If there’s one thing that was proven during the NBA Finals, it’s that size still matters. The length and athleticism of the Lakers and the length and toughness of the Celtics were the primary reasons they played for the championship.
But it was the athleticism of the Lakers that prevailed, something the Nets can’t overlook in tonight’s NBA Draft. It’s why if Ohio State’s Evan Turner is not available, they should select Derrick Favors of Georgia Tech over Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins.
Drafting isn’t an exact science. Anyone who follows sports knows that. The Nets’ draft history has its share of first-round disappointments, including Yinka Dare (14th overall in 1994) and Ed O’Bannon (ninth in 1995).
And let’s hope the franchise doesn’t duplicate what happened in 1987 when it had the third overall choice. That was when the Nets took Dennis Hopson of Ohio State. He was a disappointment, averaging 13 points a game for three seasons before being traded to Chicago.
The Nets figure to get a better player with the No. 3 pick this time around with Favors, Cousins and Wesley Johnson of Syracuse available should Kentucky guard John Wall go to Washington, followed by Turner to the Sixers as expected.
I’d take Favors, the 6-foot-10 power forward, for primarily two reasons: his upside and Cousins’ backside.
Favors turns 19 in July and is long and lean with loads of natural athletic skills. He needs to work on his jump shot, but offers immediate impact in the transition game, while not clogging the middle when the Nets are in a half-court set and looking to go through center Brook Lopez. He has no off-court issues and is considered a solid citizen, who is very coachable.
Cousins, at 6-11, might be more powerful and could bring a toughness the Nets could use. But his work ethic has been questioned, a red flag that wasn’t dispelled when he weighed 289 pounds during his recent workout with the Nets.
The last thing the Nets need is someone who might eat his way out of the league in a couple of years and isn’t dedicated to his conditioning.
Plus, the Nets don’t have to win an NBA championship right away. They have a new owner in Mikhail Prokhorov, a new coach in Avery Johnson, a franchise 7-foot center in Lopez, who is entering just his third season, and a new arena being constructed in Brooklyn that should be ready by 2013. They have time to let the 245-pound Favors develop his body and work on an outside jump shot, while offering immediate impact in other areas.
“I think my defense and rebounding are ready,” Favors said during a recent workout with the Nets. “It’s just a matter of how much hard work I put in to see how long it’ll take my game to ready for the NBA.”
There never was a question about Favors’ work ethic at Georgia Tech, where he averaged 12.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks en route to being named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year.
Cousins, meanwhile, said he was more comfortable playing center, where he was a dominant presence for John Calipari at Kentucky. Cousins averaged 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, while scoring the overwhelming majority of his points in half-court sets on either post-up, put backs or cuts to the basket. That’s already Lopez’s job with the Nets, which is why Favors is the better fit.
You have to figure Nets GM Rod Thorn will make the right call. He took Kenyon Martin with the first overall choice in 2000 and Lopez with the 10th in 2008, when rebuilding a team that won back-to-back Eastern Conference championships in 2002 and 2003.
The next building block should be Favors.