Lopez vs. Howard

If you're post is intended to only say Lopez is no longer "untouchable" then I agree RecSpecs110. Will he be traded? I think the Nets may try to trade him,eventually because they want Dwight Howard, but putting Lopez out in the trade market is a very risky buisness because at nearly 23 years old, offers will come flying in left and right, and the Nets would never want to give Lopez up for nothing less then a cornerstone peice. Several Nets reporters have already said the Nets are interested in Dwight Howard, Williams is interested in Dwight, and gaining a center like Howard means losing Lopez, and if that's what needs to happen, King will make it happen. But my opinion is the Nets are very happy with Lopez currently, and one or two years ago they claimed he was untouchable, and would remain untouchable for the years to come, but as good and young Lopez is, I'm sure the Nets would pull the trigger for a great deal involving Lopez.


*And to comment on his talent and what he brings to the table every night, I am very satisfied. He may not be the #1 option, but his stats prove he can play, and putting up these numbers at a young age can only mean good news. I realize his rebounding numbers are pathetic, and his defense needs improvement, but atleast we're not saying he has the skillset Petro has, and just by us mentioning a trade for Lopez for Howard must clearly mean that Lopez is not a bum and that he is very good. I'm not saying it would be a straight-up deal Lopez for Howard, but if the Magic got Lopez he would obviously be the Magic's biggest peice, so at nearly 23 years old I am not rady to put Lopez down for his struggle.

Personally, I'm happy with Brooks production. I also would much rather keep him over Dwight (one dimensional) Howard.

I would rather see the team peruse Danny Granger and build around Lopez and Deron Williams. Just my .02 cents.

Lopez was never untouchable in my opinion. I still love his offensive game. His rebounding is somethIng that fans should be afraid of though. I dont see him improving very much. Idk why his numbers have been so low this season. Last time the nets switched coaches (frank to kiki) his rebounding wasnt affected. Is the coach the problem? Back on topic though, he was always tradeable for a player like howard.

my "lopez is a bum" comment was directed towards his lack of mental toughness. i know skills. ive seen him beast. he has all the physical qualities to beast on both ends, but his head is not in the game. when the pressure is on, he continues to fold. and you cannot win playoff games, let alone championships, with your best player folding in pressure situations. that was my point.

lopez is a good player, but he is not a great player. he does not have the attributes to lead a team. so unless we get some quality nba talent around him, he is expendable imo. for example, if we had the 2002-2003 roster with lopez, that would be awesome. thats a contender.

but lopez is our only effective option that won't cut it.

[QUOTE=RecSpecs110]Now what would compel you to do that? Are you related to any of those players?[/QUOTE]
1- think of it as an alternative to banging my head against a brick wall.
2- yes- i'm related to all other human beings.

[QUOTE=Nets fan 93]...Idk why his numbers have been so low this season. Last time the nets switched coaches (frank to kiki) his rebounding wasnt affected. Is the coach the problem?...[/QUOTE]
take your pick of any of these:

- lingering case of mono.
- playing under a sanity-challenged coach.
- right arm filling up with calcium, making it painful to use in a basketball game.

or let me put it another way- do any of those things sound like reasons why lopez should be playing [b]better[/b] this season?

[QUOTE=gigantes]1- think of it as an alternative to banging my head against a brick wall.
2- [B]yes- i'm related to all other human beings.[/B]


take your pick of any of these:

- [B]lingering case of mono[/B].
- playing under a sanity-challenged coach.
- right arm filling up with calcium, making it painful to use in a basketball game.

or let me put it another way- do any of those things sound like reasons why lopez should be playing [b]better[/b] this season?[/QUOTE]

"Lingering mono" isn't a reason to be playing subpar basketball. If you have mono, you can't walk straight, much less play an entire season of basketball.

Alright, are you [I]closely [/I]related to those players? The reason I ask is because you're talking like you're a parent defending their young son/daughter, reaching and pulling every excuse card within your grasp.

Kobe plays with a broken finger. Deron plays with a strained tendon in his wrist and still, albeit his shooting is off, takes dives on the floor until his coach forces him to stop.

There are many players who play through pain, and still produce numbers and provide the effort. This isn't the peewee basketball league, man. It's the NBA.

