday when they declined to give the restricted guard a one-year, $2.8 million contract offer.

Now Farmar gets exactly what he wants: Unrestricted free agency and an opportunity to shop himself around the NBA as a potential starting point guard.

It's freedom and opportunity the former Taft of Woodland Hills and UCLA standout has sought for a few years now, a chance to run his own club and find out once and for all if he has what it takes to be an impact starting point guard in this league.

He isn't fleeing the Lakers as much as he's seeking a better opportunity to show what kind of player he's capable of being.

"It's nothing personal against the Lakers at all, because I've loved just about everything about playing for this organization," Farmar said. "But I am at a point in my career where I want a chance to start, to see what kind of player I can be while playing (big) minutes."

And he just doesn't see that materializing with the Lakers, not with them seemingly committed to bringing back Derek Fisher for at least one more season, and certainly not after they signed veteran Steve Blake on Friday to either back Fisher up or possibly start if Fisher goes elsewhere.

In any case, Farmar did not sense a strong opportunity to start next year for the Lakers, which is why he and his agent asked them not to exercise their right to make him an offer, an appeal they honored a day before the start of free agency.
For Farmar it represented a classy gesture by the Lakers, and it expanded his opportunities considerably.

Had the Lakers extended an offer, it would have made Farmar a restricted free agent, meaning the Lakers could have matched any contract offer to him by another team.

That would have severely limited his marketability, other teams fearful they'd just be wasting their time chasing him if the Lakers had the final say in whether they brought him back.

But by waiving the right - and surrendering any chance at compensation if he leaves - the Lakers granted Farmar complete freedom to find a job and team that best suits him.

And for that, he is grateful.

"I really appreciate what they did, because they didn't have to, they could have treated me like a piece of real estate and potentially hurt my ability to take a serious look at what might be out there for me," Farmar said. "So for that, I am thankful."

The move didn't officially end Farmar's Lakers career, which began four years ago when they drafted him in the first round out of UCLA and spanned three NBA Finals appearances and two world championships, but with the signing of Blake and the likelihood of Fisher returning, it is very doubtful Farmar will be wearing purple and gold next year.

Now Farmar can focus on finding a team he feels best suits his talents - which sometimes seemed suffocated by the restrictions of the triangle offense.

As of Saturday, the Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks were showing considerable interest in Farmar, and each team runs a wide-open offense.

Nothing against the triangle - which has helped Phil Jackson win 11 NBA titles over the past 19 seasons - but it never afforded Farmar the chance to utilize his skill set as a creator and scorer.

And as a backup, Farmar was severely limited in what he could do, his primary focus being defense and trying to maintain any momentum the starters created.

Offensively, there were never any set plays to exploit his ability, and his limited minutes never enabled him to get into any sort of rhythm.

Farmar averaged 18.1 minutes per game over his four years with the Lakers, always a dependable backup and part of the rotation almost from the day he arrived, but as the years moved on he was hoping to play more than the time he was allotted, and hopefully expand his role in the offense.

That was never the case at Taft or at UCLA, where Farmar was either the focal point or one of the main components, given free rein to run his teams and ample minutes to get teammates going and pick and chose his own scoring opportunities.

"That's how I grew up playing the game," Farmar said. "And as a backup, you just don't have that kind of leeway, and that can be a difficult adjustment."

It doesn't help that Farmar has watched two former UCLA teammates - Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook and New Orleans' Darren Collison - flourish in uptempo offenses that complement their talents, hoping for the chance to play in a similar system.

Now he may get that opportunity.

"That's my goal, and I want to see what opportunities are out there for me as a starter," Farmar said. "I know there is interest, and I'm looking forward to exploring my options. It's something I've been looking forward to."

Farmar, 23, is grateful for his time with his hometown Lakers, and if he does move on he will look back on his career in Los Angeles with fondness.

"I love everything about the organization, my teammates and this city," Farmar said. "But ultimately I want a chance to start, and it's something I looked forward to every single year here, but it just never happened. All I've ever wanted was a legitimate chance to start."

It's an opportunity he always wanted with the Lakers, but due to circumstances it was never afforded to him.

"I'd come into training camp every season expecting and hoping this would be the year I'd get a legitimate chance to start or play bigger minutes," Farmar said. "I would work all offseason with that hope, that goal in mind.

"But it never happened. And I understand, Fish was there and obviously it was his job, so I just had to respect that and try to do the best I could in the minutes I did get. But I can't say I wasn't frustrated at times, because I'm a competitor and I wanted to contribute more."

Next season, he may finally get that chance.