Dee Brown called him "my pops" last season.

"I love D-Fish. I'm glad for him. He's my guy, man. He meant a lot to me this year," said Brown, whose reaction to news that former Jazzman Derek Fisher has agreed to a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers was echoed by several others within the Utah Jazz organization Thursday.

Fisher will not be able to sign the deal for nearly $14 million — as reported by the Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise — for seven days because he must clear the off-season waiver period.

The 32-year-old combo guard, who spent one season with the Jazz and helped them reach the NBA Western Conference Finals in May, asked team owner Larry H. Miller to let him out of the final three years of his contract so that he could move to a city where his family's choice of treatments for his daughter's eye cancer would be available. Miller agreed. So did the NBA, the paperwork being returned to Utah on Tuesday night.

Fisher was up-front about wishing to sign with another NBA team where such a medical facility existed, and the Jazz complied, knowing he would likely be an opponent next season. "We granted it. And we move on," said Jazz senior VP of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor on Thursday, adding the Jazz did not seek to limit the cities or teams to which Fisher might go.

"Larry felt it's important and incumbent that we allow him to pursue other options, from a medical point of view," said O'Connor. "We wish him the best, and I hope four games a year he doesn't play well against us."

Fisher will lose more than $6 million, as his contract with the Jazz called for him to make $20.58 million over the three years.

"I wish him luck," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "He did a good job for us. We'd love to have him here, but it didn't work that way, and life goes on."

But life will be tougher without Fisher.

"Expectations are very high now because we did well (in the playoffs), but we're not as good a team now since we lost Fisher," Sloan said.

In just one season, Fisher had a big effect on several young former teammates.

"I'm happy for him," said free agent Rafael Araujo, practicing with the Jazz team that begins play in the Rocky Mountain Revue tonight at 7 at Salt Lake Community College. "(Now) he's located somewhere he can give close attention to his daughter, better support."

Paul Millsap, entering his second Revue, agreed. "We lost a big key to our team, but family comes first, and you've got to respect that," he said.

Another second-year player, Ronnie Brewer, added: "I'm proud of him. I wish him the best, his daughter the best, his family the best. He's a first-class guy. He meant a lot to our team."

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E-mail: lham@desnews.com