Lopez was left in dark about trade
Robin Lopez never had an introductory news after being traded to the Chicago Bulls on June 22.
On Thursday, he finally told the story of how he discovered he was traded from New York with Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon for Derrick Rose and Justin Holiday.
"I was in LAX flying back from Shanghai and I got a bunch of texts saying, 'Chicago Bulls. That's awesome,'" Lopez said. "And I was like, 'What about the Chicago Bulls? What's awesome?' Then I found out. It was a little bit of a whirlwind, but it was exciting."
Lopez was with the Knicks for just one season. He's also played for Phoenix, New Orleans and Portland during his eight years in the NBA.
Asked if it was tough to leave the Knicks, Lopez answered, "A little bit. But that's kind of the business of the NBA. And we've got a lot of great veteran guys and a lot of great young guys so I'm very excited about the situation here."
What about leaving twin brother Brook behind? Brook Lopez has spent his entire career with the Nets, so the two former Stanford stars got a chance to live in the same city for a year.
"Oh, not at all," Lopez said of moving away from his brother. "That was a pleasure."
Valentine tries point:
Rookie Denzel Valentine will likely play one of the wing positions this season, but said he's getting a chance to run point guard sometimes in practice. The 6-5 Valentine averaged 7.5 assists last year at Michigan State.
"I got a couple reps on the point, but like 70-30. Seventy on the wing, 30 on the point," he said. "I've just got to continue learning sets and learning guys' strengths so that I can use that to their best advantage. Play-make as best I can when I'm at the point guard spot. I think it will be important, bringing versatility to our team."
Lopez moves in:
Still new to town, Robin Lopez was nevertheless pressed to compare Chicago to New York, where he played for the Knicks last season.
"I'm not sure about the winter yet. I know it's early on. I keep hearing about that," he said. "Last year, it was pretty mild in New York so I'm not sure I'm prepared for the winter here. I'm excited. I've never experienced that. I'm a West Coast guy. I also went to a game at Wrigley. That has a very homey feel. I love the feel of it."