The Atlanta Hawks? Gone till November (Ball Don't Lie)
The News With every season that ends, for the playoff teams at least, we felt it right to take a look ahead. TNT already has the rights to "Gone Fishin'," and because we're sure that someone, somewhere, still likes that Wyclef song, we're going with "Gone Till November." And, yes, we know the season starts in October. Today? The Atlanta Hawks.
The last time the Atlanta Hawks decided to clean house, its intentions were obvious, and the results were brutal. The team dealt for Al Harrington and traded for Antoine Walker’s expiring contract before the 2004-05 season in an attempt to remain competitive and intriguing to local fans while punting away a season, and that mishmash only gave the Hawk faithful 13 wins out of 82 tries. Atlanta then watched as their league-worst record only allowed the team the second overall pick, a place that saw general manager Billy Knight pass on both Chris Paul and Deron Williams to select Marvin Williams.
In the offseason, the team decided to throw drafts picks (draft picks that were later turned into Rajon Rondo and Robin Lopez) Phoenix’s way in order to secure a sign-and-trade deal for Joe Johnson. Johnson was a player that the Hawks could have just signed outright, but Knight wanted to give the scoring swingman Bird Rights-styled money that the Phoenix Suns were not offering him. The move drew a wedge between the team’s warring ownership factions, resulting in a court case, and it still was the second-worst contract Atlanta ever signed Joe Johnson to .
Lopez, Davis lead Hornets past Grizzlies, 90-83 (The Associated Press)
The News NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- When big men Robin Lopez and Anthony Davis play well on the same night, the New Orleans Hornets are transformed from one of the worst teams in the Western Conference into a threat to anyone in the league.
The News NEW ORLEANS -- Robin Lopez scored 23 points, including a critical rebound follow with 1:11 left, and rookie Anthony Davis had 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the New Orleans Hornets to a 90-83 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night at the New Orleans Arena.
The News Like most twins, NBA centers Brook and Robin Lopez are very close. They share a bond that few people in this world will ever understand, and it's a beautiful thing. Yet, when they entered the league in 2008 and were drafted to different teams, they knew that they would sometimes have to face off in moments of intense conflict. They are locked in the basketball version of civil war, like a story in a particularly compelling arc involving two of their beloved comic book heroes.
On Tuesday night, Robin's New Orleans Hornets traveled to Brooklyn to face Brook's Nets. With around four minutes left in the third quarter, Brook took a pass from point guard Deron Williams, dribbled down an open lane, and elevated for a dunk. Robin, somehow forgetting the presence of a person with whom he shared the same womb, was late to challenge and became the victim of a brutal posterization. Brook, to his credit, did not celebrate, presumably because he knew that he had hurt his brother.
The Nets went on to win 108-98 , but the significance of this play extends well beyond the final score. After the jump, please consult the long history of Brook-on-Robin conflict.
The News Like most twins, NBA centers Brook and Robin Lopez are very close. They share a bond that few people in this world will ever understand, and it's a beautiful thing. Yet, when they entered the league in 2008 and were drafted to different teams, they knew that they would sometimes have to face off in moments of intense conflict. They are locked in the basketball version of civil war, like a story in a particularly compelling arc involving two of their beloved comic book heroes.
On Tuesday night, Robin's New Orleans Hornets traveled to Brooklyn to face Brook's Nets. With around four minutes left in the third quarter, Brook took a pass from point guard Deron Williams, dribbled down an open lane, and elevated for a dunk. Robin, somehow forgetting the presence of a person with whom he shared the same womb, was late to challenge and became the victim of a brutal posterization. Brook, to his credit, did not celebrate, presumably because he knew that he had hurt his brother.
The Nets went on to win 108-98 , but the significance of this play extends well beyond the final score. After the jump, please consult the long history of Brook-on-Robin conflict.
Robin Lopez shows off his cup-stacking skills (VIDEO) (Ball Don't Lie)
The News New Orleans Hornets center Robin Lopez is a man of many talents and hobbies. He has always been very vocal about his interest in drawing and comics, and as a student at Stanford he even acted in a large-scale production. Yes, Lopez is a little goofy, like his brother Brook, but he's also not shy about expressing his interest in subjects that aren't necessarily dripping in machismo.
Take, for instance, this video produced by the Hornets, in which Lopez shows off his skills at cup-stacking. In a mere 23 seconds, Lopez stacks and unstacks a 15-cup pyramid, complete with very brief "ta-da" hand motion. He is a true magician.
I implore Lopez and the Hornets to make more of these videos. Maybe the next one can involve Robin and Ryan Anderson jumping rope?
