Lopez set to work for Suns
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Paul Coro - Jul. 11, 2008 05:21 PM
The Arizona Republic
Robin Lopez goes to work for the Suns for the first time Saturday, when their summer team will run two
workouts in Las Vegas under new assistant coaches Dan Majerle and Igor Kokoskov.
After watching Lopez play two years at Stanford, the Suns know they can expect energy, defense and rebounding from the only 7-foot draft pick they have kept besides Jake Tsakalidis in two decades. Maybe they should expect more.
"Don't underestimate him," said Lopez's Stanford teammate, Lawrence Hill, a Glendale Deer Valley graduate. "He's a lot more capable than he may seem . . . . A lot of people in the draft are 'What you see is what you get.' With him, there's a chance you can see a lot more. You don't want to think he's limited."
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The Suns start NBA Summer League play Monday and play four more games July 17-20.
The lineup will feature Lopez at center with a backcourt of returnees - D.J. Strawberry at point and Alando Tucker scoring big. The forward spots might go to former Hornets forward Marcus Vinicius, a 6-foot-8 Brazilian whose shot and versatility give him a chance to stick, and Princeton product Judson Wallace, the Italian League's rebounding leader.
"I'm going to familiarize myself with the offense and defense and play hard," said Lopez, who will be paid $2.81 million over the first two years and could add $3.94 million with two team option years. "I'm very excited about it."
His twin, Brook, was drafted by New Jersey five picks earlier than Robin was and already played a five-game league in Orlando, where he led the Nets with 19.4 points per game.
Brook is deemed more polished offensively but the Suns see a solid set shot from Robin, who expects to be "more of an offensive player inside" now.
"I want him to get his feet wet and learn the NBA game," General Manager Steve Kerr said. "The rules are different. He has to learn our system. We are going to have a different defensive philosophy, forcing baseline instead of the middle. I'd like to see him control the paint, react and make it difficult for them to score."
Energy is never a problem for Lopez, who has a comical side away from the action.
"He's real focused on the court," Hill said. "One thing I noticed is he'll dive on the floor and make hustle plays that someone that tall and big doesn't normally do. He'll beat people to the ball. He'll push back, shove and do little things that aren't on the stat sheet."
That is what the Suns envisioned to back up Shaquille O'Neal, who is 36 and played 91 games in the past two seasons.
Tucker and Strawberry should thrive in Las Vegas. The Suns are hoping both find bigger roles. Tucker is expected to contribute on the wing even as the Suns wait on free agents to filter out to those willing to take a veteran minimum offer.
Free agent Tyronn Lue is indicating he will fill the Suns' backup point guard spot but Strawberry is seen as a combo guard. Strawberry could get backup time under the plan to sit Steve Nash 12 games this season. There is still a chance that second-round draft pick Goran Dragic could be added with recent progress in talks between him and his Spanish club, Tau Ceramica. The difficulty lies in how much Phoenix would need to pay Dragic to make it worth his while in a contract buyout. In a year, his buyout would be $1 million. Tau likely would expect more to let him out a year early. The Suns can pay $500,000 of a buyout.
The Suns can keep Strawberry at $711,517 but he has no guarantee until late October.
"They want me to play more 1 than 2," Strawberry said. "I'm working on getting guys open shots, my ball-handling, slowing down and seeing the floor, which is coming easier after a year running behind Steve. Everything is easier than it was."
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