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Tiago Splitter is rolling to the right side of the rim, wide open -- but only for a moment -- because here comes Jazz big man Derrick Favors flying across the court.

The ball moves, but so does Favors. In an instant later, he is all the way on the left side of the key, where Gary Neal starts to turn the corner off a pick-and-roll. Favors glides into position, his quick feet wide and balanced, his long arms waving to obscure Neal's vision and deter any thought of driving.

There's a reason the Spurs finished the season with the best offense in the NBA, though. They find good shots. With Favors on the left, the ball goes back to Splitter on the right. Somehow, Favors recovers once more, this time meeting the Brazilian at the summit of his rim attack for a clean block.

It was only one play in a first-round series that deserves to be remembered only for its lopsidedness. The Spurs are, by far, the better team. But Jazz fans have plenty to like, and through the four straight losses, Favors still managed to show eye-popping potential.

In fact, on court/off court ratings from NBA.com suggest the Jazz rarely had success scoring or defending against the Spurs when Favors wasn’t on the court, because even mighty San Antonio has little in the way of answers for Favors' rare combination of size and athleticism.

The ability to make the play described above is unique amongst Jazz big men and exceedingly rare in the NBA. It’s the very kind of recognition, effort and athleticism that made Tyson Chandler, who combines stalwart rim-protection with astute pick-and-roll defense, this year’s Defensive Player of the Year.

And even though Favors defines “raw” on offense, his potential remains high. He has the ability to reliably catch the ball 15 feet from the hoop, and use one power dribble to finish with power. Most players never become the next Amare Stoudemire, obviously, but Favors is on the short list with the tools to even try.

Even though fellow Jazz forwards Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson are dynamite inside players, neither can reach the (literal) heights that Favors does as the dive-man in a pick-and-roll. It may seem basic, but precious few big men in the NBA can catch and finish anything on dives to the rim -- the list includes Josh Smith, Blake Griffin, Kenneth Faried and very few others.

Already, Favors distorts defenses. When he moves through the lane, teams go to great lengths to keep him from catching the ball, knowing that when he gets it, his dominance of the airspace will come to bear. This draws defenders his way, creating opportunities for teammates. A Tyson Chandler lob or cut presented a similar threat and was a big part of the Mavericks offense last season, though even Chandler doesn't have Favors' quick first step.

Meanwhile the Nets, the team that drafted Favors third overall then traded him before the end of his rookie season, are desperately hoping to get a top pick again this season. If they do, they will likely draft someone like Anthony Davis or Thomas Robinson -- a player who will rebound, finish above the rim and offer much needed resistance against drives into their paint.

A player like that can anchor a franchise.

A player like the one Derrick Favors is becoming in Utah.

It's looking more and more like Carmelo Anthony will remain in Denver until the Feb. 24 trade deadline, and after all this time, the New Jersey Nets remain the Nuggets' preferred trading partner.

The Nets and Nuggets have discussed various trade scenarios, and just before Christmas they nearly worked out a three-team deal involving the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to league sources.

The Nets have a standing offer of rookie Derrick Favors, two first-round draft picks and Troy Murphy on the table, but last month, sources said the Nuggets aren't interested in Murphy because they would inherit the remaining $8 million on his expiring contract. So the Nets brought in Cleveland and its $14.5 million trade exception.

Denver would have received Favors, Devin Harris and three first-round picks. Cleveland would have received Murphy and one or two first-round picks, and the Nets would have received Anthony, Al Harrington and the Cavaliers' trade exception, the sources said.

Beyond the sticking point of Anthony’s accepting or refusing to sign the long-term extension with New Jersey, the deal fell apart because both Denver and Cleveland wanted the 2012 first-round pick the Nets got from Golden State in the Marcus Williams trade. That pick is protected through the first seven slots.

While Denver never asked for the Nets' five first-round picks, New Jersey might have wound up sending those five picks to the Nuggets and the Cavs. Losing all those first-rounders makes the Nets squeamish, as does not getting back a point guard if they have to give up Harris.

Because it has Ty Lawson, Denver doesn't have much need for Harris. But the Nuggets were hoping they might be able to send Harris, whom Portland covets, to the Trail Blazers for Andre Miller and Nicolas Batum, according to sources. It was likely wishful thinking because Portland has no intention of moving Batum.

While Chauncey Billups' name has been mentioned with Anthony's in trade rumors, Billups' desire is to remain in Denver, which is his hometown.

There's some feeling throughout the league that the Nuggets' lack of interest in Murphy will subside by the trade deadline because by then, he'll be owed only about $3.5 million this season.

