Jay-z happy as shit right now.
Lopez isn't the second best center in the league. No player from a 12 win team is a top 2 anything. Andrew Bogut is the 2nd best center in the NBA. Brook Lopez can't even grab 9 rpg on a 12 win team with no other good rebounders.
Top 5 Centers
Dwight
Bogut
Duncan
David Lee (he player center last year)
Brook Lopez
It’s an understatement to say I don’t follow college hoops (I’ll be starting this year, though), so when I saw the Nets draft Brook Lopez I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Nice job Nets, you guys grabbed the future Rasho Nesterovic with a lottery pick," I said to myself.
Brook has made me eat those words every time he’s stepped on the court. He went from fringe rookie of the year contender to All-Star level contributor in one year’s time.
So that begs the question, where does Lopez belong among NBA centers? In my opinion?
Right near the top.
When talking about NBA centers, one name always pops up: Dwight Howard. So how does Brook measure up? Let’s have a look:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/tiny.cgi?id=ZTl4E
Offense:
Pure Numbers: As you can see, on the offensive side of the ball they measure up pretty well. They averaged about the same amount of offensive rebounds. The higher field goal percentage of Howard (a ridiculous 62 percent) is offset by his terrible free throw shooting.
That theory is illustrated when looking at the nearly identical point output. Lopez dishes a bit more assists and has fewer turnovers.
Analysis: They are pretty evenly matched as far as offense goes, in my opinion. Both have pretty much the same usage percentage. Howard’s offense relies on physical dominance to dunk on most of his attempts. Howard has a glaring weakness in his free throw shooting form. Brook has a more varied offensive game than Howard.
While Dwight scores on dunks, alleys, and the occasional running hook, Lopez can score from different angles with hooks, up-and-unders, and is a competent mid-range shooter for his position. I think I’d give the (slight) edge here to Lopez.
Defense:
Pure Numbers: Dwight takes all three categories here. He grabs a ton more rebounds (Brook only averages about eight per game), blocks more shots, and steals the ball more. The only positive for Lopez is that he fouls slightly less than Howard does, but it is barely noticeable.
Analysis: Dwight is a monster on defense. He swats everything put in front of him and changes almost every other shot he’s defending. He has great horizontal movement for a big man and can chase down shots from behind.
Here’s a guy that makes LeBron James think twice about coming into the lane. With that being said, he does tend to pick up untimely fouls and take out his frustrations by committing “revenge” fouls. While Lopez is not a poor defender (he averages almost two blocks a game), he is overmatched here by a good ten miles. Superman gets this one.
Now that the season numbers are out of the way, who wins head to head?
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/tiny.cgi?id=JVkmM
Wow, that wasn’t even close. Howard has dominated Lopez in nearly every game they’ve faced off against each other.
Now let’s get to everyone’s favorite topic, “intangibles” (whatever those are). Howard is the best player on a championship contending team, while Lopez was the best player on a historically bad team last year.
Both touch the ball a similar amount of times per game. Howard strikes fear in the heart of slashers, which Lopez can only hope to someday replicate. It should be noted here, however, that Lopez is younger and is a second-year player, while Howard is more experienced.
Look at that statement again and think about what it means. Does it mean that Lopez is a superb scorer or that Howard has the scoring prowess of a NBA sophomore? Lopez has similar numbers to those Howard put up at this age on the defensive side of the ball as well.
So who is better at this point in time? Howard, no doubt. Could that gap be closed in a few years? Barring injury, it’s very likely. Howard should enjoy being the undisputed best center while it lasts, because a lot of players are beginning to catch up to him.
All Stats Courtesy of Basketball Reference
How can the best player on a 70-loss team be ranked in the top three at his position? Well, the team stunk. Last year's Nets were really, truly awful.
Lopez was not. He still remains really, truly underrated. He's not a stat hound, he doesn't do anything at the expense of winning and he just piles up the points and rebounds. He averaged 18.8 points and 8.6 rebounds last season with 1.7 blocks and 2.3 assists, and I'd really like the Nets to add 30 wins to last season's totals so people would stop looking at this 22-year-old with such a jaundiced eye.
Adidas threw a party at the NBA Store on 52nd Street in Manhattan Wednesday, introducing its new lightweight (and presumably more comfortable) uniforms. They can make you jump higher...and have a "V" neck! A armored car delivered the jerseys to the store and two Nets--Brook Lopez and Jordan Farmar--were there to model them along with Wilson Chandler and Dwight Howard.
