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Derrick Favors always pictured playing in a mountainous Western Conference setting.

From the time the Nets drafted him out of Georgia Tech with the third overall pick in last June’s draft, Favors heard the trade rumors: Carmelo Anthony wanted out of Denver and the Nuggets wanted a young big man in return.

"My name has been in trade rumors since training camp, so I always thought they were going to trade me to get Carmelo," Favors told HOOPSWORLD.

But when Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov proclaimed he was walking away from negotiations with the Nuggets and the Knicks subsequently landed Anthony, Favors started to feel at home in New Jersey.

"Since Carmelo wasn’t there, I thought it was over with," Favors said. "After I heard Carmelo was coming to New York, I thought, ‘that was it.’ I thought my name was out of the trade rumors. But they decided to trade me."

Favors did end up living in a mountainous city in the Western Conference, but it wasn’t he one he was expecting. The Jazz were willing to take less for All-Star point guard Deron Williams than the Nuggets had wanted for Anthony. Of course, the package New Jersey was offering still included Favors and another former All-Star point guard—Devin Harris.

"It’s sort of new for both of us and it’s been great, him helping me with the transition," Favors said. "He gets me ready for games. If I had to come by myself it would have been a little bit different, but I came with Devin so I have somebody to talk to and he’s been a big help."

Don’t underestimate Harris’ presence. Favors won’t be 20 until this summer and it’s important to have a veteran who can walk him through the process of being traded. After all, the 6-10 power forward lives in a hotel and doesn’t know much about Salt Lake City. Harris has been one of the few constants in Favors’ life since he was 18.

"He’s maturing," Harris said of Favors. "He’s still young in age, but going through the process has definitely made him a little bit wiser. I think he’s doing a good job of being a professional. We talked about that at the beginning of the year and I think he’s doing a good job of just wanting to get better."

When Favors heard the phrase "be professional" earlier in the season, he probably couldn’t guess everything that would entail. Every X and O he learned from Nets coach Avery Johnson had to be forgotten in place of new Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin’s schemes.

But mostly, being professional has meant that Favors—who said it "means a lot" that he was traded for someone as talented as Williams—is delving into his work. Being in Utah, which isn’t a market known for lots of distractions, helps him focus on becoming a better basketball player.

Obviously facing the likes of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap in practice helps too.

"They’re definitely going to help my game out," Favors said. "I go up against them every day in practice and watch them in the game and that helps me. Just wait and work. They work hard in practice and so do I, just trying to improve."

{AUTHOR_BOX}"The sky is the limit for that kid," said Jefferson, who was once a teenage rookie with raw skills. "Real good, a lot of talent, he has a high basketball IQ. That’s something I didn’t have in this league as a 19-year-old. I’m really looking forward to seeing how good he can get."

From Jefferson’s perspective, Favors has gotten a perfect education for a rookie: He saw playing time in New Jersey, and now he’ll get a chance to learn behind two phenomenal post players.

"Number one, he’s getting the experience," Jefferson said. "He’s getting to play. I didn’t get a chance to play as much when I was a rookie. So he had a chance to learn, make mistakes and learn from his mistakes."

Favors fouled out in Monday’s loss to the Knicks, but still had his best performance in a Jazz uniform. He finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes while making six of 11 field goals and all four free throws he attempted.

Favors is still adjusting to the Jazz, but his numbers aren’t suffering too much. He’s averaged 9.0 PPG through five contests with Utah and his field goal percentage is seven percentage points better with the Jazz (58%) than it was with the Nets.

His numbers also compare favorably to other rookies. He ranks 11th among first-year players in Player Efficiency Rating and currently has the fifth-best rebounding rate of any rookie.

But perhaps the best thing about Favors’ move to Utah is that he has a chance to add playoff experience to his resume. Utah currently sits 2 ½ games behind Memphis for the final spot in the West, but Corbin’s team has won only two of its last 10 games.

Luke Harangody Gets His Chance

Derrick Favors wasn’t the only player traded at the deadline.

In a move that seemed to be more about roster flexibility than the actual players involved, the Celtics sent a pair of first-year players—Luke Harangody and Semih Erden—to the Cavaliers in a exchange for a second-round pick.

Both players have dealt with injury issues since arriving in Cleveland, but Harangody still managed to deliver a career-high 18 points in last week’s upset win over New York. It’s an opportunity he would have never had in Boston, which is why the former Notre Dame star is cautiously optimistic about his role in Cleveland.

"My first initial reaction [to the trade] was that I was just shocked," Harangody told HOOPSWORLD. "I didn’t know anything. My agent hadn’t heard any rumors. No one on the Celtics had really heard anything. It was just an initial reaction to going to another team, ‘What’s going to happen?’ As a rookie, not being around [the pro game] it was tough. There was a lot off off-court stuff that was going through my head too."

There were two major changes for Harangody: He was going from the best team in the East to the worst, but he also knew he’d finally see some playing time.

"The playing time wasn’t always there [in Boston], but I learned so much from that team, just with all the veteran players that they have," he said. "I think I took a lot of learning experiences out of [Boston]—how they approach the game, how they prepare their bodies. I guess things like that. I got a feel for what makes them so successful.

"At first, I realized that this is going to be a good thing," he continued. "It’s going to be a good thing for my career. This is an opportunity."

The 6-8 Harangody isn’t the type of player that can transform the miserable Cavaliers, but he does project as a contributor on a winning team thanks to his energy, strength and shooting ability. And, because he applied himself in the gym last summer, Harangody has actually been surprisingly athletic since arriving in the NBA.

He averaged only eight minutes over 28 appearances with the Celtics, but has seen over 15 MPG in his three games with the Cavs. He’s also shooting 50% from the field with the Cavs, which is something he hasn’t accomplished since his sophomore year with the Fighting Irish.

Another thing that makes this trade appealing for Harangody was the chance to play for Byron Scott, who has a history of grooming solid bench players.

"From what I’ve seen from coach Scott, I like his philosophy," Harangody said. "I’m buying into anything obviously. I’m just trying to make the best of it. He kind of just let it all sink in for me. He hasn’t really been in my ear too much. I’m sure, further down the road, I’ll hear more from him."

Marbury is Still in China

Former Knicks guard Stephon Marbury spoke with Andrew Higgins of The Washington Postto tell everyone how much fun he’s having playing in China.

"China is a positive place, what can I say," Marbury told Higgins.

Marbury, who is known in China as "Ma-bu-li," went on to say that the Chinese "don’t fill their souls with negativity" like Americans do.

Whatever you think of Marbury, he’s still pretty interesting and I encourage anyone to give the article a read.

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