Bordow: Suns needed a starter, not a role player

With the 15th pick in the 2008 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns selected a backup center. Be still my heart.

Suns draft center Robin Lopez in 1st round

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Nothing against Stanford’s Robin Lopez and his head of hair — the guy is channeling Oscar Gamble with that Afro — but it’s hard to feel good about the Suns’ draft when, with their highest pick since 2004, they took a guy who never will be more than a backup in the NBA.

There’s no question Lopez fills a void on the Suns’ roster. He’s a high-energy player who will rebound, block shots and dive after loose balls.

In other words, Lopez is everything Amaré Stoudemire is not.

“We’ve had such great skill players here over the years,” general manager Steve Kerr said. “The one thing we’ve lacked is a tough guy who’s going to get on the floor, be a little crazy and knock people down. ...

“That’s what this guy does. He’s not someone who’s going to come in and dominate a game offensively, but he does things we don’t, frankly.”

The Lopez pick officially signals the changing of the guard in the Suns organization. Mike D’Antoni never would have taken a player whom scouting reports describe as “offensively challenged.”

But Kerr and new coach Terry Porter prize toughness and defense, and they want Phoenix to be built in that image.

“One of the things Terry made clear when he took this job is that we needed to be able to protect the basket and cover screen and rolls better with a big man,” Kerr said. ... “The guy just has a motor that doesn’t quit, and that’s something that is really critical for our team.”

I don’t question the Suns’ scouting report on Lopez. But I do question whether those skills will translate to the NBA.

It’s one thing to be a plus defender against Pac-10 centers. But Lopez averaged a foul every 9.3 minutes last season for Stanford, and now he has to try to guard Tim Duncan and Greg Oden and Pau Gasol.

At best, Lopez will be an Anderson Varejao clone, a dirt worker who will do all the little things coaches covet.

“Someone once said I would dive into a canyon after a loose ball,” Lopez said. “I think that describes me perfectly.”

And that’s fine. But just not with the 15th pick in the draft.

The Suns needed more than a role player. They’ve become an old team overnight, and it’s time they restock the shelves with future starters, not backup centers.

Yet Kerr said that even if Kansas’ Brandon Rush had slipped to No. 15 — Portland took him with the 13th pick and eventually traded him to Indiana for Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless — Lopez would have been the Suns’ choice.

“We circled him from the start,” Kerr said.

Lopez will help the Suns next season, when they make one final run at a championship. He’ll back up Shaquille O’Neal and allow Phoenix to play Boris Diaw at small forward.

But I can’t help but think that in a few years, the Suns will look back on this draft with regret. Lopez still will be a serviceable player, but they’ll have missed out on potential starters like Western Kentucky guard Courtney Lee or Memphis swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts, who was the steal of the draft, going to New Jersey with the 40th pick overall.

But there is one consolation:

Lopez will be First Team All-Hair.