Rookie Favors doing exactly what Nets ask of him

NEWARK, N.J. -- Talks with the Denver Nuggets are on hold until at least Dec. 15, when players that signed as free agents this summer are eligible to be traded. But the New Jersey Nets still want Carmelo Anthony.

And if they were to trade for Anthony, rookie Derrick Favors would still be the centerpiece of the deal.

Foundation walls are going up at the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush in Brooklyn, and the Nets want a star to put on the marquee when they open the Barclays Center in two years. In the meantime, they could use a go-to scorer to carry their offense.

The Nets have turned the page after last year's 12-70 season and, with how bad the bottom half of the Eastern Conference is, they've got an outside shot of making the playoffs. But despite improved shooting around Brook Lopez and Devin Harris, they again rank in the bottom five of the league offensively.

Lopez is supposed to be the focal point of the Nets' offense, but he has struggled to deal with double-teams in the post. He's shooting 38 percent from the field and has just nine assists in 264 minutes this season. The Nets' new role players have also been inconsistent.

Meanwhile, Anthony is seemingly undistracted by all the trade talk surrounding him. He's averaging 25 points for the fifth time in six years, and (thus far) doing it more efficiently than he has in the past.

Ironically, one of the few guys who have given Nets coach Avery Johnson consistent production is Favors. After a rocky preseason, the rookie has been a pleasant surprise in the Nets' first eight games, averaging 8.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 21.4 minutes as a reserve.

In a loss to the Heat on Halloween, Favors almost single-handedly exposed Miami's weakness inside, grabbing 10 offensive boards in 24 minutes. Through Friday, he leads all rookies and ranks 10th in the league in rebounds per minute. He's far from polished offensively, but runs the floor well and doesn't hesitate when he gets the ball in the post.

"He's given us a great lift off the bench," Harris told NBA TV earlier this season. "Not so much running a lot of plays for him, but doing a lot of little things, offensive rebounds, loose balls, blocking shots. That's the things we need him to do to kind of work himself into the game."

Favors was the Nets' reward for that awful 12-70 season. And there might be a temptation to throw him into the fire or pad his stats. Each of the other top five picks in this year's draft have started at least three games thus far, but Johnson won't consider starting Favors anytime soon.

"Somewhere around the halfway point of the season or maybe if it's sooner, if something really comes along faster, then we'll take a look at maybe starting him or growing his minutes," Johnson said. "But right now we really like where he is."

Part of the reason the Nets traded for Troy Murphy this summer was to bring Favors along slowly. And even with Murphy missing four of the first eight games with injures, Johnson hasn't deviated from the plan. Joe Smith or Kris Humphries have started at the four in those four games.

It's all about keeping it simple for the rookie. Until further notice Favors will get consistent playing time and just two points of emphasis.

"Rebound and defend, and every now and then coach will run a play for you," Johnson said this week. "We all know where he is. Not trying to overwhelm him at all. We just want this early NBA season to be a positive experience for him."

It's been positive for both Favors and the Nets. In addition to the rebounds and dunktastic highlights, he knows where to be defensively and doesn't make a lot of mistakes. For a rookie with just one year of college experience, that's somewhat remarkable.

"Favors, so far, has been in the right places in practice," Johnson said. "He's been in the right places in the game. We pretty much told him what we needed him to do. And he went out and executed. And that's pretty big for him during this stage of his young career."

Of course, like any other rookie, Favors is eager to make a bigger imprint on the league, "but I've got to play my role," he says. "I've got to wait my turn. And when my turn comes, I'm going to put up big numbers."

What team he puts up those big numbers for is yet to be determined.

The Nets believe they have something special in Favors. He's big (6-foot-10 and 250 pounds), strong, athletic, and has a good head on him. Some in the organization are downright giddy about the 19 year old's potential. And if they don't send him to Denver, teaming him with Lopez for the next several years is a pretty good alternative.

They're still ready to make that trade though.

John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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