Like you said, it's only the pre-season of his rookie year. IMO, players need a full season and off-season to really get a feel for the NBA game. Case in point, Jordan Hill. Who, btw, is playing better than he was last season already. Therefore, the aforementioned statement would almost apply to him as well. It's only the pre-season of his 2nd year. Wow, did it to myself! :grin:
Bingo. Favors label coming into the draft was "raw". Everyone considered Cousins a beast already but they kept saying Favors had so much "raw potential". Gambling on potential is such a huge risk and I don't understand why they wouldn't take Cousins using that mindset because he obviously has tons of potential as well (only 20) while already being NBA ready.
i believe cheke64 clarified this in the carmelo trade. Nuggets would be stupid to get favors for carmelo.
To me, watching GT several times last year, I saw a whole lot more from Gani Lawal than Favors. I never saw anything at all on the court that was all that impressive. To be honest, when I read about his great measurables and all the hype, I had trouble believing it was the same guy I had watched play.
^This is pretty short-sighted thinking, IMHO. Favors is younger than Cousins, its not fair to compare the two of them in their rookie year. He's actually the best kind of franchise player to have when you're trying to rebuild, because he'll take time to develop and this gives your team a chance to get some high draft picks to build around. If you get an instant franchise guy like LBJ or KG who makes your team playoff contenders immediately, then building a good team is all but impossible. A lot of the posters here seem to think Cousins is guaranteed to become an all star, but the truth is Cousins has issues of his own. Has all of his mental issues vanished in a couple of months? What about his weight, will he be able to keep it off for the next couple of years? It'll be interesting to bring this thread back in 3 years and see what these two players have become.
Exactly. He should be sitting at home in fron of tv and cheering Kobe Kobe or LeBron LeBron... 19 years old is way too young.
It is a risk but Favors at least has a pedigree. I think the Nets should be more worried about Favors being coached by Avery Johnson. I mean, why are you starting Joe Smith in the preseason and playing Favors 8 minutes?
Hasheem is a little different. He was 22 yrs old, 3 1/2 years older than Favors, when he was drafted. The raw 22-23 yr old players definitely improve with hard work, but not as much as a 18-19 year old with hard work.
They thought Favor's athleticism would compliment Lopez's game a lot better than Cousins, who play's more like a center.
Good point, smoothie. Who would have thought Yao would turn into a 20/9 player from his 41.5% FG for 9.5 pts and 4 reb in his first preaseason. Yao's preseason stats.
Cousins isn't bust proof. Although he has tons of potential and is already NBA ready, he also has mental issues that Favors doesn't have. I'd say both are pretty equal in risk-reward, so you take the one with the higher potential or upside. Nets made the correct choice IMHO.
While preseason stats needs to be looked at with a ton of salt, you can still see more or less where a player's at in his development. You can't really say Yao looked as bad as Favors. He showed the skills that made him the top pick. I remember watching him and see that once he adjusted, he'd play well. With Favors, I see him just being raw. Which means whether he plays well depends more on whether he develops offensive games, not simply refining them as Yao did.