I find it funny how you methodically defend Brook and pull out every excuse for him, yet you're that quick to throw Avery under the bus. I'm not a big fan of Avery, but please enlighten me, it's Avery's fault that Brook doesn't feel like rebounding or playing hard on defense?

Again, are you closely related to Brook?

[QUOTE=RecSpecs110]"Lingering mono" isn't a reason to be playing subpar basketball. If you have mono, you can't walk straight, much less play an entire season of basketball."[/quote]
is that right, doctor? and where did you go to medical school, exactly?

i realize we are all nets brothers up in here, but the battering; is it worth it? whatever happens involing lopez will make us better, king would not trade lopez for garbage. that is, if he gets traded of course.

[QUOTE=gigantes]is that right, doctor? and where did you go to medical school, exactly?[/QUOTE]

And who said you need to be a doctor to do simple research about an illness? I have two friends who had mono, they were both bedridden for about a month. It's serious stuff.

Brook had mono a year ago. He's played in every game this season. That wouldn't be possible if he still had it.

Anyhow, I'm done with this. Brook is a good player and, surrounded by enough NBA talent, would be a decent piece. But he is not a leader or a foundation. Mentally, he's a wimp. As are Outlaw and the rest of the scrubs on this team. Difference is that Brook was the one who was put on a pedestal and called untouchable, which I accepted at the start of the season but not anymore.

[QUOTE=RecSpecs110]And who said you need to be a doctor to do simple research about an illness? I have two friends who had mono, they were both bedridden for about a month. It's serious stuff...[/quote]
exactly; it's serious stuff. which is why one shouldn't underestimate its impact, even past the 'official' heal date. was that so hard to understand?

every athlete has disappointing and puzzling years from time to time, and my theory is that situations like this are sometimes the cause. i.e., you're not talking about an office worker who got over a serious illness and was able to struggle back to work in order to spend 90% of their time using a mouse and keyboard. no, we're talking about guys who need to be in peak athletic form to perform at their baseline, lest the fans and the fantasy league owners get pissed.

but meanwhile, while these guys were sick and resting, some of the physical attributes that helped make them peak athletes sunk down to mortal levels. and it can take a surprisingly long time to get back to peak levels again. i've seen it across a range of sports with a variety of guys.

the fact is that small differences can make wide differences in athletic performance. small differences like resting / active heart rate, lactic acid build rate, lactic acid tolerance, oxygen saturation potential in red blood cells, etc. not to mention body fat ratio, lean muscle mass, etc etc.

for me it's just the scientific method at work- if there are unknowns in play, err on the side of caution. work to increase your sample size and work to reduce your unknowns.

[quote]...Anyhow, I'm done with this...[/quote]
really? you mean you're going to stop repeating the same things over and over again? do you figure that's healthy?

Can't you guys can debate and not get all sarcastic on each other? :lol

I think the word untouchable is used to much. Honestly I believe only a few players in this league are really untradable like LeBron and Dwight. I'm sure there a few more but not that much.
There are players like Brook that are young, talented and have a long way to go but I'm positive that if the opportunity came and there was a trade for a better player, that we'd take it. But those trades are very rare. I think that D-Will trade this year was as rare of a trade as they come. It was a miracle and they dont happen often. Thats what Gigs is trying to get at I think.

So obviously all of us would take a Dwight-Brook trade but, in the mean time we need to think about devoloping Brook because if all we do is expect Dwight to come, I feel like were in for a MAJOR disappointment. Hoping and praying for good players is what Knick fans do.

yes, and if the owners had the time to wait to scientifically eliminate every possibility of what's going on with their players, they would.

unfortunately thats not how it works, especially in the circumstance the nets are in. they have a certain player they need to keep happy before he runs off and leaves the org a trail of dust. and unless they present a core of players significantly better by next year, consider that possibility an actuality.

I'll admit Brooks been disappointing this year, mono or not. But I'm still not giving up on him. If he continues to play like he did this season next year, then I'll be right there with you. I think its only fair to give him at least a full season with Deron to see if he really doesnt have that toughness.

[QUOTE=MTing]I'll admit Brooks been disappointing this year, mono or not. But I'm still not giving up on him. If he continues to play like he did this season next year, then I'll be right there with you. I think its only fair to give him at least a full season with Deron to see if he really doesnt have that toughness.[/quote] i feel the same way.