Brook Lopez

[peapod]

Just read where Brook Lopez had 25 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks in his first start against the Hawks. Also, New Jersey won. The author points out how great he would have been in tandem with Okafor. Here's looking at a 10-12 year starting big.

Then I read where the FO laments lack of size, and "needing another big man".

Aaaaaggghhhhhh............

Sorry. Had to get that out.

[countryboi]

as a bobcat fan...we bitch more about the would have could have than any other team...its insane..we didnt draft brandon roy we didnt draft rudy gay....we didnt draft chris paul or brook lopez....can we move on with the team thats playing on the court every other day?

[ohara831]

Word is MJ wanted Lopez but LB talked him into DJ. I like DJ, but that decision is one LB must live with as it was his call. He wins w/ who he wants, and loses w/ who he wants. His choice, his legacy. And for what it's worth, most but not all fans on BCP and RGM were against selecting Lopez. They did not necessarily see DJ coming, but they were against Lopez. So if he turns out much better than expected, only a handful of fans predicted that correctly.

[Alex]

as a bobcat fan...we bitch more about the would have could have than any other team...its insane..we didnt draft brandon roy we didnt draft rudy gay....we didnt draft chris paul or brook lopez....can we move on with the team thats playing on the court every other day?

Read back your post and realize how ridiculous it is. OF COURSE we're gonna talk about the "would have, could have" when we've missed out on such quality players just because our management can't judge talent worth a lick.

[countryboi]

Read back your post and realize how ridiculous it is. OF COURSE we're gonna talk about the "would have, could have" when we've missed out on such quality players just because our management can't judge talent worth a lick.

brook lopez does not play for the bobcats.....if he plays well so what...there is nothing you or I can do about that...you going to have to root for the 15 players on the roster right now.....but if you have problem feel free to become a nets fan

[Alex]

brook lopez does not play for the bobcats.....if he plays well so what...there is nothing you or I can do about that...you going to have to root for the 15 players on the roster right now.....but if you have problem feel free to become a nets fan

I do root for the 15 players on the roster right now and I want them to win every single game but as a fan that loves this team and have loved this team since the beginning, I have every right to criticize the stupid draft picks that our front office has made through the years.

I don't know about you, but it has been 4 straight seasons of losing and I don't like losing and most normal fans don't like losing. You can't help but ask yourself "what if" when you see that your team is struggling with the picks you made, while the players you passed on are turning into stars in other places.

[coordinator0]

I don't know, Lopez would have brought a another big man to the Bobcats, but neither he nor Okafor can guard any of the more versatile 4's effectively. If anybody I was hoping that we took Speights, but I like the two picks of Augustin and Ajinca. It might take a year or two, but if LB can teach these guys how to play Charlotte WILL be good. Mark my words.

[BRNC]

The thing is if we had drafted Lopez you'd still here LB lament that we're not athletic enough...Lopez is no more athletic than EO50...he would not have been an upgrade but a duplication of what we already have...we need an athletic 4 (J. Thompson still comes to mind but we passed on him) that opens the floor up to EO50 inside...last nights Orlando game (first 8 mins for sure) showed EO50 can be a beast...problem is we don't have that big athletic 4 that spreads the floor and keeps EO50 from being doubled on the inside...

[WAM9]

Just read where Brook Lopez had 25 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks in his first start against the Hawks. Also, New Jersey won. The author points out how great he would have been in tandem with Okafor. Here's looking at a 10-12 year starting big.

Then I read where the FO laments lack of size, and "needing another big man".

Aaaaaggghhhhhh............

Sorry. Had to get that out.

This is a case of how you can make stats say anything...

Lopez had a TOTAL of 13 points in his previous 5 games before this one anomoly. His next game, which he started as well, he had 5 points.

Wow, this guy certainly would have turned our franchise around!

Also, anyone who thinks Lopez and Okafor would be good compliments to each other hasn't watched much of these two playing. They couldn't be worse complimentary players as far as what they would bring on the court together.

[TheBeagle]

This is a case of how you can make stats say anything...

Lopez had a TOTAL of 13 points in his previous 5 games before this one anomoly. His next game, which he started as well, he had 5 points.

Wow, this guy certainly would have turned our franchise around!

