Fisher doesn't regret decision to leave Utah

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Derek Fisher knows that to this day — even with his daughter still recovering from a rare form of childhood eye cancer — there are those who wonder why he felt compelled to leave Utah last summer.

But Fisher, the longtime Los Angeles Laker now back with his old club in L.A., has no qualms whatsoever about the decision he made to walk away from the final three years and nearly $21 million of his contract with the Jazz.

"Obviously you will never say anything that will please everyone," Fisher said before the Jazz's 102-81 win over the Lakers in a preseason game at Honda Center here in Anaheim. "But the response would be what it was then — that I would make a decision that my wife and I felt was best for us, from a family dynamic and perspective, and to be able to provide closer proximity to great medical care in the event of emergencies.

"As a father and a husband," he added, "it's not for me to really worry about the concerns of others. It's really about my family."

Young Tatum, a 15-month-old twin, continues to battle the effects of retinoblastoma — but is doing much better than last postseason, when Fisher made trips to New York so he could be with the little girl while she was being treated by a specialist there.

"Her vision's actually improving," Fisher said.

"When we first started, she almost had no vision — and it's improved a lot," he added. "We're cautiously optimistic. We don't look too far ahead, but day-to-day we're trying to make sure she's enjoying life."

Now three months removed from her last treatment, Tatum — accompanied by Fisher and his wife — was back in New York just last week for observation.

At least one more trip there is planned for next month.

In the meantime, Tatum has a team of specialists at both Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the medical facilities at UCLA.

As for the suggestion he didn't necessarily have to leave Utah, where in his lone season there he both started at shooting guard and backed up point guard Deron Williams for a Jazz team that advanced to the NBA Western Conference finals, Fisher offers a steadfast defense.

Ditto for his relatively quick decision to re-join the Lakers for about $14 million over three years.

"It's one thing to say, 'Well, of course you can fly to New York from Salt Lake City just like you can from L.A.,' but in the event something comes up and logistically you can't get to New York, then what?" asked Fisher, who had five points in 19 minutes Tuesday.