While the Nets remain enamored with Anthony, there are some within the organization who wonder if the club might be better off keeping Favors and its five first-round picks and building through the draft. In the end, however, if the Nets can get Anthony, they'll pull the trigger.

New York still in Melo hunt

The Knicks remain Anthony's preferred destination, but the superstar forward also wants that three-year, $64.4 million contract extension. Leon Rose, Anthony's agent, has discussed trade scenarios with the Knicks and Nets, and the Knicks have tried to use the probable lockout to their advantage.

With the owners hoping to make current contracts fit within the confines of the upcoming collective bargaining agreement, the Knicks are telling Rose that Anthony's $64.4 million extension may not be worth that much anyway, that it may get slashed once the new CBA is in place. So, of course, why not just wait and sign with the Knicks as a free agent, or so New York's argument goes.

Around the league, executives are skeptical about the Knicks' chances of trading for Anthony. Denver remains cold toward a Knicks offer, and while New York insists it can get a first-round pick (most likely for Anthony Randolph), rival executives are saying, "Why haven't they gotten the pick yet?''

Phil and Ron

People close to Ron Artest say his confrontation with coach Phil Jackson during a Lakers practice a week-and-a-half ago stemmed from Artest's sincere belief that if Jackson is going to call him out publicly, he should also call other players out publicly.

Everyone in Lakers Nation knew Jackson was holding his tongue in regards to Kobe Bryant's one-on-one play, so Artest figured Jackson should have held his tongue about him as well, at least publicly.

Artest let Jackson know as much when they met privately after the confrontation, and perhaps that's why Jackson made his Kobe "screwed up the game'' comments a few days later.

While the confrontation made huge news, neither Artest, Jackson nor the rest of the organization viewed it as being a big deal.

• Rob Mahoney of Hardwood Paroxysm writes that the Miami Heat's abundance of talent will allow them to rewrite the book on last-possession strategy, if they so choose: "All it takes is an actual play. Not screening for LeBron so he can catch the ball 25 feet from the basket and go to work. Not just running a counter to get Wade open. I’m talking a real NBA set, complete with off-ball action, staggered screens, three-point shooters who don’t have their feet nailed to the ground in the corner, and maybe even a slash to the basket. Miami is set for incredible success this season not just because James, Wade, and Bosh are all immensely talented, but because of the way that talent will allow them to play off one another. Giving the ball to LeBron or Wade alone to isolate betrays the team’s most obvious strength, whereas operating in a more structured endgame offense would allow the Heat to be brutally effective down the stretch in close games."
• John Wall v. DeMarcus Cousins in one-on-one.
• The 2010 NBA Rookie photo shoot.
• Derrick Favors tells Sebastian Pruiti of Nets Are Scorching about the top item on his to-do list after struggling defensively during summer league: "I got called for defensive three seconds a lot so I just need to adjust to the NBA-style of defense."
• Tracy McGrady to WDFN in Detroit: "It’s tough to play 82 games balls out. It’s tough to do that. When I say that, yeah I get criticized. Basketball players know there’s a lot of truth to that. I know it’s not the right thing to say. I don’t care what people think of it. It’s the truth if you play basketball."
• Matt McHale of By the Horns looks at five big questions facing the Bulls headed into the 2010-11 season. Barring serious injuries, it's difficult to envision the Bulls finishing outside the Top 8 of the league in defensive efficiency under Tom Thibodeau. If the addition of the three Jazzmen enables Chicago to become a versatile offensive outfit that can create shots for itself all over the floor, the Bulls have a chance to run and hide in the Central Division.
• Steve Nash might be the most advanced pick-and-roll practitioner in NBA history, but he can't do it alone. With Amare Stoudemire in New York, expect to see Robin Lopez rolling to the hoop a lot more in 2010-11.
• Zachariah Blott of Hoops Karma offers up a rousing tribute to Tom Chambers. In this post, you can watch Chambers dunk on a nationally televised game at Boston Garden, at the 1987 All-Star Game and in Sega Genesis.
• Red94 gets a new feature, '94 Toons, from illustrator Troy Palmer-Hughes.
• Matt Hubert of D-League Digest charts the growth of the D-League over the past eight years: "When the league began in 2001-02, there were just eight teams. The league’s teams were exclusively located in the southeastern U.S. Today, none of those franchises exist in the same location and only three current D-League teams have lineage back to the original eight."
• Bluff City Bears makes the case for the Grizzlies in the team's contract dispute against rookie Xavier Henry.
• Rudy Gay is soliciting suggestions for his Twitter avatar.
• Was the 1988-89 St. Anthony's team featuring Bobby Hurley and Terry Dehere the best prep squad of all time?
• The Cheesecake Factory finished third in Zagat Survey's list of best full-service chains, behind P.F. Chang's and Bonefish Grill, but ahead of CPK.

