Lost in all of the excitement that has happened this summer, the Jazz made a trade that sent away one of the best players the franchise has ever had. The moves that were made led the team to a point that many fans saw coming, but they didn’t want to admit it was about to happen. The team had to trade Derrick Favors to clear up salary space for all of the players they signed this summer.
Derrick Favors has always been a fantastic basketball player and moving forward, NBA fans should expect nothing less from the 28-year old veteran. In 2009 he was ranked by many as the number one college basketball recruit in the nation. He was NBA ready. He had a frame of 6’10” and weighed 245 lbs. If not for the one-and-done rule that forces high school prospects to wait one year after graduating to join the NBA, Favors could have easily made the jump straight to the league.
After one year at Georgia Tech averaging 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, he entered the NBA draft as was selected with the 3rd overall pick by the then New Jersey Nets. Favors was the youngest player ever to play for the Nets. He made an immediate difference on a team that needed help in every way. In just his third game he recorded his first career triple-double – his first of many.
He was viewed by many within the Nets organization as a foundational piece for their future. In February of 2011 the plans of the Nets changed. Drama struck as one of the NBA’s longest tenured coaches abruptly resigned due to an ongoing dispute with the team’s star player. On February 10th Jerry Sloan announced his resignation as the coach of the Utah Jazz and the team made the player that was involved in the incident that led to his resignation immediately available. Deron Williams was arguably one of the best point guards in the league. He was an established player and was in the middle of his prime. His spat with the newly resigned former coach, forced the organization to decide they didn’t want him in their locker room moving forward. The Nets viewed Williams as a way to speed up their rebuild. On February 24th the two teams agreed on the trade. Williams became a Net and Favors joined the Jazz.
Derrick spent nine and a half seasons with the Jazz. He was always a pro’s pro. He was viewed by many in the organization as the team’s hardest worker. He was for years the team’s muscle. Derrick was a double-double threat every game. His size and strength allowed him to push his way through the paint to score or grab a rebound. The team never spoke poorly of him, and you never heard a complaint or negative statement from him or those close to him.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
As a Jazz lifelong fan, nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, was a better representation of the team during his Jazz career than Favors. I wanted him here for life. He seemed to do no wrong. He always said the right thing. He always had a smile on his face. He was what every fan wanted on their team. He was the example that helped Rudy Gobert turn into the player he is today. He took Rudy under his wing as a rookie. He showed him how to work hard and compete on every play.
Derrick had many highlight plays. From playoff series game winning shots, to massive blocks, not mention a all of the huge dunks, Favors has become a special piece of this community. It only seems right for the Jazz to give him the proper send off and do everything they could to take care of him on his way out. As reported by Tony Jones of The Athletic, New Orleans was where he wanted to go. The Jazz got him there.
The team, this community, and the whole Jazz fan base owe Derrick a giant thank you. He gave everything he could for the Jazz. We’ll always appreciate him and we wish him the best. Thank you Favors! Once a Jazz man always a Jazz man!
Jazz Fans 