Also, anyone who thinks Lopez and Okafor would be good compliments to each other hasn't watched much of these two playing. They couldn't be worse complimentary players as far as what they would bring on the court together.+1 WAM9!!!! Right on!!! Lopez was never the answer for us and to say otherwise is ludicrous. You can make the argument that Lopez should've been drafted and Mek let go, but don't try to say the two of them would've made a good frontline in the contemporary NBA....that's a fallacy.

[Keetch]

Honestly, I'm not sure I care about any of last year's rookies at this point other than Rose or Beasley.

I hated the Augustin pick, but honestly I was mostly frustrated that no one dropped to us like Mayo, Love or Westbrook. Failing that, there was the hope that we could move up. It didn't happen. You know we get so worked up before the draft; it sucked to see the team kind of not share that enthusiasm.

At the time; it was very very frustrating that we were below the threshold of impact rooks, especially since we needed one so badly. There are probably about 10 or so other rookies that may make good NBA players and both Lopez and Augustin are in that group. Hell, even JaVale McGee is looking like a player right now. We probably should have taken him or Thompson lol.

[Mustachio]

I love second guessing draft decisions less than 10 games into an 82 game rookie season.

Brookie has a decent game and all of a sudden hes a 10-12 year all star that we should have drafted even though he plays the same position as Okafor and would have made us one of the slowest, least athletic front courts in the history of basketball.

truth is... if we would have drafted him... we'd be talking about how stupid it was not to get a back up point guard... or how short sighted our front office is by passing up on Ajinca.

[peapod]

I hear you guys, and this may have been a knee jerk reaction to the article. And I admit that I did want Lopez, not because I thought he and Okafor would be so great, but because he would give us another big, in case of injuries. It also would give us flexibility, to trade some other pieces, to get an athletic/good shooting 4. And with Brook on board we would be able to get a pure point, in Mario Chalmers, who would meaningful minutes, and give excellent D. Or a guard in the 2cd.

Having said that, I'm behind DJ and Ajinca all the way. But it is good to know that MJ and I agree on something;>).

[ohara831]

15 pts and 13 reb tonight. Look, I love DJ and think he'll be fine. But we didn't have a glaring need w/ Ray at PG. We'd be a ton better off had we gone w/ MJ on the draft and played Lopez at Center and Okafor at PF. At least better than we currently are playing.

On the bright side, at least we are in the running for Blake Griffin!

[Mustachio]

15 pts and 13 reb tonight. Look, I love DJ and think he'll be fine. But we didn't have a glaring need w/ Ray at PG. We'd be a ton better off had we gone w/ MJ on the draft and played Lopez at Center and Okafor at PF. At least better than we currently are playing.

On the bright side, at least we are in the running for Blake Griffin!


thats just wrong. we would not be good with Mek and Lopez on the court at the same time. it wouldn't make us play any better.

[ohara831]

Mustachio, I love your analysis often, but we're just going to disagree on this one. I think we'd be far better off. Stronger scoring and rebounding, and teams would not be scoring at will on us in the paint. Lopez is just a Rookie, but he plays smart and strong. DJ is going to be good, and is our starting PG in the future. But we needed big as we have Ray at PG right now. Ajinca is 2-3 years away. LB wont even be our Coach when Ajinca is NBA ready. But he's a LB guy, plays either C or PF and LB said he likes players who can play 2 positions as it provides flexability and creates mismatches for the opposition. But we need a PF NOW - and May isn't fit and Ajinca is not ready. We're just going to have to disagree on it. Lopez is who MJ wanted, and I think we'd have been much stronger had we gone that route.

[TheBeagle]

15 pts and 13 reb tonight. Look, I love DJ and think he'll be fine. But we didn't have a glaring need w/ Ray at PG. We'd be a ton better off had we gone w/ MJ on the draft and played Lopez at Center and Okafor at PF. At least better than we currently are playing.

Yeah, Mek would've looked great guarding Dirk on the perimeter tonight.....or Rashard the night before......or Josh Smith (when he's healthy).....or......etc., etc., etc. Never would've worked, man. Like I said earlier on this thread (and the way Mek has played this year, this is the option that probably should've been taken) draft Lopez and then either let Mek walk or SnT him and let Lopez be the new C.