• J.A. Adande and Sam Smith offer two evocative impressions on Scottie Pippen, who will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday.
• Albert Lyu of Think Blue Crew has put together a series of compelling work on the blocked shot. Today he unveils part three, which examines which types of shots are most and least commonly blocked. Here's an interesting finding: "19.73% of all generic layups were blocked in 2007-2010."
• Neil Paine of Basketball Reference's blog looks at how teams with unusually high turnover in personnel traditionally fare the next season. The post offers further evidence that watching the 1978-79 San Diego Clippers would've been a joyous ride.
• A fine, fine blog post from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Michael Cunningham after observing Larry Drew's assistant coach clinic. Not only did Cunningham get to watch Tyrone Hill play the role of Al Horford, but he witnessed a more fluid game plan than the one that the one Hawks fans were accustomed to: "For weeks L.D. has said his system would 'force the ball to move' and I get that now. Things happen so fast there’s not much opportunity for holding the ball. The screens and cuts happen quickly and if the first option is not there then the ball quickly swings the other way, leading to move movement. Not much possession time is spent on the one- or even two-man game. Each guy gets a chance to touch the ball at different spots on the floor. Decisions must be made quickly for things to flow correctly."
• Trey Kerby of Ball Don't Lie visits with Kevin Durant. The interview gets off to a fun start: " Trey Kerby: I know you're going to deny it, but ... Kevin Durant: Then why are you going to ask? Why you have to ask me this, Trey? (laughing)."
• The average ticket price for the Heat's home opener in Miami against Orlando? That will be $806 please. (Hat Tip: Magic Basketball) For the Bobcats home opener in Charlotte against Indiana on the same night, you can get into the lower corners for $51 per ticket.
• There's little discernible excitement for Derrick Favors outside of New Jersey and specific precincts in Atlanta, but I'm not sure why. As Devin Kharpertian demonstrates through video, Favors is an explosive force with a soft touch around the rim. 20 percent of Favors' field goals at Georgia Tech came on dunks which, when you consider the Jackets' guard play, is worth noting.
• Unlike Favors, Al Harrington is a known quantity, but his versatility still warrants examination. Fortunately, Jeremy Wagner has opened up the Roundball Mining Company Film Room for regular showings of Harrington's irregular game.
• Rahat Huq of Red94, Ryan Schwan of Hornets247, Jared Wade of 8 points, 9 seconds and Sebastian Pruiti of Nets Are Scorching gather around the virtual roundtable and discuss Wednesday's four-team trade. Huq has some interesting misgivings about Ariza's defense: "The issue of Ariza’s defense is a contentious one. His reputation precedes him, but his is a reckless, instinctual approach, garnering him gaudy steals totals but often leaving his teammates scrambling to rotate after blown coverage. Still, this manner can be conducive to forcing tempo if that’s your cup of tea."
• The Hornets have long needed some help on the wings. Here's a stat pack from Hornets247 on how Ariza and Marco Belinelli can help.
• Indy Cornrows breaks down Darren Collison's stellar rookie campaign.
• Jeff Skibiski of Forum Blue & Gold on Shannon Brown: "Shannon’s insatiable appetite for scintillating dunks and seemingly endless energy has been one of the most exciting facets of the Lakers’ past two title teams. In many ways, I think this is what ultimately hurt Shannon more than anything in his disappointing dunk contest appearance. Like Kobe, Brown is more a jaw-dropping in-game dunker, which in my opinion, is a much more valuable skill set to have than the creative costume faire we’ve see at the past few All-Star Weekends. After the viral 'Let Shannon Dunk' campaign, his lackluster performance in the dunk contest was definitely a lowlight of last season, but I don’t think it’s indicative of much of anything as far as his play with the Lakers is concerned."
• Roland Lazenby joins the Los Angeles Times' Lakers Roundtable to discuss Jerry West and the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team under coach Pete Newell.
• Zarar Siddiqi of Raptors Republic: "[I]t’s easier to be a defensive specialist than it is an offensive weapon, the latter requires a degree of tangible skill like shooting, dribbling, creativity and finishing whereas playing defense is more about effort. I’m not suggesting that playing defense doesn’t require skill, but it’s a skill that is born of effort (which Doc Rivers swears is a skill). Got that?"
• Nate Robinson's home court in Seattle.
• Brandon Rush and DeMar DeRozan: Two native Angelenos with two different ideas of go-to joints. Advantage Rush, not only for restaurant choice but his willingness to order breakfast food in the middle of the day.

