This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When the New Jersey Nets visited Utah in November, coach Avery Johnson praised rookie Derrick Favors as a player with cornerstone-type potential.
The Jazz certainly hope so.
Utah acquired Favors in Wednesday's blockbuster Deron Williams trade with New Jersey.
Although the Jazz also received Devin Harris, two future first-round draft picks and $3 million in cash, they likely pulled the trigger because of New Jersey's willingness to include Favors.
The No. 3 pick in last summer's draft, Favors is a 6-foot-10, 246-pound power forward who averaged 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 56 games this season.
He turns 20 in July.
"He's solid — still learning, high basketball IQ," Johnson said three months ago. "We like his physicality [and] his athleticism for a true 19-year-old player.
"We think he's going to be able to be multi-dimensional offensively. Jump hooks with both hands. He can turn and face. And, like I've been saying all along, imagine him in two years — 10 pounds heavier."
Favors played one of his best games Jan. 19, when the Nets beat Utah in New Jersey, 103-95.
He finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
"I haven't seen Favors too much," said ex-Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "He's a young player who has a lot of talent. He's a young guy who has to work and develop and improve."
At an afternoon new conference at EnergySolutions Arena, Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor spoke of Favors' upside while noting his inexperience.
"He has ability," O'Connor said, "but we have to be patient."
From his tweets on the internet, Favors has apparently come to terms with the trade.
"I'll see yall in UTAHHHHHHHHHH," he wrote.
Later, Favors seemed to address Jazz fans: "I only make the best of whatever is given to me! I will make sure I make y'all proud."
While Favors was a key to the deal for the Jazz, they also received Williams' likely replacement in Harris, who was the No. 5 pick in the 2004 draft.
Known more for his athleticism and ability to get to the basket than his outside shot, Harris averaged 15 points and 7.6 assists in 54 games for the Nets this season.
Harris turns 28 Sunday.
"He's an All-Star type of player," said Sloan. "He certainly played that way against us a few times."
Harris will wear No. 5 as a member of the Jazz, according to a tweet.
"… See you in Utah," he wrote.
The Jazz also received two future first-round picks in the deal, starting with the Nets' selection this summer.
New Jersey owns the sixth-worst record in the league, which translates into a lottery pick.
Utah also gets a top-seven protected pick from Golden State in 2012, meaning the Jazz will not get the pick if the Warriors finish among the league's bottom seven teams.
If that occurs, the draft choice would be pushed to 2013, where it also will be a top-seven protected pick. The pick would be unprotected in 2014.
"I like the key pieces we have in place," O'Connor said.
Meet the new guys
This year's statistics for Devin Harris and Derrick Favors, who were acquired from New Jersey by the Jazz:
Player Gms Min Pts Reb Ast
Devin Harris 54 31.9 15.0 2.5 7.6
Derrick Favors 56 19.5 6.3 5.3 0.4