All due respect to Derek Fisher, the proud owner of five NBA championship rings, but the fact that the Dallas Mavericks are signing him is a sign of desperation.

It’s a sign of just how much they miss the savvy and steady hand of Jason Kidd, who surprised the Mavs with his reverse-of-direction decision to sign with the New York Knicks this summer.

It’s a sign of just how much Delonte West could have contributed to this team if the Dallas decision-makers didn’t determine that his preseason conduct was too detrimental to the team to keep him on the roster.

And it’s evidence of just how disappointing Darren Collison has been since his spectacular start in Dallas.

Collison is averaging 12.9 points and 6.3 assists this season, but he has mostly struggled since playing a key role in the Mavs winning four of their first five games. The Mavs have lost eight of the past 11, and Collison has been erratic offensively and a liability defensively during that stretch.

Concerns about Collison’s performance reached the point that he came off the bench in Tuesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. He sat out Wednesday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls due to a sprained right middle finger.

Collison has especially struggled late in games. He is 14-of-40 from the floor with 12 assists and 10 turnovers in fourth quarters and overtime this season, and the Mavs have been outscored by 22 points in his 123 minutes in those situations.

At 38 years old, Fisher certainly isn’t a savior. Heck, he was just a good role player in his prime. The Mavs are simply hoping Fisher can provide some of that savvy and steadiness that Dallas is so desperately missing.