But that wasn't the big story. The big story was the height difference --in every photo and video-- between Brook Lopez, listed at 7'0", and Dwight Howard listed only an inch shorter. As Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Striped Post tweeted, "Hmmm". Lopez looks a couple of inches taller than the Magic center.
For the record, Lopez was measured at 7'0.5" at the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp in 2008...just after his 20th birthday. Howard was listed at 6' 10.25" in 2004 when he was 18...but claims to have grown.
I'm still at a loss trying to figure out what NO was thinking when they decided to trade Collison. Proven player with low paying salary shipped away for basically nothing in return.how dumb was nola for keeping paul and trading collison instead of taking that package jersey was offering![]()
I'm still at a loss trying to figure out what NO was thinking when they decided to trade Collison. Proven player with low paying salary shipped away for basically nothing in return.![]()
* Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! reports the same thing about Paul joining Melo saying, "This is part of reason CP3 joined with Worldwide Wes and CAA: to be packaged with fellow stars. Once, they wanted Knicks. Now? May be Nets. " And don't we remember Chris Paul's toast at Carmelo's wedding? It's definitely possible they've been talking of joining up for a while.
how dumb was nola for keeping paul and trading collison instead of taking that package jersey was offering![]()
I'm still at a loss trying to figure out what NO was thinking when they decided to trade Collison. Proven player with low paying salary shipped away for basically nothing in return.![]()
stupid as hell just stupid
chis paul does not want to play for the hornets and you have someone on the team who can step right in ofr him anddo well and you trade him?
fail of the year in the NBA
stop laughing MHC
if the hornets were dumb enough to trade collison there must be another team dumb enoguh to trade their 1st round pick to the knicks.
if the hornets were dumb enough to trade collison there must be another team dumb enoguh to trade their 1st round pick to the knicks.
the knicks can get a 1st round pick easily but den won't deal with the knicks regardless. they know thats where melo wants to go so they won't deal him here.
teams who expect to do well will give up a first rounder as it will be a lower first rounder
shit lakers give theirs away damn near every season, as other teams do sometimes as well
Oh one more thing Lopez grew over the summer.
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spurs like chandler knicks can move him for their 1st easily and it will be in the late teens early 20's but point is den is being spiteful...chandler is still an asset along with curry the knicks can move at the deadline if need be or resign chandler if he proves he can handle the sg job...knicks could move chandler to lakers too for a 1st, if the knicks knew the nuggets would return calls the knicks would make it a 3team deal but nuggets are phone dodging the knicks, so why should they weaken themselves...chandler is our only 2 way player that can give lebron trouble with his defense...unless the knicks r getting a shooter and a pick he won't be moved...
whats funny? in each game chandler has guarded lebron, lebron has had to work extra hard to get off in scoring...chandler is physically stronger than lebron and isn't overpowered by him like other players are.
man go head with that bullshit
i recall lebron droppin 50 on the knicks last year
This is funny... at 8pm last night the nets thought they'd be announcing Melo to NJ monday but Zeke called Melo personally and broke it down why he should play the year out and sign with the knicks or hope for a trade to NY...basically Zeke told him ny is the best place for him and to say no to NJ...and apparently its working so much so the nets are tryin to reach melo out of fear he will say no lolol, World wide Wes is tryin to get Melo to ignore Zeke's calls but Melo is not and he's speaking to him freely....this shit is a soap opera....i mean Zeke isn't a knicks employee can't really call foul but this is funny shit...
"The Nets are having a harder time getting a commitment from the Denver Nuggets than they are Carmelo Anthony." Alan Hahn of Newsday similarly tweets the Nuggets, who have drastically cut salary and expenses in recent weeks, "want to come out of it with a payroll savings. Deal as is would mean adding" payroll.
To help solve that issue--and Charlotte's refusal to add D.J. Augustin--Iannazzone reports "Arron Afflalo has been added to the talks, sources said, while adding there could be more involved". Jarvis Hayes would not be part of the revised deal.
Bryant said he talked with Anthony “a couple days ago” and understood how a move to the Nets would be appealing because of the team’s talented young center, Brook Lopez(notes), and new Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov. The Nets have rebuilt themselves after winning a league-low 12 games last season while the Nuggets lost in the first round of the playoffs one year after falling to Bryant’s Lakers in the Western Conference finals.
“I’m closer to him than anyone else from my Olympic team,” Bryant said. “My advice is to do what he feels is right for him and his family. It starts there. He has to be happy with the situation that he is in because if your heart isn’t where it should be, it could have a half-ass effect. You don’t want that. You can’t please everybody. You just have to do what’s right for you.”