Every acquisition has a cost, which is one of the bedrock principles of bartering. Unless you're purchasing Manhattan or annexing the Sudetenland, it's virtually impossible to get something for nothing. The NBA's trade market has three primary currencies in circulation: talent, cap relief and flexibility -- with the latter two linked to some extent. On Wednesday, Houston, New Orleans, Indiana and New Jersey cooperated on a blockbuster trade that saw each team forfeit assets in service of a larger goal.

Houston Rockets

Coming: Courtney Lee
Going: Trevor Ariza

On the surface, the deal for the Rockets appears to be a cost-cutting measure. Houston re-upped Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry this summer, while signing Brad Miller to a free-agent contract. Deep into luxury tax territory, the Rockets unloaded the remaining four years and $28 million on Ariza's deal in exchange for Nets guard Courtney Lee.

The Rockets' front office deeply believes the best value contracts in basketball are max deals granted to transcendent superstars, and rookie scale contracts belonging to productive young players. In Lee, the Rockets get a young wing who will earn only $1.35 million in 2010-11. In addition, the Rockets hold a team option on Lee for $2.23 million in 2011-12. That's real value for a 24-year-old with the talent to start. A $6.3 million trade exception doesn't hurt either.

Lee and Rockets starting shooting guard Kevin Martin train together in the offseason -- the latter regarded as an older brother to the third-year guard. Although Lee might not be the stopper Ariza is, he is capable of covering either guard position and can certainly tread water against some of the league's less dynamic 3-and-D small forwards. Lee will find strong organizational dynamics in Houston, similar to what he encountered during his rookie season in Orlando, where he succeeded. With Ariza's departure, the Rockets will have to figure out who picks up his minutes beyond Lee and whether that means experimenting selectively with Martin at the 3 spot.

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New Orleans Hornets

Coming: Trevor Ariza
Going: Darren Collison and James Posey

The wing has been an enduring problem for the Hornets dating back to Desmond Mason, Bostjan Nachbar and J.R. Smith. Ariza might not rank on Chris Paul's list of the top 25 guys he most wants to play with, but the second Ariza puts on the teal, he'll instantly become the most athletic and versatile wing New Orleans has seen in recent years -- but at an enormous cost.

Collison has one of the best value contracts in basketball. He'll earn $1.3 million this season and carries team options for $1.46 million and $2.31 respectively over the subsequent two seasons. As a rookie, Collison played more than 2,000 minutes and compiled an impressive player efficiency rating of 16.55.

There's no guarantee Chris Paul will be sticking around New Orleans after his contract expires in the summer of 2012, and Collison's presence was a healthy -- and cheap -- insurance policy against that departure and any injury. Removing the remaining $13.4 million of James Posey's contract and the addition of Ariza's gifted -- but limited -- game seem to be an expensive bounty for a player with the potential to be very special and who is already contributing on a nightly basis.

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Indiana Pacers

Coming: Darren Collison and James Posey
Going: Troy Murphy

"Point guard, Indiana Pacers" has been the NBA equivalent of "Drummer, Spinal Tap." The Pacers haven't been able to buy a break at the top of the floor for several seasons. Jamaal Tinsley, Anthony Johnson, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Jarrett Jack and, most recently, T.J. Ford and Earl Watson have all walked through the revolving door in Indianapolis.

A.J. Price, picked in the second round of the 2009 draft, showed some promise in his rookie campaign. But the acquisition of Collison finally locks down the point for the Pacers for the foreseeable future.

Normally, a salary like Posey's would be an onerous burden, but the Pacers have one of the cleanest spreadsheets in the league going forward -- only $18.8 million committed in 2011-12 before you tack on Posey's deal. The addition of Collison gives the Pacers the freedom to buy out Ford and not overpay for the services of Watson.

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New Jersey Nets

Coming: Troy Murphy
Going: Courtney Lee

There's a pleasing symmetry to this deal, and it ends in Newark where Murphy arrives in exchange for the departing Lee. Murphy offers a lot of appeal for the Nets. First, he's in the final year of his contract, which will pay him a hair under $12 million in 2010-11. Second, he gives the Nets a stretch 4 who can crash the defensive glass and deliver smart interior passes, assets the Nets want alongside Brook Lopez's more traditional skill set.

What about No. 3 overall pick Derrick Favors? The power forward out of Georgia Tech turned 19 the week following Orlando summer league. With Yi Jianlian moving down I-95 to Washington, there will be plenty of minutes for Favors in the Nets' frontcourt rotation.

The Nets will presumably fill the void left by Lee with a platoon of Terrence Williams, Anthony Morrow and Quinton Ross -- three players who share absolutely nothing in common. Williams' versatility and range of talents span the board. Meanwhile, Morrow could beat Ross in a shooting contest wearing a blindfold, but few players in the NBA can torment perimeter scorers the way Ross can.

