September 2, 2009

(Pick-and-)Rolling Right Through Workouts

As the 2008-09 campaign progressed, the Devin Harris-Brook Lopez pick-and-roll became such an effective opening salvo that it began to overwhelm the "open" dribble-drive sets that brought early-season success. And Lopez knows it will be a big part of any offense in the coming year, with the Nets fielding a roster full of capable ball-handling passers.

But he also knows that he is expected to be one of the team's primary scorers this season, and has been developing his post game, trying to find a primary move and several counters off of it. Speaking with the media on Wednesday, Lopez explained that he's ready for more responsibility, even though he might not be vocal about it.

"Hopefully things go the right way and I’m playing well and it won’t really have to be said -- my actions will be enough," Lopez said. "I don’t know if I’ll ever be that type of person who demands something from a coach; he’s in that position for a reason."

Lopez also focused on getting quicker and bettering his lateral movement, with a particular eye on defending the pick-and-roll. He cited that as one aspect of his game that observers should be able to identify as improved. Last season, Lopez struggled with the commands that dictated his actions in various screening situations, from the side pick-and-rolls to flatter angles.

That individual commitment is one Lopez feels is reflected by the rest of the team. He believes additions Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams to be strong defenders, and was glad to see notorious pest Eduardo Najera back on the floor during workouts, following an injury-plagued season for the Nets forward. Lopez can envision a solid defense developing "if we continue to improve on talking, and become great positional defenders.

"I’m not saying anyone’s a bad defender on the team," he continued, "but regardless of whether we have the best one-on-one defenders or the worst one-on-one defenders, we can still play good team defense, and hopefully I can be a good post anchor in the middle."

As Lopez works to lead by example, he recognizes that he remains a 21-year-old entering his second season. He quickly pointed out that Lee, Williams and Chris Douglas-Roberts are all older than him, and indicated an openness toward learning from everyone on the roster.

With three weeks to go before training camp, Lopez plans to work out here in New Jersey as he prepares. He mentioned that since starting college three years ago, it's been pretty easy to stay in shape, due to three years of year-round basketball. This summer proved no different -- Lopez worked out with his brothers in Fresno, Calif. and the Suns' facility in Phoenix, spent a weekend at the USA Basketball National Team mini-camp in Las Vegas and coached at Adidas Nations camps in Beijing and Dallas (working with the Asian group each time).

Lopez is aware of the light external expectations surrounding the team, but believes that the Nets' overall youth might work to their advantage.

"We have a lot of younger guys out here, some who might be naïve in that regard, I guess, ignoring the press and everything," Lopez said. "We have a general idea of where we’re supposed to end up. We’re coming together and we’re expecting to play well. There’s a lot of guys who want to get out there and prove themselves and show what we can do.

"I think we have a really good group of strong-minded, strong-headed guys who see where we should be and where we can be and want to achieve our goals."

Bonus Quote
Brook on Disney (his favorite) taking over Marvel (the bane of his existence):
[HEAVY SIGH] "Hopefully Disney runs them into the ground. Then we’ll just have DC."