Brook Lopez: Post Draft Interview

BROOK LOPEZ
(No. 10 Overall Selection, New Jersey Nets)

Q. What are your thoughts?
BROOK LOPEZ: I'm just really excited. Jersey, I know they are pretty much rebuilding now and made that big trade today, I just hope to bring great energy to the club and help build up the middle defensively.

Q. The Nets already have Williams and Boone and Diop, so how do you see yourself fitting in with the team?
BROOK LOPEZ: I like to handle the defensive end and rebounding and just bring energy and toughness to the team.

Q. Did you have any indication that the Nets really wanted you after you worked out with them, or were you surprised?
BROOK LOPEZ: I actually didn't work out for the Nets, so I was pretty surprised.

Q. It's funny, the last center with the Nets, Jason Collins had a twin brother; do you know them well? You're going to be hearing this
BROOK LOPEZ: I'll explain the whole thing. My oldest brother was seven and they all play in the same league in L.A. and that's where my mom and his mom, she gave her a card, and so we pretty much stayed friends all through that and they went to Harvard Westlake and just the relationship continued through college at Santa Clara and to this day they are just sort of mentoring me and we stayed in contact the whole time.

Q. Your brother played 1, 2 against the Collins?
BROOK LOPEZ: Yeah.

Q. What did your brother say to you when you finally got picked? How did it feel?
BROOK LOPEZ: It was great. I was so happy to be up there. I was living a dream, it was extremely surreal and time for me to give up all that anxiety.

Q. Yesterday you were talking about you landing in a city with a lot of culture. We were joking about New York and New Jersey, and now you're here; what is next for you here?
BROOK LOPEZ: Just get ready to get to work pretty much. I can enjoy the sites in my spare or free time but coming here and getting to work and earning my keep.

Q. Is it going to be strange not playing with your brother? When was the last time you guys were not on the same team?
BROOK LOPEZ: I don't know. I don't know. It will be strange. I don't know when the last time was. But you know, you pretty much knew it was going to happen, so I've been getting ready for that and here it is.
I don't know, I'll tell you after a year of playing without him.

Q. With that in mind, you might not be playing with your brother again; what do you think this is going to allow you to show as a player that you might have been limited by before?
BROOK LOPEZ: Just like I said, I won't have to rely on him, or I won't be able to rely on him to do the dirty work and stuff like that, so I can show off my game more.