The Nets' pursuit of Dwight Howard appears to finally be over. Well, let's be real here; We've been down this road far too many times to not acknowledge that until Dwight signs a new contract, the Dwightmare is NEVER over. For all intents and purposes, however, the Nets appear to be out of the running, committing to Brook Lopez for 4 years and roughly 60 million dollars. While many view this signing as a disappointing consolation prize, I don't; It was the result I wanted all along.
Obviously this seems to be a very irrational preference; who would take the guy seemingly anemic to rebounding over the best center in the league, one who is single handily capable of catapulting his team into the playoffs and possibly championship contention? I would not try to defend my position using advanced statistics or argue whose return from injury is more certain; my stand is driven by pure emotion, but one I have no qualms about making. The inability to separate my personal attachments to players would make me a terrible general manager, but as a fan, I regret nothing. I would rather be a "enjoy your 2nd round playoff exits" team with Brook Lopez than a possible championship contending one with Dwight Howard.
Much of this stems from preferring Brook Lopez as a personality over the now very frustrating and flatly annoying Dwight Howard. "Bropez" is one of the more unusual but likable NBA personalities I've ever grown to know as a fan, his preference for comic books over night clubs the most well-worn anecdote about Lopez's personal life. Over the last 8 months or so, Howard has shown himself to be a complete man-child, singularly intent on getting what he wants, damn those that stand in his way. He does all this while trying way too hard to appear likable, smiling widely for the camera so as not to diminish his "brand". On the contrary, Brook Lopez is one of the most natural personalities in the league; he truly does not care what others think of him, and even non-stop trade rumors can't touch his carefree persona. Dwight may have cared so much about his public perception that he opted to play another year for the team he is so obviously desperate to leave, just so that people would say "what a great, loyal, great guy that Dwight Howard is".
Obviously, none of this has anything to do with what actually happens on the basketball court; Dwight Howard is by the far the most dominant center in the league, whereas Brook Lopez is only really good on one side of the court. But I would truly rather take my chances with Brook Lopez and his still emerging potential (he's only 24 with two injury/illness plagued seasons, let's not forget) than what I feel would be "selling out" for immediate success with Dwight Howard. Silly? Sure, but I don't feel it's completely out of the realm of possibility that Brook Lopez could emerge as a threat and force in his own right, even if he only manages to improve enough to be a decent rebounder rather than the board-eater-for-breakfast that Howard is. What's more important to me, however, is the familiarity I have with Brook as a fan and what it would mean to witness his possible development into one of the league's best centers, even if that development is not assured.
Much of this stems from preferring Brook Lopez as a personality over the now very frustrating and flatly annoying Dwight Howard. "Bropez" is one of the more unusual but likable NBA personalities I've ever grown to know as a fan, his preference for comic books over night clubs the most well-worn anecdote about Lopez's personal life. Over the last 8 months or so, Howard has shown himself to be a complete man-child, singularly intent on getting what he wants, damn those that stand in his way. He does all this while trying way too hard to appear likable, smiling widely for the camera so as not to diminish his "brand". On the contrary, Brook Lopez is one of the most natural personalities in the league; he truly does not care what others think of him, and even non-stop trade rumors can't touch his carefree persona. Dwight may have cared so much about his public perception that he opted to play another year for the team he is so obviously desperate to leave, just so that people would say "what a great, loyal, great guy that Dwight Howard is".
Obviously, none of this has anything to do with what actually happens on the basketball court; Dwight Howard is by the far the most dominant center in the league, whereas Brook Lopez is only really good on one side of the court. But I would truly rather take my chances with Brook Lopez and his still emerging potential (he's only 24 with two injury/illness plagued seasons, let's not forget) than what I feel would be "selling out" for immediate success with Dwight Howard. Silly? Sure, but I don't feel it's completely out of the realm of possibility that Brook Lopez could emerge as a threat and force in his own right, even if he only manages to improve enough to be a decent rebounder rather than the board-eater-for-breakfast that Howard is. What's more important to me, however, is the familiarity I have with Brook as a fan and what it would mean to witness his possible development into one of the league's best centers, even if that development is not assured.