(via The Brooklyn Game and New York Post )
Lopez, Anderson lead Hornets to a road victory (The SportsXchange)
The News AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Robin Lopez got the New Orleans Hornets rolling in the early going Monday, and Ryan Anderson buried the Detroit Pistons the rest of the way.
Anderson, Lopez lead Hornets past Pistons, 105-86 (The Associated Press)
The News AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Ryan Anderson scored 31 points, Robin Lopez had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Hornets beat the Detroit Pistons 105-86 on Monday night.
Hornets end 11-game losing skid, 97-94 over Magic (The Associated Press)
The News ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The New Orleans Hornets were hoping that the way Robin Lopez has been playing recently would eventually translate into a much needed victory.
The News ORLANDO -- New Orleans center Robin Lopez scored a season-high 29 points Wednesday night, and the Hornets beat the Orlando Magic 97-94 to snap an 11-game losing streak.
Kobe Bryant becomes the youngest ever to reach 30,000 career points (VIDEO) (Ball Don't Lie)
The News Los Angeles Lakers mega-star Kobe Bryant now has another NBA record to his name. With 1:17 left in the first half of Wednesday night's game against the New Orleans Hornets, Kobe cut through the lane and scored over center Robin Lopez to score the 30,000th and 30,001st points of his illustrious 17-year career. At 34 years, three months, and 12 days, that makes Bryant, the NBA's scoring leader this season at 27.9 points per game, the youngest in the history of the NBA to hit the mark. The previous youngest, Wilt Chamberlain, was more than a year older when he accomplished the feat during the 1971-72 season.
[Also: LeBron James reclaims most popular NBA jersey crown; where's Kobe? ]
Only four other players have reached the 30,000-point mark in their career: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain, all of whom but Jordan played for the Lakers. That's very impressive company, obviously, and the only question now is just how far Kobe will get before he retires. Adbul-Jabbar, the all-time leader, is more than 8,000 points away. Assuming that Kobe averages 25 points per game for the rest of his career — a liberal estimate, considering his age — it would take him more than four full seasons to set the all-time record. Perhaps he'll settle for besting the player he's been compared to (unfavorably) for most of his career, Michael Jordan, who sits at third all time with 32,292 points. All of Bryant's points have come as a member of the Lakers, and it looks increasingly likely that he'll retire widely acknowledged as the best player in franchise history.
After the jump, check out words of congratulations from Kobe's longtime friend and nemesis Shaquille O'Neal , along with more on the moment.
Lopez helps Hornets sting Bucks for much-needed win (Reuters)
The News (Reuters) - New Orleans' Robin Lopez ran off 11 straight points in the third quarter to spark the Hornets to a much needed 102-81 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. Seven-footer Lopez scored 21 points and his hot streak helped turn a two-point deficit into a 71-60 advantage as the Hornets cruised to the win. "I was just in the right place at the right time," Lopez told reporters. "(My teammates), they all found me at the rim. That's the way we're supposed to play. ...
UPDATE 1-NBA-Lopez helps Hornets sting Bucks for much-needed win (Reuters)
The News * Rare win for Hornets * Lopez scores 21 points in win (Adds quotes, details) Dec 3 (Reuters) - New Orleans' Robin Lopez ran off 11 straight points in the third quarter to spark the Hornets to a much needed 102-81 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. Seven-footer Lopez scored 21 points and his hot streak helped turn a two-point deficit into a 71-60 advantage as the Hornets cruised to the win. "I was just in the right place at the right time," Lopez told reporters. "(My teammates), they all found me at the rim. That's the way we're supposed to play. ...
Hornets break out of slump, rout Bucks 102-81 (The Associated Press)
The News NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Ryan Anderson and Robin Lopez had spoken recently about the need to justify their new leadership roles with the young New Orleans Hornets by exerting the kind of feisty effort that would energize their slumping squad.
Lopez helps Hornets sting Bucks for much-needed win (Reuters)
The News (Reuters) - New Orleans' Robin Lopez ran off 11 straight points in the third quarter to spark the Hornets to a much needed 102-81 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. Seven-footer Lopez scored 21 points and his hot streak helped turned a two-point deficit into a 71-60 advantage as the Hornets cruised to the win. It was just the second win in 11 games for New Orleans (5-11), who are rebuilding with a young roster and were without top overall draft pick Anthony Davis for the eighth straight game due to ankle problems. ...
