Roben Lopez next Steve Nash for Phoenix Suns
Upon the arrival of Steve Nash in Phoenix, the Suns has been known for their run and gun offense. This style helped them to emerge as a perennial contender in the Western Conference in the past six years. Unfortunately for them, they always fell short because of match-up problems that they encountered when they face teams with bigger frontlines and have great abilities to cover the paint.
Despite the fact that Amare Stoudamire is so explosive and so athletic; he is still undersized for a center. In addition to that, most of his points are coming from pick and rolls with Steve Nash; it means that he is not the type of big man who can post up all day.
Two seasons ago, they acquired Shaquille O’Neal but the aging giant was unable to regain his dominating form that he had in his glorious years with Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. In the end, Suns suffered a setback when they released versatile forward Shawn Marion because they believe that O’Neal, alone will help them win the World title. They traded O’Neal to Cleveland and signed Arizona native Channing Frye, an accurate three point shooter. Unfortunately, Suns still lack players who will man the paint.
In 2008, Steve Kerr invested in a 7- foot tower-center in the name of Robin Lopez. Spending most of the time in the bench in his rookie season, Lopez was inserted in the starting lineup at the start of the season. In the series against Los Angeles in the current Western Conference Finals, Lopez provided a solid contribution for the Suns by averaging 13.7 points per game and shooting 76.2% from the field. In Game 3, he complimented Stoudamire’s 42 point outburst by delivering 20 points in 8 out of 10 shooting to save the Suns from 0-3 deficit. He also made Bynum commit a lot of fouls while guarding him.
There is no doubt that Stoudamire had a monster game and Steve Nash stabilized the floor efficiently; but Lopez’s impressive performance confused the Lakers’ defense in the paint. He also caused problems for the Lakers’ frontline of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum because the two have to work in the defensive end because of his excellent offense. It also took away the Lakers’ option to double team Stoudamire. The most important thing that he contributed was protecting the paint, which happens to be very uncharacteristic of the Suns. Lakers were unable to score easy baskets inside the paint, which was their arsenal in their first two victories at their home court.
If the Suns want to bounce back in the series, the key for them is to contain Kobe Bryant and his supporting casts. Lopez has to minimize the contribution of Gasol, Bynum and Lamar Odom. The Lakers have on of the best frontlines in the league because of their versatility, skills and experience. Suns’ toughness is so vital in their surge and that’s what Lopez can bring to the team. And even if they will be able to knock off the Lakers, the Suns still need their big man to perform well when they face either Orlando Magic or Boston Celtics, who both have respected and reliable big man in Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett.
Lopez will also be the future go-to-guy of the Suns especially when Amare decides to transfer to another team. Steve Nash is also not getting younger; thus, the 7 foot center, who also has a soft touch from the field and good hands to catch the ball is absolutely needed. Robin Lopez is also a guy who has an excellent basketball I.Q and defensive awareness. Undoubtedly, Suns is already seeing the fruit of their investment. Lopez’ experience in this post season will be a great stepping stone for his improvement in the next season and in the future.
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