For a guy who only played 5 games last year (including a dominant-as-hell 38 points against Dallas, Deron Williams' famed other suitor), Lopez sure catches a lot of flack. He can't rebound; he doesn't defend; he doesn't deserve a max deal; he can't stay healthy; he's lazy. While many of these points have their merits, most of these criticisms seem to assume that these issues - when they're not completely overblown - can never be corrected. I won't attempt to get into a grand defense of the basketball player that is Brook Lopez, but I will say it's important to remember that Lopez has not played a truly healthy season, be it foot problems or mono problems, since the 2009-2010 season that saw the Nets win 12 games. He's only played a smattering of games (17 total) with Deron Williams, and none with Gerald Wallace or Joe Johnson. Yet it's fashionable to write Brook Lopez off as a guy undeserving of a max deal (a misleading term if there ever was one) who will never live up to what he's set to make. Just for the "silencing the haters" factor alone I'd prefer to see Lopez in a Brooklyn uniform. Lopez is the home-grown talent everyone derides and doubts; seeing him succeed in a brand new arena would be far more fulfilling than watching Dwight Howard dominate in the way he's expected.
The whole transition from last season to the one forthcoming would also just be a great case of too much change, too soon if Lopez is not a part. The relocation to Brooklyn is undoubtedly a great thing for the franchise going forward; we're witnessing the benefits already. It's a move I fully support, yet one that remains bittersweet for me; the reason I originally supported the team was because of its New Jersey locale, and that is no more. Brook Lopez is the last connection to the team's New Jersey past. Yes, Deron Williams suited up for 67 games as a New Jersey Net, but you never got the feeling he was doing anything but biding his time until Brooklyn; Brook Lopez played at the former Continental Airlines Arena alongside Vince Carter. Whereas Dwight Howard would represent a complete and drastic makeover for the franchise heading into Brooklyn, Lopez reminds us of where we came from and helps to ease the transition for those of us who are still a bit uncomfortable about it. While he is not and has never been the leader of the team, in this sense he is leading us New Jersey fans into our new location. He suffered alongside of us, and he deserves to finally experience a winning season, just as we former New Jersey Nets fan deserve a winning team to root for after putting up with the last five years of ineptitude.
While the spike in the fanbase in Brooklyn's first year will be an awesome thing, most of these newfound supporters will not have suffered as we New Jersey fans have. While that is certainly not a prerequisite to becoming a fan, especially when a city enters its first year of actually having a team, there is a feeling of jealousy and "you didn't earn like we did" that's hard to deny. We endured the years of hopeless losing and cost-cutting and cap clearing and tanking that made the relocation and superstar acquisitions even possible. Brook Lopez experienced the worst of this with us and fully embodies that part of our history. As he gets the chance to finally play in the long-promised land of Brooklyn, it feels as if he's leading us soon-to-be-overlooked and outnumbered New Jersey fans out of the wilderness with him. As he is allowed entry into the Barclays Center, so are we, an assurance that the previously existing, well-established fanbase is not totally forgotten.
When all is said and done, Dwight Howard may not even be totally out of the picture for Brooklyn; Lopez is eligible to be traded on January 15th, and Kris Humphries' recent albatross of a deal indicates that the Nets are still keeping that trump card in their back pocket. If it were up to me, however, I'd take my chances with Brook Lopez. It's risky, unpopular, and at least slightly irrational, but it would mean a hell of a lot more to me as a fan.
While the spike in the fanbase in Brooklyn's first year will be an awesome thing, most of these newfound supporters will not have suffered as we New Jersey fans have. While that is certainly not a prerequisite to becoming a fan, especially when a city enters its first year of actually having a team, there is a feeling of jealousy and "you didn't earn like we did" that's hard to deny. We endured the years of hopeless losing and cost-cutting and cap clearing and tanking that made the relocation and superstar acquisitions even possible. Brook Lopez experienced the worst of this with us and fully embodies that part of our history. As he gets the chance to finally play in the long-promised land of Brooklyn, it feels as if he's leading us soon-to-be-overlooked and outnumbered New Jersey fans out of the wilderness with him. As he is allowed entry into the Barclays Center, so are we, an assurance that the previously existing, well-established fanbase is not totally forgotten.
When all is said and done, Dwight Howard may not even be totally out of the picture for Brooklyn; Lopez is eligible to be traded on January 15th, and Kris Humphries' recent albatross of a deal indicates that the Nets are still keeping that trump card in their back pocket. If it were up to me, however, I'd take my chances with Brook Lopez. It's risky, unpopular, and at least slightly irrational, but it would mean a hell of a lot more to me as a fan.
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