As a private jet arrived and departed, an owner pulled a plug and a relieved team won two straight, we missed an analysis of Derrick Favors by ESPN's rookie watcher, David Thorpe. Thorpe essentially asked what's all the fuss about Favors. Written as if Favors was headed to Denver, he updated it when the 'Melo Drama ended.
Bottom line for Thorpe in comparing Carmelo Anthony with Favors: "Could he become good enough to make Denver forget about its superstar? Yes, he can. But probably not for the reasons you think."
Thorpe suggests that Favors may not ever have the scoring instincts of an Amare Stoudemire but could become something else...and special.
"Favors has the potential to be a devastating pick-and-roll player, like Stoudemire," Thorpe writes. "He has the size, width and quickness to set flat screens high on the floor before rolling right to the front of the rim in the blink of an eye -- a very difficult action to defend.
"If forced to guess, I'd say he could eventually score 18-22 points per game, which would place him among the elite power forwards in the league, writes Thorpe. And rebounding? "it's fair to say he could one day be a top-10 rebounder in the NBA". Favors' comparable among young NBA vets? Thorpe thinks LaMarcus Aldridge. As Thorpe's colleague, Marc Stein reports in his (revised) 'Melo Drama post-mortem, "There isn't an available young player in the league that the Nuggets rate higher than Favors."
- Is Derrick Favors worth giving up Carmelo Anthony? - David Thorpe - ESPN Insider
- What now for Denver Nuggets in Carmelo Anthony trade drama? - Marc Stein - ESPN
- Hochman: Calculating Proky no fool - Benjamin Hochman - Denver Post
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They don’t buy Anthony’s act - Gary Washburn - Boston Globe