Mr. 10,000!

When you think about a loyal basketball player you think about a player that’s committed to one team, Kobe Bryant, DeMar DeRozan, and now you can put the Nets franchise leader in points at 10,044, Brook Lopez, in that conversation. He was drafted to the Nets when they were still considered to be in New Jersey but since the 2012 season, they have taken their talents to the Bronx and brought the big man along for the ride. You can compare Lopez’s ride with the Nets to a cross country road trip with the family because although you will always get there, but if you’ve ever seen National Lampoons vacation, there are some bumps along the way. Now Lopez didn’t have Clark Griswold leading the troops but instead the veteran all-star Vince Carter handling the driving duties. With Brook Lopez’s rise to stardom, Vince Carter wasn’t driving anymore and Lopez was handed the steering wheel.

Now that he has full possession of the journey, will he be the one to lead the young Nets roster to championship heights or will someone else take the reins? It’s a tough question that the Nets organization must figure out if their franchise leader in points will step up. In my honest opinion he is on his way out of the heart of Brooklyn leaving the Nets organization with one big problem. If they let Lopez walk in the 2018 free agency, they are left without a veteran leader. If they sign him they are left with an aging center in a league that has been transitioning to small ball for the past 4 years. So, unless he’s willing to take a moderate pay cut and adjust to the new pace of the NBA with a team that’s still rebuilding, I can see him going to a contender. “Mr. 10,000” is still one the few centers in the league that can shoot the ball from range without hesitation. Wherever Lopez ends up, he will be an asset. At the end of the day I think fans of the game would like to see him win a championship as he has been of those men who exuberates loyalty, even with the constant greed of a ring.