Entering the team’s first season in Brooklyn, no Net was a bigger unknown than Brook Lopez.
There were doubts about his health after missing nearly all of last year’s lockout-shortened season with injuries, there were questions about his weakness as a defender, and there were worries his newly inked offseason contract would leave him with no motivation to boost his offensive productivity.
But as this column has argued time and time again, he has done all that has been asked of him — and more.
That’s why Brook Lopez deserves to be an NBA All-Star.
But he won’t make the cut without your help.
With NBA All-Star balloting set to conclude on January 14, Lopez has little hope of making the squad. He is currently ranked 14th in Eastern Conference frontcourt voting, behind both Amare Stoudemire and Andrew Bynum, who have played in a combined four games all season.
With under a week left to vote, it’s up to you, Brooklynites to get Brook to Atlanta.
He’s more than deserving of a roster spot. Lopez has been hands down the best player on a 20–15, second-place team — often carrying the Nets through Deron Williams’s and Joe Johnson’s droughts.
His player efficiency rating is a mind-blowing 25.55, just behind Carmelo Anthony and just ahead of perennial All-Star Tim Duncan. For reference, Deron Williams’ player efficiency rating is merely 18.14.
Beyond his statistical dominance, Lopez is a guy that Brooklynites can rally behind. What’s not to like about a man who has co-written unpublished comic books with his less popular twin brother? He’s the perfect fit for this borough.
Tom Lafe is a 6-foot-5 sports world insider with a middling high school basketball career who believes the Nets will be driven by the success of the team’s big men.