“Carmelo’s decision is based on him and his family,” Stoudemire said, adding, “But we got to focus on the team that we have right here.”
Amare
Oh want to hear something funny?
All the Bulls have reported to camp except for Noah who is some where in France.
Bulls aren't having any second thoughts???????????????????
Noah was not happy with the 5 year 57 million dollar extension the Bulls offered
Noah was not happy with the 5 year 57 million dollar extension the Bulls offered
yea he wants 70 to 75 million
Durant is the most overrated player in the NBA. Call me when he does anything in the playoffs because this year he shot 30 % from the floor vs the Lakers. Melo is a superior player than Durant. He has a post game only rivaled by Tim Duncan right now in the NBA, his jab step is feared in the NBA, since he has been in the NBA he has hit more clutch shots than anyone including Kobe and he has taken his team to the Western Finals. Ask Kobe who is the toughest player to guard, and he will tell you 'Melo. The Thunder have a lot of talent so please stop acting like Durant is just playing with a bunch of "kids". That "kid" Russell Westbrook outplayed Durant in the playoffs, he looked like the leader of the team.
And Dwight Howard has took his team to the finals, anchored a top 3 D year after year without any other great D players on his team (besides Peitrus). Dwight is a top 5 player and the best big man in the NBA right now, post moves or no post moves. The game about more than just offense.
I really wonder if a lot of you guys actually watch the NBA.
The kid was 2nd in the MVP race.
He was Rookie of the Year.
All NBA 1st Team.
Led the league in scoring.
Set the modern day record for scoring at least 25 point per game in a row.
FIBA World Championship MVP
Most point for the USA in a FIBA World Championship Game
Been in the league for only 3 years and he's only 21 years old. Melo has 3 1/2 years on him. And you think people would take Melo over Durant to build a franchise? You are smoking dust.
You may have made the stupidest statement in BGOL history with this one. We're talking about Blunt, Halo, Nzinga and all the other retards on this board. You may have won the prize. Congratulate yourself!
By the way, Kobe has never guarded Durant. Durant is nearly a 7 footer.
Dwight Howard sucks. No offensive game after all this fucking years. No post moves. No jump shot. All he does is dunk. And he can't hit a fucking free throw either. Either Pat Ewing is a terrible coach or he is a terrible student cause he hasn't done shit in the playoffs. That big and that athletic, yet has a hard time scoring outside of dunking the ball. Top 5?![]()
Wait. Not done yet.
everything anyone who know me know I usually defend Durant but I don't have to Monkey has it
Anthony’s desire to make a long-term commitment to the Nets started eroding when former Nets' players related their experiences with an empty arena, the apathy of fans, and the team playing in the shadow of the Knicks and Madison Square Garden. Anthony was already concerned about joining a team in New Jersey that would not be close to contention even with him on board.
http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wi...oughts_on_nets_as_knicks_work_to_make_a_deal/
yo this deal looks like its not going down...former nets are telling melo to say no, i'm sorry but lol that's fucking amazing...did the nets piss off all their former players that bad?
what I don't like is that the nuggets now are calling the knicks asking for Danilo & AR.... that's a negative...u can have 1 but not both... the nets were willing to give just Favors...and the jazz AK... the knicks will send them 1 prospect plus an expiring and add-ons... Melo seems like if the nuggets don't make this happen he's fine waiting then leaving as a FA to NYK and i'm fine with that too...a team of STAT, AR, Gallo and Melo would be sick and hard to contain....but still damn at former nets out of nowhere calling him and telling him to say no...wow...
yo this deal looks like its not going down...former nets are telling melo to say no, i'm sorry but lol that's fucking amazing...did the nets piss off all their former players that bad?
what I don't like is that the nuggets now are calling the knicks asking for Danilo & AR.... that's a negative...u can have 1 but not both... the nets were willing to give just Favors...and the jazz AK... the knicks will send them 1 prospect plus an expiring and add-ons... Melo seems like if the nuggets don't make this happen he's fine waiting then leaving as a FA to NYK and i'm fine with that too...a team of STAT, AR, Gallo and Melo would be sick and hard to contain....but still damn at former nets out of nowhere calling him and telling him to say no...wow...
knick fans kills me
always feel they are a part of the front office.
dude this is ny LAST chance to even been somewhat of a decent team,they ain't really got much to say about shit,they better get the giving.If they dont get mello knicks will continue to suck for a while.WHat other up coming free agents really gonna make a difference on the knicks?
tony parker? chris paul?
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Noah wants that Bynum money.
He not getting it.
We still in the running for melo
Fuck everybody else
Faggit is sipping tea in france