Hair in the NBA shear was going away.

Chris Andersen cut his locks. So did Adam Morrison. Josh Childress headed to Greece. Teams finally figured out Scot Pollard has nothing left.

But at least along this season came Phoenix rookie Robin Lopez. While his twin brother, New Jersey center Brook Lopez, looks bound to make the NBA All-Rookie first team, Robin is about to make a first team that includes the entire league.

That would be the NBA All-Hair team.

Usually, it takes some seasoning to make such a team. But Robin Lopez has moved to the head of the class as a rookie.

Forget that he's averaging just 2.8 points. The most important statistic is the 9.4 minutes per game fans get to see his bushy locks flow everywhere.

"I'd say I'm first team (All-Hair)," he said. "I'm fairly recognizable even though I'm a rookie."

Robin Lopez's teammates call him "Sideshow Rob" after the "Sideshow Bob" character on The Simpsons.

"I went to a barber shop once, and he didn't," said Brook Lopez. "And it stuck just like that."

Seems it was that simple. Brook said in about the sixth grade, he decided to get his hair cut and Robin passed.

"He just let it grow," Brook said. "I'm sure he's had some trims (over the years). But it's his style."

It's one good enough to get Robin on the All-Hair first team at center. That's quite an accomplishment considering how Ben Wallace held down the spot for years.

A look at the first team:

F: Renaldo Balkman, Denver. He said he hasn't cut his hair in six years, and it flows down his back. "Dreadlocks mean strength," Balkman said. "It means power. I got the heart of a lion (if not also a lion's mane)."

F: Anderson Varejao, Cleveland. LeBron James isn't the Cavaliers' only All-NBA first-team performer. After Chicago's Joakim Noah entered the NBA last season with a similar do, Varejao said, "I have better hair."

C: Robin Lopez, Phoenix. He has dated golfer Michelle Wie. One wonders if she was jealous of his hair.

G: Marquis Daniels, Indiana. His short dreadlocks flow out like a pile of snakes. Sometimes he wears a pony tail or headband to keep the hair out of his eyes.

G: Mike Miller, Minnesota. He made a bet earlier this decade with Houston guard Tracy McGrady, once his teammate in Orlando, about how long he could grow his hair. One assumes McGrady had to pay up.

A look at the second team:

F: Joakim Noah, Chicago. There's a classic picture of Noah greeting NBA commissioner David Stern on draft night in 2007. He's waving a peace sign, and his hair is flying all over the place, with a Bulls cap perched on top. But since Varejao has more years service and his team has a much better record, Noah is relegated to the second team.

F: Luis Scola, Houston. Hair-wise, the long-haired Argentina native had to know he'd arrived when the Rockets this season had Luis Scola Wig Night.

C: Mikki Moore, Boston. There are some who want to be like Mikki. No, not because of his 6-point career scoring average, but because of his flowing dreadlocks.

G: Sasha Vujacic, Los Angeles Lakers. Before Vujacic would sign a three-year, $15 million contract last summer, he had to make sure he wouldn't be restricted from continuing to wear his long hair and that strange hair net.

G: Walter Herrmann, Detroit. The guy looks like Fabio. Enough said.

Chris Tomasson has covered the NBA for the bulk of the past 23 seasons, most recently the Denver Nuggets for the late, great Rocky Mountain News. He can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com.