• If Chris Paul demands his way out of New Orleans, should he be subject to the same vitriol LeBron James has received? Should the fact that Chris Paul is a point guard color our perception of his desire to play with a better supporting cast? Should Paul have known better when he signed an extension with the Hornets in the summer of 2008?
• The prevailing question when Richard Jefferson opted out of the final year of his contract was, "What is he thinking leaving $15.2 million of guaranteed money on the table?" After agreeing to a 4 year/$38.9 million deal, Jefferson's decision appears pretty savvy -- and informed -- in retrospect. Timothy Varner of 48 Minutes of Hell on Jefferson's gamble: "Turns out that Jefferson knew more than his critics: he just parlayed 15 million into 38. With a possible lockout and a more frugal CBA looming large on the horizon, Jefferson has locked himself into more guaranteed money over the next 4 years than he would have made otherwise. Credit Jefferson with a shrewd move and big score."
• Grizzlies vice president of basketball operations and general manager Chris Wallace chats with Chip Crain of 3 Shades of Blue about Hasheem Thabeet, O.J. Mayo as point guard, and testing potential draftees for basketball I.Q.
• The prospect of Hedo Turkoglu playing the 4 in Phoenix's offense has rattled some cages, but think back to 2006 postseason when the Suns got within two games of an NBA Finals berth without Amare Stoudemire. Apart from all their early drag-screens and transition pull-ups, the Suns ran a bunch of effective stuff through Boris Diaw at the high post for cutters and shooters on the weak side. Turkoglu will presumably perform a similar function in the offense. Michael Schwartz of Valley of the Suns enumerates some of his concerns about the Hedo Turkoglu-Phoenix Suns fit.
• A nice story of a summer league standout making good: Jonathan Givony of Draft Express reports that perimeter sniper Gary Neal has agreed to a 3-year deal with the Spurs. Neal set up shop behind the arc and went wild in the first half of the Spurs' final game in Las Vegas.
• Who should be the Magic's starting small forward? Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post pores over some data and concludes that the answer is not Mickael Pietrus. Eddy Rivera of Magic Basketball reached the same conclusion.
• Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge sits down with Joe Cronin, one of the Trail Blazers' lead scouts, and talks Dante Cunningham, Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson, among others. Hey, did Cronin just call Patty Mills a "master flopper"?
• Kyle Weidie of Truth About It captured some incredible shots from the baseline of Cox Pavilion during Las Vegas Summer League. His latest target? Cal standout Jerome Randle, who played on the Wizards' squad.
• If you're having trouble finding a satisfying highlight reel of Derrick Favors at Georgia Tech, it might have something to do with the Jackets' guard play last season.
• Steve Perrin of Clips Nation writes that it appears the Clippers and Sofo Schortsanitis just aren't meant to be. After a lackluster performance for the Clips' summer league squad, that might be for the best: "Sofo did NOT acquit himself well in Summer League, even taking all of those things into consideration. Plenty of bigs looked good in Vegas -- JaVale McGee, DeMarcus Cousins, even Derrick Caracter. He didn't handle double teams well, and he didn't convert free throws when he went to the line. It was a terrible environment for him, but even considering its shortcomings, he should have done better."
• Miami rookie big man Dexter Pittman will have to fight like hell to break the Heat's frontcourt rotation. He tells Surya Fernandez of Hot Hot Hoops that he's up to the task.
• Who's Toronto's go-to guy moving forward -- DeMar DeRozan or Andrea Bargnani?
• New Zealand's national team would love to lure Kendrick Perkins. (Hat Tip: Zach Lowe of Celtics Hub)
• Part seven of Basketbawful's Pickup Diaries: Thinking too much about the 1992 Eastern Conference playoffs while taking the most important standardized test of your life. (PG-13)
• Morris Almond's morning win: "back to back Fresh Prince episodes on TBS and Mickey D's breakfast."

On a frigid night in Atlanta fewer than 18 months ago, Derrick Favors sat at a dais at the ESPN Zone in Buckhead. With a full audience of family, friends and media before him, the kid they called Stix was presented with a blue plastic bag. He reached inside and pulled out a navy blue Georgia Tech cap. With two hands and a broad smile, he firmly placed it on his head.

Georgia Tech has been a pipeline to the pros in recent years, a weigh station where NBA prospects quickly develop their raw talent under Paul Hewitt, then move on. Favors arrived at Tech almost certain to be yet another one-and-done phenom. ESPN.com's Chad Ford had him ranked No. 2 on the big board prior to the season and scouts salivated at his mobility and defensive mojo.

