Lopez more like Nash than Stockton

[MavsFanFinley]

Utah's Spanish prospect looks more like Steve Nash than John Stockton

By TIM KORTE
AP Sports Writer
July 18, 2002

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Forget the comparisons to John Stockton. With his ratty hair and slender build, Raul Lopez looks a lot more like Steve Nash.

The Utah Jazz held a late-night news conference Wednesday to introduce Lopez, their first-round choice from the 2001 draft. The 22-year-old should be in camp this fall after negotiating a buyout of his Spanish-league contract.

``I would have liked to play in Utah last year, but my contract was different in Europe,'' Lopez explained in Spanish through a translator. ``I felt an obligation to play one more year there.''

For curious Jazz fans, it offered a glimpse at the future. If Stockton decides to honor his contract and return for a 19th NBA season, Lopez would learn at the hands of a 40-year-old superstar.

But first, a word of caution about the inevitable comparisons.

``I didn't come here to follow John Stockton,'' Lopez said. ``Anyone who came here to compare themselves with John Stockton would be absurd. I just came here to play for Utah.''

Jazz vice president Kevin O'Connor seized the moment.

``We'd like him to be the first Raul Lopez, rather than the second John Stockton,'' O'Connor said.

Other than standing 6-foot-1 like Stockton, Lopez doesn't bear much resemblance. The Spaniard has a young face, and his black sports coat seemed a little baggy on his bony frame.

He has a narrow wisp of facial hair running from his lower lip to the tip of his chin, and his travel-worn face was topped by a hairstyle that matched the look worn by Nash, the emerging Dallas Mavericks point guard.

Asked about his play, Lopez sounded like he was describing the gritty Nash and the venerable Stockton.

``My style is not physical. It's based more on speed,'' Lopez said. ``I'm more of a fallback, old-school player.''

Lopez won't play on Utah's summer-league team that opens competition this week. He will play for Spain, however, at next month's world championships in Indianapolis.

It didn't take long for Lopez to find a friend.

After his remarks, he posed for photos with Utah Starzz guard Elisa Aguilar, another Spaniard. She was still in uniform following Utah's 75-67 WNBA victory over visiting Houston.

Lopez isn't on the Jazz roster yet. He arrived in Salt Lake City after completing his buyout last weekend, holding a news conference in Madrid and hopping a flight to the United States.

Before signing an NBA contract, he will spend Thursday taking a physical. Team officials are sure to examine the right knee that required reconstructive surgery and six months of rehabilitation last season.

Lopez has no concerns.

``Muy bien,'' he said when asked about the knee.

``The knee feels very well,'' the translator went on. ``He's played in 10 playoff games and the knee felt equal to or better than it did before.''

Lopez also needs approval by the international basketball federation, FIBA, and the NBA before he can sign with Utah. Then he would need to secure a work permit from immigration officials.

``I'm never doing this again,'' said O'Connor, who brought Andrei Kirilenko over from Russia for the 2001-02 season. ``He's here. We still haven't completed a deal ... but we're a lot closer than we were.''

[MavsFanFinley]

Here's a picture of him.

[aexchange]

he looks like nash.

like the love child of steve nash and dana carvey.

*shudders*

[Dirk77]

I think it's great that Lopez resembles Nash, but it isn't great to look at. lol

[Murphy3]

well, to be honest, if it was great to look at for ya.. we'd have even more to worry about with you..


and i'm sure alot of the ladies will disagree about your views on lopez and nash

[Dirk77]

Im saying his hair is a mesh, he looks like a little rat.

[MavKikiNYC]

Dirk's taste in men is nothing to be concerned about, one way or another.

Both my sister and her girlfriend think Lopez is hot.

[Dirk77]

what? Im not gay!

[David]

<< what? Im not gay! >>



Don't worry about it, no one is going to judge you. It's a free country, over here.

[Dirk77]

It's a free country where I live to jackass!

[aexchange]

attn all mods. attn all mods.

can we get a mod over here in around the nba. it seems a jackass has escaped from its cage again.

[Dirk77]

My god! This is what im talking about!!!! Why am I being attacked when this jerk is implying that my country (Norway) is not a free country! That's just plain ignorant!

[David]

<< My god! This is what im talking about!!!! Why am I being attacked when this jerk is implying that my country (Norway) is not a free country! That's just plain ignorant! >>



I don't think anyone implied that Norway wasn't a free country. Over here we have an expression, &quot;it's a free country&quot;. I used a variation of that. I was talking in relation to:

&quot;what? Im not gay!&quot;

that was in your post, I meant, whether or not you want to be gay is not an issue. &quot;It's a free country.&quot; If it's a free country in Norway, that's cool, too.

[Dirk77]

basically all countries in europe are free, you should know that.

[Dirk77]

I apologize, im just having a bad day.

[Rhylan]

<< attn all mods. attn all mods.

can we get a mod over here in around the nba. it seems a jackass has escaped from its cage again. >>



I've been watching. Public advice to all: Stop getting into pissing matches with Dirk77 all over the board. Every time someone new (that isn't JoeJoe) gets banned, whenever they come back, everyone is picking at their every word like we're on some elementary school playground. Get over yourselves. I don't know how you expect anyone who has already shown a tendency to get into an argument to NOT go on the immediate defensive when you pick at him. And then you piss and moan when he's a jerk. Well, duh, he's gonna be a jerk if you jerk him around. He's already done that once to the point of getting banned. Don't act so surprised.

To Dirk77 (since you don't have PM's turned on): You've already been banned once. The reply to Dirk Brasil did come off as rude whether you intended it to or not. Perhaps you should fully consider every post since you KNOW that people are looking to pick at you. Also, not firing back when people pick at you would REALLY help your cause. And don't be so sensitive about Savovic, already.

[David]

<< basically all countries in europe are free, you should know that. >>



I believe what I said was, it's a free country, over here. I didn't say what it was over there. You inferred the rest.

[Dirk77]

ok rhylan, thank you.

[Drbio]

Dirk- like we talked about before....just settle down and it will be ok.

[Murphy3]

dirk..i've fought long and hard for your equal treatment here. what i'd like to see from you in return is for you to read and not assume that someone is saying something negative about you every time they reference you.



rhylan, i think we need to give doc and mffl a hard time..they were suspended and neither of them were verbally assaulted by other members of the board when they came back

can we arrange that?

[Rhylan]

hahah... you're right murph. they haven't received any abuse to speak of. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[Drbio]

HA!

thoughts editted to protect the virginal ears and eyes of others......

[Smiles]

LOL Doc, Your thoughts were edited? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]




Murphy &amp; Rhylan, I've given Doc a tough time here and there. (He knows how to bug me, that's for sure.) [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] I'm just not as mean at it as some people are. (Eh hem. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img])

As for Mffl, he probably deserves a little more grief from me.