Derrick Favors wasn’t a Net for long, playing 56 games in New Jersey in his rookie season before being shipped to the Jazz in the blockbuster trade for Deron Williams in February 2011.
But as he sat in a courtside seat following Utah’s morning shootaround inside Barclays Center on Tuesday, Favors admitted it has crossed his mind since how things could have been different if he had stayed with the Nets.
“Sometimes I do,” said Favors before finishing with six points and five rebounds in the Nets’ 104-88 win over the Jazz. “When I came back here last year, I did, and I kind of looked around when I came back this time. But I can’t live in the past. I have to move forward, and I’m happy where I’m at.
“I’m happy I got traded to Utah. I think it was the best thing that happened in my career, playing behind Al [Jefferson] and Paul [Millsap] and just learning from those guys, and just being in this organization. I think it was the best thing that could]ve happened to me.”
The Nets’ decision to pursue Williams appears to have worked out well for both sides. In Williams, the Nets landed the face of the franchise they needed to front their move to Brooklyn, while the combination of Favors and the high draft picks Utah got in return for Williams have allowed the Jazz to restock their roster with promising young talent.
Before the season, the Jazz opted to sign Favors to a four-year, $48 million contract extension — making him one of just six members of the 2010 draft class to receive such an extension before last week’s deadline. The Jazz made no secret of the fact they were turning the franchise over to Favors and Enes Kanter — taken with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 draft the Nets also sent to Utah — when they opted not to re-sign either Jefferson or Millsap this summer.
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Not only were Williams and Andrei Kirilenko teammates for several years in Utah, they both picked up their first win over the Jazz Tuesday night.
Williams had lost his first four games against the Jazz since being traded to the Nets in February 2011, while Kirilenko lost all four meetings with Utah last season while playing for the Timberwolves.
“It’s good to finally beat them,” said Williams, who finished with 10 points and eight assists. “It’s a rebuilding year for them, but I’m definitely happy to beat them.”
Kirilenko, who thanked his teammates on his way out of the locker room for helping him get that first win against Utah, finished Tuesday’s game with six points and five rebounds in 16:53, after playing about 12 minutes in each of the past two games. Most importantly, he continued to feel no ill effects from the back spasms that kept him sidelined for three weeks during the preseason and forced him to miss the season opener.
“Right now we don’t have a set number of minutes [I’m going to play], but you see it’s increasing,” Kirilenko said. “The tempo is different, movement-wise I’m feeling better. It’s getting there.”