Once the college season started, Favors didn't disappoint on the defensive end and bullied opponents on the offensive glass, but Tech's listless perimeter attack had trouble feeding Favors down on the block. In mid-February, Jonathan Givony described the peculiar dynamics in Atlanta:

While [Favors has] certainly shown plenty of glimpses of his outstanding potential, it’s tough not to be slightly disappointed in the production he’s achieved thus far -- relative to other members of his class at least.

Before analyzing his strengths and weaknesses, it’s very much necessary to take a look at the situation Favors has found himself in at Georgia Tech, a team that struggles badly in the half-court and relies extremely heavily on their defense and offensive rebounding ability to keep them in games. They have little in the ways of perimeter shooting, suffer from very poor spacing on the perimeter, and have given their opponents few reasons not to pack it in defensively and just try and control the paint.

With no playmakers on the roster to create easy looks for him or even consistently make a fundamentally sound post-entry pass, and clearly playing redundantly alongside a big man with almost the same exact strengths and weaknesses as him in Gani Lawal, Favors’ weaknesses could not possibly be magnified or exposed any worse than they already have.

... He’s incredibly gifted from a physical standpoint, showing a combination of length and athleticism that is simply unparalleled at the college level. He runs the floor like a deer, is outrageously explosive around the rim, and is a fantastic target for entry-passes thanks to his terrific hands and the amazing extension he gets around the basket.

Favors converts a super efficient 59% of his field goal attempts ... a testament to his terrific finishing ability. Unfortunately he takes only 7.5 shots per game, as his teammates are often unwilling or unable to get him the ball in a position to score.

With John Wall and Evan Turner claiming the No. 1 and 2 spots on most mock draft boards, Favors found himself inextricably linked with DeMarcus Cousins for the battle of "best big man in the draft." (Although Favors and Cousins didn't confront each other during the 2009-10 season, they faced off in one of the most hyped high school games of the 2008-09 season).

How do the two bigs match up? Devin Kharpertian of Nets Are Scorching hosted a lengthy interior monologue debating the respective attributes of Favors and Cousins:

The pro-Favors crowd will point to his once-or-twice-in-a-decade athleticism for his size, his innate finishing ability, his upside, his temperament and his conditioning as marks over Favors. The pro-Cousins legion will conversely point to Cousins’s insane production, his overpowering body and his mean streak as reasons why he’ll dominate at the next level.

They’re both right. Frankly, I see both of these guys succeeding at the next level. They’ve both got a few reasons why they might not, but similarly they both have about 100 reasons why they will.

While Cousins has been a Rochard test to measure skills against mental makeup, Favors has been quietly making the workout rounds to mixed results. Some have seen the elements of his explosive game that drew comparisons to Dwight Howard when Favors was at South Atlanta High School. Others see a limited power forward in a league that demands far more out of the position than it used to. Sebastian Pruiti broke down Favors' full game in a comprehensive film session and was impressed by Favors' instincts below the foul line. There was also this takeaway:

[T]here are two things that catch your eye when you watch Favors play.

The first is his work ethic on the basketball court. Georgia Tech’s offense was very helter skelter during this past season, and that is putting it nicely. There would be series of five to ten straight possessions where Derrick Favors wouldn’t even get a touch. Despite all of that, every time down the court, Favors would get to his spot on the court and post up, just as hard and strong as the last time (even though he didn’t get the basketball).

The second thing you notice is Favors’ basketball IQ. Despite being “raw,” Favors seems to know what he is doing with the basketball. In the four or five games I was able to see, Derrick Favors never looked flustered. He was comfortable with the basketball and always knew where he wanted to go with it. He also does the little things. We already talked about Favors putting his hands up when retreating to his man, but he also runs the floor very well, knows how to properly space out the court, and instinctively chins the basketball when grabbing a rebound, getting those elbows out and preventing defenders from reaching in and stealing it.

In a Top 5 headlined by a point guard, a plug-and-play wing, an multi-talented small forward with a million dollar smile and a combustible but immensely talented big man, Favors is the mystery guest. Given all the fanfare that accompanied him out of South Atlanta fewer than 18 months ago, a little anonymity might go a long way.