Any way you spin it, Mek and Lopez would be a dreadful combo, but if New Jersey wants to trade us their first rounder for Mek, I'd be more than willing to see how they look together ;)

[peapod]

Mustachio, I love your analysis often, but we're just going to disagree on this one. I think we'd be far better off. Stronger scoring and rebounding, and teams would not be scoring at will on us in the paint. Lopez is just a Rookie, but he plays smart and strong. DJ is going to be good, and is our starting PG in the future. But we needed big as we have Ray at PG right now. Ajinca is 2-3 years away. LB wont even be our Coach when Ajinca is NBA ready. But he's a LB guy, plays either C or PF and LB said he likes players who can play 2 positions as it provides flexibility and creates mismatches for the opposition. But we need a PF NOW - and May isn't fit and Ajinca is not ready. We're just going to have to disagree on it. Lopez is who MJ wanted, and I think we'd have been much stronger had we gone that route.

+1. Exactly !!

My opinion of Okafor-arguably our most difficult player to replace-is that he has center skills, in a PF's body. He bring toughness, D, rebounding, and limited range 12-16 pts.
But, just as G Wallace had to make some sacrifices to play the 4, so would Okafor. G Force is probably the only one on the team that can guard Josh Smith, other than a future Ajinca.

Consider this lineup:
Lopez-scoring, RB, BS, medium toughness and D, moderate passer
Okafor-D and BS, and RB, some scoring
Adam Morrison- movement, creative scoring, limited D, smart passing, OK ball handling
J Rich - 3 pt range, descent passer, limited ball handling, strong RB
Ray Felton-quick to the hole, tough D, good passer, learning LB's system

Despite it's many weakness's, this lineup for 8-10 minutes a game, would be a tough cover and OK D, against many teams. J Rich and Ammo would be interchangeable, depending on their man. There would be nearly equal inside/outside scoring.

A healthy and well conditioned Sean May, coupled with Okafor at the 5, would be my starters, but we all knew the risk of this thinking. In the above scenario, I would have used our 2cd rounder to get a back up point, and having our 1st rounder this year, I would look at BPA to make our team better. Blake Griffin would be nice ;>) We may be close to the lottery-(if we had a pick).

As much as I love the Bobcats, the only picks/trades I agreed with at the time were:
1. Okafor-sure I wanted Dwight Howard, because he'd be peaking at the time we'd be in the hunt for the East, but he was gone. Okafor gives the team a legitimate inside presence.
2. Gerald Wallace- best off season FA pickup. Actually he was unprotected, from the Sacramento I think.
3. J Rich- hated passing on Brandan Wright, but J Rich was battle tested, and excellent leader/teammate.
4. Matt Carroll-excellent shooter, and good off season FA
5. Herrmann- reasonable FA with huge hands, excellent shooter for size
6. Brevin Knight-excellent backup point, can start if Ray is injured.

To a lesser extent, Ray and Sean. I wanted Chris Paul and Charlie V in 2005, but they were gone. I'm not sure if I would have had the foresight to give up 5+13 for 4? The Hornets/Jazz would have to have included something else. Who knew?

Sometimes people you like make poor decisions. Hey, I'm still a fan. If I didn't care, and you didn't either, would we be doing this?

[Mustachio]

first of all... Lopez has had two decent games. that doesn't equate to the solution to all of our problems trust me.

our problems last night stem from Sean May being absolutely useless and Matt Carroll being anywhere near a starting lineup.

I trust Larry Brown.. but last night was Sam Vincentish.

[Muttley]

first of all... Lopez has had two decent games. that doesn't equate to the solution to all of our problems trust me.

our problems last night stem from Sean May being absolutely useless and Matt Carroll being anywhere near a starting lineup.

I trust Larry Brown.. but last night was Sam Vincentish.
I think that LB was just giving Sean his last chance to start. The press conference afterward leads me to believe that Sean will go back to inactivity on Friday. As far as Matt's concerned, I don't know what to say. He was just one of many Bobcats last night (and all season, really) that couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. I would not be surprised if LB went with one of the two towers at PF on Friday.

[davcbow]

I think that LB was just giving Sean his last chance to start. The press conference afterward leads me to believe that Sean will go back to inactivity on Friday. As far as Matt's concerned, I don't know what to say. He was just one of many Bobcats last night (and all season, really) that couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. I would not be surprised if LB went with one of the two towers at PF on Friday.

I wouldn't mind seeing Hollins start at the 4 and I also wouldn't mind seeing DJ start at the 1...