NBA-Lopez helps Hornets sting Bucks for much-needed win (Reuters)
The News Dec 3 (Reuters) - New Orleans' Robin Lopez ran off 11 straight points in the third quarter to spark the Hornets to a much needed 102-81 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. Seven-footer Lopez scored 21 points and his hot streak helped turned a two-point deficit into a 71-60 advantage as the Hornets cruised to the win. It was just the second win in 11 games for New Orleans (5-11), who are rebuilding with a young roster and were without top overall draft pick Anthony Davis for the eighth straight game due to ankle problems. ...
Hornets break out of slump, rout Bucks 102-81 (The Associated Press)
The News NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Ryan Anderson scored 22 points, Robin Lopez added 21 and the New Orleans Hornets won for only the second time in 11 games, 102-81 over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.
The News NEW ORLEANS - Forward Ryan Anderson scored 22 points and center Robin Lopez tied his season high with 21points in just 23 minutes of playing time to power the New Orleans Hornets to a 102-81 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Monday night at the New Orleans Arena.
Robin Lopez doesn’t like Splash Mountain as much as Brook Lopez, apparently (Ball Don't Lie)
The News Let he who has not momentarily lost it sitting near the front of a descending roller coaster/attraction cast the first stone. I feel you, Robin Lopez.
I also feel the pain of knowing that your brother saw you freak out like this on Splash Mountain while maintaining his own calm, and thus knowing that he will make fun of you about this relentlessly for the entirety of your trip to Disneyland. As they say, btb . I know you're probably going to swear this was staged , but c'mon, Robin. Tell the truth and shame the devil.
[ Fantasy Basketball '12: Play the official game of NBA.com ]
I can only hope you take solace in the fact that you've been better than many expected in your first six games with the 3-3 New Orleans Hornets, posting career-high defensive rebound and block rates while looking sound enough at defending the post and pick-and-roll in backup minutes for Monty Williams' 10th-ranked Hornets defense. Cold comfort, I realize, but at least it's something.
The only thing less than delightful about this photo? Knowing that somewhere in the DMV today, a single tear will be rolling down Emeka Okafor's cheek. We know, 'Mek. Life is unfair.
Hat-tip to Chris Ryan at Grantland .
NBAer Hilariously Freaks Out On Roller Coaster (ThePostGame)
The News Robin Lopez should be used to heights by this point. The 7-footer is the tallest player on the New Orleans Hornets, and he's probably been one of ...
The News Twin big men Brook and Robin Lopez are well known as a little goofy, particularly for the overtly serious and tough mindset of the NBA. In this world, it's a little weird for a 7-footer to admit a love of "Sex and the City," or to willfully sport a Sideshow Bob haircut. On the other hand, that also makes them not terribly dissimilar from many NBA fans, especially those of us who toil in the blogosphere.
From a particular point of view, then, the Lopez twins are pretty endearing. And that's ultimately the takeaway from the subject of this post. This last Sunday, Scott Cacciola of The Wall Street Journal tagged along with Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez as he attended Comic Con at New York City's Javits Center. It's worth reading in full, but here's a sampling :
Phoenix Suns GM Lance Blanks likes Luis Scola because he is gross (Ball Don't Lie)
The News A lot's changed with the Phoenix Suns this summer. Longtime franchise linchpin Steve Nash was traded to Los Angeles to be closer to his kids (and, as luck would have it, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard). Grant Hill also headed for L.A., albeit to join the Clippers, while veteran frontcourt players Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick were shipped to the New Orleans Hornets in a (fairly protracted) three-team deal and former UNC point guard Kendall Marshall was tapped with the 13th overall selection in the 2012 NBA draft to be the team's point guard of the future. In sum, Phoenix has begun an organizational overhaul — one that's unlikely to get the Suns back into the playoff picture anytime soon, but one that needed to happen in order for the team to move on from the Nash era.
As Suns General Manager Lance Blanks — a man who's been known to take a grim, if purely truthful, view of the human condition — told Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic , the goal of the overhaul was to build a roster that could sustain through the cold winters to come (metaphorically speaking) in the valley of the sun:
"The first goal was to be able to put a team out there that would handle the next era of the organization — the rigors and challenges," Blanks said. "A transition like that is not always seamless. We wanted to make sure we had people to weather the ups and downs of entering the next era and also find guys whose career paths and trajectories fit the future of the organization. Just about every guy is a fresh-start guy."
The team's main offseason additions fit that profile. Goran Dragic gets a chance to run the show full time after splitting point-guard duties with the Houston Rockets and during his first stint in Phoenix. Michael Beasley gets his third shot at becoming an All-Star after falling out of favor with the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves. And Luis Scola, fresh off a strong scoring performance for Argentina at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, gets to remind everybody that, despite his Morey's-Grand-Gambit-inspired amnesty , he's still one of the most talented scoring forwards in the world.
