PHOENIX -- In scoring more points on opening night of the 2011-2012 season than he had during any game the previous year, Phoenix Suns center Robin Lopez might have set the bar a bit high.
Since opening the year with a 21-point performance against New Orleans on Dec. 26, Lopez has scored in double figures just once, leading some to wonder what happened to the rejuvenated Robin Lopez, but Suns coach Alvin Gentry said the fourth-year center isn't doing anything differently.
"I like what he's doing defensively, and I like the aggressiveness that he's playing with," Gentry said Tuesday. "The only thing is he's not getting the extended minutes that he got in the first three or four games."
There's a good reason Lopez isn't getting those extended minutes. It's 6-foot-11 and Polish. That would be fellow center Marcin Gortat, who's enjoying the best season of his career. Gortat excelled immediately after being acquired from Orlando last year and has been even better in his first full season in Phoenix.
After battling through a fractured right thumb suffered in a preseason game, Gortat is averaging 15.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, both career highs. He has posted double-doubles in each of the last nine games, second-longest streak in the league this season to Minnesota's Kevin Love, whose stretch of 15 straight double-doubles ended Saturday.
Gortat's continued emergence has been a posiitive for the struggling Suns, but it's also translated to fewer opportunities for Lopez. He's currently averaging 14.2 minutes, 4.8points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Lopez was ejected in the second quarter Tuesday night, the same night Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby confirmed that the team would not extend Lopez's contract before Wednesday's deadline. A simple look at the numbers might lead some to believe that Lopez played his way out of an extension, but Babby said that was not the case.
"I wouldn’t read anymore into it than there's a deadline, and the deadline's going to pass," Babby said. "And we've agreed to put (negotiations) off to another day.
"It doesn't reflect on anything other than the difficulty of predicting where a market's going to be six months later."
Babby stressed the difficult nature of making extensions happen, and said both parties agreed the processs was best left to the offseason when Lopez will become a restricted free agent, giving the Suns rights to match any offer he might receive.
"I think the decision to wait is probably best for both sides," Babby said. "I doubt we would have been able to reach common ground, and we didn't get that far into it really."
Lopez said Tuesday he had not given much thought to his contract situation, instead focusing on rediscovering the form that had the Suns so excited when they drafted him out of Stanford. That's not going to be easy in a season compacted by the lockout.
"I think one thing that we've kind of taken for granted a little bit is the practice (of full seasons)," Lopez said. "Just not going through shooting so much, or going up and down with the guys in practice. I think guys all across the league are a little rustier."
Before the season started, Lopez said he felt healthier than he had in a long time and had improved his lift. Even with the tougher schedule this year, he still feels that way, but just isn't getting the chance to show it.
Lopez's season-high in minutes (27) came in the opener against New Orleans. He topped 20 minutes in two of the next three games but none since.
"I was really fortunate (opening night), I got a lot of looks," Lopez said. "Right now I'm just trying to go out and be aggressive on defense, grab some boards and do what I can."
Even with Gortat playing the best basketball of his career, the Suns recognize the value of having an aggressive defender who stands 7-feet and can play physical basketball. Gentry said Lopez is playing with the aggressiveness that was missing last year.
"His size is hard to come by," Babby said. "Somebody a lot smarter than me said 'You can't teach height.' That's the reality of it."
It's hard to evaluate just where Lopez is now compared to where he was his sophomore season, and with more playing time a clearer reality may emerge. And while playing time might be a big determinant in that reality, Lopez said he can't be overly worried about matters beyond his control.
"Right now I'm just trying to get shots up and work out with (assistant coach) Bill (Cartwright) as much as I can," Lopez said. "With limited time (to practice), it's just about going out and playing hard right now."