1)DJ
2)J Rich (if ready, Morrison if not)
3)GW
4)Hollins
5)Mek

I can handle a loss but 15-0 in the first quarter? geeze :cool:

[Muttley]

I wouldn't mind seeing Hollins start at the 4 and I also wouldn't mind seeing DJ start at the 1...

1)DJ
2)J Rich (if ready, Morrison if not)
3)GW
4)Hollins
5)Mek

I would be okay with trying DJ out for a start, but I still don't want to put to much pressure on the kid. I'm fine with him playing a bulk of the minutes, though, as he showed his toughness last night.

I can handle a loss but 15-0 in the first quarter? geeze :cool:
Yeah... that should never happen.

[Mustachio]

Felton should start. our 15-0 hole was created by poor shooting and the fact that Sean May and Matt Carroll should be starting on the Sioux Falls Skyforce and not anywhere close to an NBA roster.


It's just two games... so I am not getting too excited but Ryan Hollins actually looks like he should be getting the nod at PF right now. It adds 0 offense to this current roster.. but at least we would be able to defend the paint better than we have been.

Ray
Rich
Crash
Hollins
Okafor

thats not the best lineup I've ever seen but it sure as hell beats any lineup with Sean "all of a sudden i don't know how to play basketball" May and Matt "its not my fault the Bobcats paid an NBDL all star, NBA money" Carroll.

[peapod]

I agree that Felton should start, and from the way they played last night, Hollins at the 4 at least gives them energy and D in the paint.

Not sure if I'm ready to Totally give up on Sean "mmmm....doughnuts.." May, because his type of surgery takes time to get 100%, and conditioning also suffers. He has the skill set to be our best 4, but his health/conditioning aren't allowing him to utilize them.

I don't think Brook would have solved all our problems, by any stretch. He would acutually have created some new ones. But I think in the long run, he would give our team a better chance to win this year, and in the future.

[spectre]

If DJ can string together a few games like last night (say it with me...CONSISTENCY) then I'm all for letting him start. Hell, he'd be the ONLY consistent player we'd have on the roster right now if he could do that.

And damn right I'd take DJ over Lopez. Would Lopez have helped us this year? Sure. Will DJ help us more overall? Absolutely.

[TheBeagle]

Damn, I just saw where DJ Augustin had 26 pts, 7 assists, and 1 TO. I sure wish we'd drafted him instead of Brook Lopez...:cool:

[Muttley]

Damn, I just saw where DJ Augustin had 26 pts, 7 assists, and 1 TO. I sure wish we'd drafted him instead of Brook Lopez...:cool:
DJ who?... I heard that guy can't hit 3s.

[Ampsportsduo]

If DJ can shoot over 60% from the 3-point line all season, he'll definitely be the better pick.

On a serious note, Lopez was the right pick for the Cats (imho) if they were not going to commit the money to EO. Lopez would've take his spot, not played along side him. Had they gone this route, trading Crash would not be such a pressing need.

[coordinator0]

If DJ can shoot over 60% from the 3-point line all season, he'll definitely be the better pick.

On a serious note, Lopez was the right pick for the Cats (imho) if they were not going to commit the money to EO. Lopez would've take his spot, not played along side him. Had they gone this route, trading Crash would not be such a pressing need.

Yes, I would have liked it if the Bobcats had gone that route too. I don't know if they knew that EO would still be a Bobcat in the end though. Just think of what woulda happened if we didn't draft Lopez and we did draft Augustin, I do believe that Nazr would be our starting C. That wouldn't be the best thing in the world. With that said, I really do like the 'Cats taking DJ. At first i was pissed and my jaw about hit the ground from 2 stories up, but in the end the league is a PG driven league and I think DJ can be one of the special PG's.

[Dead_Real]

I must admit he's been a pleasant surprise so far but I still wonder how well Brook and Mek would've really complimented each other it would be nice seeing Lopez carry the bulk of the scoring load while Mek is the defensive anchor in the paint. Only issue with that frontcourt is that the Bosh, Gasol, and Amare type of bigs would still give us headaches.

[swetooth9]

I want lopezzz!!! :( :( :(

[polarcat]

it stings a lot! honestly, at the time i was and still am ok with the dj augustin selection because of our roster back then. i was not interested in seeing an okafor/lopez front court and had nightmares of the lack of athleticism. now that okafor is gone, i am sad that we didn't get lopez....seriously sad. lopez with our current roster would be sick and it's a shame of what could've been.

