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Divided Opinion on Derrick Favors As He Gets His First NBA Start

In this week's Rooking Rankings, Derrick Favors has dropped.  He isn't in the top 10 on the NBA.com Rookie Ladder and is now down to #6 in the ESPN rankings.  Doesn't matter to Avery Johnson.  He's starting him Wednesday vs. the Bulls.

David Thorpe, who does ESPN's rankings, thinks it's a good idea.  Thorpe thinks he's shown enough "to compel his coach to play him 30-plus minutes for a month straight just to see what the Nets actually have in him".

"If you just looked at box scores, it would be difficult to understand why teams (like Denver) value Favors so highly," writes Thorpe. "But if you watched him on tape, you'd see uber-athletic finishes above the rim, left-handed extension layups, left-hand hooks in traffic, power tip dunks and the foundation for an excellent jump shot.  And if you looked closer, you'd see a young Amare Stoudemire".

For his part, Favors knows nothing is permanent.  "The NBA’s a business," he said. "Just because I’m starting now doesn’t mean they’re still not going to trade me."