• The Nets hosted the much-anticipated workouts for DeMarcus Cousins and Derrick Favors. The Nets are sitting with the No. 3 pick on Thursday night and will likely have a choice between the two big men. Cousins impressed, but the Star Ledger's Dave D'Alessandro believes that the Nets are leaning toward Favors: "DeMarcus Cousins passed every test they gave him — with honors." But, D'Alessando disclaims, "He failed to prove that he is better equipped and contoured to play the power forward position than the more athletic and equally promising Derrick Favors. And in a draft that is now predominantly about marking and developing Brook Lopez’s frontcourt sidekick, that’s a problem for Cousins."
• Every June, David Stern steps up to the podium and announces a few draft selections with international pedigrees. The immediate reaction from casual fans of the teams making those picks is generally, "Whooooo?" Jay Aych of The Painted Area offers a primer on a couple of potential first round hopefuls from across the pond.
• Dan Steinberg of D.C. Sports Bog is blown away by John Wall's skill set. One observation: "Wall runs faster while dribbling a basketball than Kevin Durant runs without a ball."
• We tend to poo-poo ballplayers who are characterized as single-dimensional. But Fran Fraschilla points out that a specialist fills an important place on an NBA roster. Fraschilla has divided his list of talented niche players into three categories: shooters, energy guys and rim protectors.
• Speaking of specialists, you could do a lot worse than plucking a monster offensive rebounder and nasty screen-setting big man like Brian Zoubek in the second round.
• Plan on heading over to Madison Square Garden for the draft? Tickets don't go on sale until the morning of the event at 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
• Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm on Evan Turner's resilience at Ohio State: "I started gawking at the kid’s numbers five games into last season. I thought they’d tail off (and they did, sort of), but the fact that they were there showed what he was capable of, and when trying to determine a ceiling, that’s a pretty good sign. Then he broke his back. I figured that meant a drop to the teens for him. I mean, the kid broke multiple vertabrae. Who comes back from that? Who fights through that?"
• The pros and cons of Xavier Henry for the Warriors.
• Is Paul George the sleeper of the 2010 draft?
• Doc Rivers says that the Celtics were too eager to help off Ron Artest in Game 7. He's also getting regular texts from Paul Pierce and Ray Allen pleading with him to stay with the Celtics. (via Sports Radio Interviews)
• Do you remember when a portrait in Life Magazine represented an official induction into the highest rungs of celebrity? Free Darko does.
• Lamar Odom, Jerry West, W.H. Auden, Joseph Stalin, Mike Tyson and Kobe Bryant all in one place.
• The arrest count in Los Angeles from last Thursday's post-game violence now tallies 45. For those who love the city, who appreciate that our municipality can ill-afford frivolous expenditures and who feel for business-owners who stuck it out downtown when central Los Angeles was being written off (and found their property destroyed when they came into work Friday morning), images of what transpired in the name of celebration evoke profound sadness.
• Zach Lowe of Celtics Hub continues his catharsis. Lowe lists some of the most painful losses in Celtics history.
• Watch the draft with Raptors Republic.

• How many of the Celtics' "Big 4" need to produce in order for the Celtics to be successful? Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus breaks down the Celtics' postseason results by examining single game scores for Garnett, Allen, Pierce and Rondo and measuring those results per 48 minutes: " In 14 of the team's 20 playoff games, two or more members of the Big Four have been above average. In those games, the Celtics have been tough to beat, going 11-3."
• When the Celtics jump out early, they're a tough team to beat.
• Lakers fans have a complicated relationship with Derek Fisher. Fisher has provided them with some of their fondest postseason memories, but many of those same fans also see point guard as the spot on the floor where the Lakers are most vulnerable due to Fisher's age and streaky shooting. Jeff Skibiski of Forum Blue & Gold offers his paean to Fisher.
• Neil Paine of Basketball Reference wonders how often a championship team's "alpha dog" goes on to win Finals MVP.
• Although he has a lot of work to do this summer, Phoenix Suns general manager Steve Kerr has enjoyed as much vindication this postseason than any player or executive in the NBA.
• Grant Hill thinks that swapping Jared Dudley for ESPN's J.A. Adande as the Suns' sixth man would be a potential disaster.
• Tom Ziller exquisitely digs into "Pacific Rims," Harper's assistant editor Rafe Bartholomew's exploration of basketball in the Philippines: "So much of the idiosyncratic image of Filipino basketball madness stems from the physical limitations of both the Filipino people (whose men, on average, stand shorter than Earl Boykins) and the challenges posed by the archipelago's sweltering climate. There's also the dedication to the art of the sport, which disconnects with our American vision of the game's aesthetic value stemming from the dunk, a task made more difficult in the Philippines due to the aforementioned height issue. Filipino players have instead translated the dunk into their language, creating the trick lay-up. And this type of cultural touchstone -- not the lay-up itself, but its creation myth -- gets at just what makes basketball in the Philippines so special: the kids in flip-flops in the barrios and the McDonald's All-Americans in the arena are all connected through this unique basketball mythology created here."
• Embracing (or rejecting) advanced analytics means that sometimes a player's quantitative value defies what the human eye sees. Such is the case with Spurs big man Matt Bonner.
• Drafting for "need" isn't as simple as filling one of five positions on the court. Teams also have to be mindful of how a specific draftee's skill set would dovetail with their existing roster. The New Jersey Nets might be choosing between two talented young big men -- Derrick Favors and DeMarcus Cousins. Both have enormous potential, but whose talents would best complement Brook Lopez?
• The Clippers continue to bring in a slew of prospects for workouts.
• Jay Aych of The Painted Area is picking Barca to sweep the ACB Finals: "... Barcelona is nearly flawless, one of the best units Europe has ever seen."
• Will Walter McCarty get his shot as an NBA assistant next season with the Pacers?
• Jeff Pendergraph: Bowled over by The Brady Bunch Movie.