[amour217]

I wonder if in Japan they call him Blook Ropez

[Marvel]

I wonder if in Japan they call him Blook Ropez

:D...........undoubtedly and Tellance Wirriams and Gelald Warrace ooohhhhh

[TOOT DADDY]

How many wins does NJ have? Have you guys looked at Lopez game logs. Wasn't he like 1 for 12 a couple of nights ago with like 2 rebounds playing 30 plus minutes. How do you go 1 for anything playing that much at 7 damn feet tall and your last name isn't Diop.

[BobCatsFanInTx]

DJ is off to a slow start this season. Sophomore jinx? All I know is that on this very board we were all excited at the potential we saw in DJ. Many were down on Felton but at the same time we were not all against him. After LB's trade last season the two seen as weak pg's were seen in a much better light. So yes I agree it is frustrating how our two main pg's have played thus far this season. However, they should not be thrown under the bus just yet. Raymond probably does deserve some negative comments but DJ is only in his second season. For some guys it takes at least three years to begin to show their potential on a regular basis.

Felton should be excelling and is not and I don't know what excuses we can give him this season but DJ does have the luxury of some excuses in my opinion. At least this year.

PS. I think you will see many of the better rookies from last season suffer from a sophomore slump. It happens to a lot of them.

[BobCatsFanInTx]

Instead of worrying over Lopez it is too bad we somehow didn't work out a deal to get Brandon Jennings. Felton could have been dropped and we would have real pg along the lines of CP3. I know that in hindsight nobody really thought Brandon Jennings was going to come out of the gates as another CP3 type. That is all the more reason I could see our front office picking the guy. Since he is a future star though it would only seem typical of the sometimes poor luck and mostly poor decisions of the franchise leaders.

[Chef]

Jennings isn't even in the same area code as CP3 or Deron Williams. He is a shoot first point guard plain and simple.

[amour217]

:D...........undoubtedly and Tellance Wirriams and Gelald Warrace ooohhhhh

And don't forget our head coach Rally Blown

LOL

[Marvel]

A bit early to compare Jennings to CP3

[Ghost Kat]

Many were down on Felton but at the same time we were not all against him.

I was against him.........

[davcbow]

Felton may be good on defense but he isnt much on offense... He will have a good game once in a while but the TO's kill him....:cool:

[swetooth9]

i guess DJ was an alright pick since our PG situation was not that great. but it would have been nice to get brook, then get a PG from the draft that just happened

oh wellz.

[BobCatsFanInTx]

A bit early to compare Jennings to CP3He may be the best rookie Pg since CP3. I think the guy is a stud plain and simple. Not many Pg's do what he is doing who are veterans and this kid is an NBA rookie. As far as shoot first, the last time I looked Jennings was not hurting his team with his SHOOT FIRST mentality. Say what you want but I would take Jennings early success over the crap Felton and DJ have been giving the Bobcats.

[BobCatsFanInTx]

I was against him.........Last year both Felton and DJ played pretty good down the stretch so I am glad you had the foresight to see Felton would START out bad THIS season. DJ who you liked has not exactly earned anyones endorsements either.

There is some kind of disconnect between Larry and his Pg's THIS season because as I recall last season both Felton and Augustine complimented each other quite well.

My wishing the team had let Felton go and drafted Jennings is only because of the way Jennings is playing like a seasoned vet. On the other hand it is too early to consider this season or this teams Pg's as washed up.

I have said that this team needs 20 games to be within 5 games of 500 basketball and I stick by that. If the team is at least 5 and 15 they can legitimately make a run at being a 500 ball club in no time at all. Larry Brown teams almost always start slow.

Yes there are a few glaring weaknesses but I don't see those weaknesses as insurmountable. The team may have to address a few of them to get that 8th seed but at best this team can win between thirty eight and forty one games and at worst fifteen to twenty four. Thirty eight to forty one wins may or may not get the Bobcats into the playoffs. Still I would be happy with that if the team fell just short. On the other hand the low end in wins would suck. If the team is five or more games under 500 ball after thirty games I can see the team pressing to make a trade or two.

Of coarse the team could stay the course no matter what and choose to rebuild after this season. Time will tell what time will tell.