To hear Blanks tell it, though, the primary attraction of Scola for the Suns was neither his expansive repertoire of low-post pivots and counters, nor his smooth midrange jumper, nor the fact that he enters the season with something to prove. "Freshness" didn't much enter into it; it was something ... um ... else :
Lopez to Hornets in 3-team trade now official (The Associated Press)
The News NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The Hornets, Suns and Timberwolves have completed a three-team deal that will send 7-foot center Robin Lopez and forward Hakim Warrick from Phoenix to New Orleans, while moving forward Wes Johnson and a future first-round draft pick from Minnesota to the Suns.
Phoenix and New Orleans finally sign off on their three-team deal with Minnesota (Ball Don't Lie)
The News There are other sides to this story, two of 'em in fact, to the three-way deal that is helping to put Andrei Kirilenko in Minnesota . The New Orleans Hornets have traded for restricted free agent Robin Lopez at the rate of three years and $15.3 million, while the Timberwolves are sending former lottery flameout Wesley Johnson and a super-protected first round pick (originally culled from Memphis, sent through Houston) to Phoenix. Hakim Warrick will also head to the Hornets.
Seems like a lot of movement, considering this weather. I hope these guys are drinking water.
It also seems like a bit of a head scratcher for the Suns, who apparently are going a bit rudderless after losing out on signing Eric Gordon and retaining Steve Nash. It's also worrying, to me, that these are the sorts of machinations small market teams have to focus on, even with the increased attention on the soon to be super-punitive luxury tax. Clearing up an offseason's worth of cap space to lure Andrei Kirilenko to an eight figure deal? Having to let go of Robin Lopez for a middling first round pick? Watching a summer go to waste because other teams decided to match offers? Ugh.
Lopez to Hornets in 3-team trade now official (The Associated Press)
The News NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The Hornets, Suns and Timberwolves say a three-team deal has been completed that will send 7-foot center Robin Lopez and forward Hakim Warrick from Phoenix to New Orleans, while moving forward Wesley Johnson and a first-round draft pick from Minnesota to the Suns.
Report: Suns deal Lopez to Hornets in three-team deal (The SportsXchange)
The News The New Orleans Hornets reportedly have agreed to three-team trade that will bring them Phoenix Suns center Robin Lopez and forward Hakim Warrick.
Minnesota’s strange offseason results in the team’s signing of Andrei Kirilenko (Ball Don't Lie)
The News Your Minnesota Timberwolves are a fascinating watch, Wolves fans. Whether behind brilliant or bodaciously bad moves, this team refuses to cobble together a squad in an orthodox manner. The recent culmination of events, as first introduced by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski and confirmed Wednesday, will be a three-team deal that sends various assets out of Minnesota to clear up enough cap space for the team to sign Andrei Kirilenko, who played in his native Russia last season.
The New Orleans Hornets grab Robin Lopez and the Phoenix Suns acquire some draft picks in this deal, but we'll get to those teams later. They are, even with years of Steve Nash behind them and the craziness of NOLA's run as an NBA-owned team, not nearly as interesting as these Wolves.
Woj is reporting that the Timberwolves have cleared up enough space to agree on a two-year, $20 million contract with Kirilenko. The second year of that deal, that will begin months after AK turns 32, will be a player option. We're pretty sure he'll pick it up.
The News A person familiar with negotiations says the Hornets, Suns and Timberwolves have agreed to a multiplayer deal sending Lopez and forward Hakim Warrick from Phoenix to New Orleans, while moving forward Wesley Johnson and a first-round draft pick from Minnesota to Phoenix.
Our View The person told The Associated Press about the trade on condition of anonymity Wednesday because it has not been announced pending the completion of some routine logistical matters.
AP source: Lopez joins Hornets in 3-team trade (The Associated Press)
The News NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The Hornets, Suns and Timberwolves have agreed to a multiplayer trade sending 7-foot center Robin Lopez and forward Hakim Warrick from Phoenix to New Orleans, while moving forward Wesley Johnson and a first-round draft pick from Minnesota to Phoenix, a person familiar with the deal said.
Report: Robin Lopez in three-team trade talks (The SportsXchange)
The News Phoenix, New Orleans and Minnesota are discussing a three-team deal in which the Suns would send center Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick to the Hornets, according to Yahoo! Sports.
NBA DRAFT LOTTERY SIM
MADNESS!