• Rahat Huq of Red94 emails with Rockets' senior vice president of basketball operations about the unique relationship between the big club and the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Through the D-League's single affiliate partnership model, the Rockets are able to better place their handprint on the player development process: "The Vipers run sets from Rick Adelman’s playbook, not only giving prospects a chance to acclimate to the big-league offense, but also providing the Rockets opportunity to test out new wrinkles in an environment with lesser stakes."
• How should we evaluate Nate McMillan's performance as head coach of the Trail Blazers? That's the question Sean Meagher of OregonLive.com posed to Henry Abbott in an email. Henry's response: "When Nate McMillan retires, I suspect he will have won multiple championships. But I also suspect he will have had no greater coaching accomplishment then taking some duct tape, paper clips and rookie Jeff Pendergraph and coaching them to 50 wins this season. That was really something. One key factor was all the talent Kevin Pritchard assembled. Another was the never-say-die attitude, and efficient offense, that are staples of McMillan teams. Maybe he plays it a little safe. Maybe he fears turnovers more than he loves virtuosity. Maybe Rudy Fernandez will blossom in another system one day. Maybe Brandon Roy shouldn't have played so much in the playoffs. Maybe he's a little rigid. But thinking like an optomizer can kill you. The simple fact is that this young team has played hard, smart basketball and has achieved a ton."
• Dwane Casey continues to be one of the finest head coaching candidates on the market, and will likely be employed in the capacity of head coach somewhere this fall. Kelly Dwyer makes the case for Casey in Atlanta.
• Neil Paine at Basketball Reference examines the effectiveness of each five-man unit for the remaining teams.
• Don and Chris from Blogs With Balls break into Joakim Noah's home gym. Noah's walk-in closet could house a Sesna. Among the items Noah preserves in there is his maize bow tie from draft day 2007.
• At Fanhouse, Tom Ziller measures the offensive ratings and usage rates of the incoming draft class of big men (and some from previous classes, too). The results might surprise you. Did you know Gani Lawal's usage rate under Paul Hewitt was greater than Derrick Favors'?
• Marvin Williams will forever wear a millstone around his neck for being drafted ahead of both Deron Williams and Chris Paul. Bret LaGree of Hoopinion breaks down Williams' quirky, somewhat regressive season in Atlanta.
• Why did the Lakers have so much trouble defending Phoenix's second unit? Seth Pollack of Bright Side of the Suns cites one factor: "A defense that had adjusted to the Nash/Stoudemire attack was suddenly faced with the relentless two-headed speed demons in Goran and Leandro, who were able to penetrate the Lakers from the perimeter and force the defense to collapse." Dragic didn't put up a gaudy scoring line, but his Nashian performance (eight assists in 17 minutes) tells you how much control he was exerting while manning the point for the bench during their two prodigious stints in the second and fourth quarter.
• The Suns modified their zone in the fourth quarter, when the Lakers managed only 22 points.
• Eddy Rivera of Magic Basketball: "But if the Magic want any chance to do the impossible, to win four games in a row against a former champion, they need to ride on the Jameer Nelson-Dwight Howard pick and roll until the wheels fall off." Ben Q. Rock pores over the data and concludes that the Magic need to keep Howard moving in the half-court.
• Brett Hainline of Queen City Hoops is a very analytical, measured guy, but Gerald Henderson's shot selection causes him to yell at his television.
• Self-awareness is an elusive trait for high-profile athletes whose images, comments and behavior are projected externally almost every day. Dan Feldman of PistonPowered looks at the curious case of Charlie Villanueva.
• Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio had some fans rallying in support of Arizona's new immigration reform legislation prior to Game 4. Among the signage: "Nash Ramble Back to Canada. Don't Come Back."
• The Manute Bol, Get Well Soon! Facebook Group. Bol is suffering from kidney failure and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.
• NBA players be warned: You'll find the least healthy restaurant entree in America on the menu at The Cheesecake Factory.