Brook Lopez is Awesome

So amidst a SportsCenter top 10 the other night, I see Devin Harris' glorious half-court heave. The heave is sure to go down in history, not simply as an amazing shot, but as the catalyst to this interview with Brook Lopez (his part starts at 0:20). Upon seeing this interview, I decided to look into just what else I could find out about this Brook Lopez fella beyond the two facts I already knew:

1. He is tall.

2. He somehow appears to be less strange than his identical twin.

Even professional photographers can't make them look normal.

As it turns out, for Brook Lopez, normal must be an incredibly relative term. As if the interview that spawned my interest didn't completely give it away, Brook Lopez is a bit of a meathead. Not an annoying, stupid, full-of-himself meathead (think this guy), but more of a pleasantly slow meathead (think this guy).

A Google video search of Brook Lopez turns up some gems (though, disappointingly, not very much porn despite his androgynous name). In a pre-draft interview, the guy who has been playing basketball since a young age (his Wikipedia entry says he was "born into a life of basketball and art." Am I surprised? No.) stated that the skill he needs to work on the most is "shooting." Not a particular kind of shooting. Not a baby hook. Not his free throws. Not his mid-range jumper. Just shooting.

In another pre-draft interview, Brook reveals that he needs to work on his defense and rebounding. So, to recap, Brook Lopez views his areas of weakness as:

1. Shooting.

2. Defense.

3. Rebounding.

Brook also was mic'd up during the NBA Draft. This reveals his true colors, and why I am now a fan. Brook makes fun of Brady Quinn. Therefore, Brook Lopez is a good judge of character. Brook emphatically proclaims "This is boring!!!" despite the fact that he is at the draft because teams are fighting for the right to make him a millionaire. Therefore, Brook Lopez is cool under pressure. Brook reveals that he didn't know that Lawrence Frank was the coach of the Nets, who drafted Brook. This Frank-related confusion is understandable, since Frank looks even younger than Brook acts. Therefore, Brook calls 'em like he sees 'em. A good judge of character, cool under pressure, and a straight shooter. You, Brook Lopez, are awesome.