mellow
Well-Known Member
I agree that jazzfanz have wasted alot of time and energy with the fantasy that is Favors post up game. But I don't think that Favors or the Jazz have spent much time or energy on it. Favors has yet to work out with a legitimate low post scorer other than 'up and under Al', and Favors abilities don't match that game at all. Even in College Favors was told to be a weakside rebounder and let Gnai Lawai (sp?) do the offense. Has he ever been taught?
I don't know how much natural offence ability Favors has, which is sad given his athletic abilities. He should be the top hand of a mismatch almost every game he plays in, but a lack training or skills leaves him overmatched in the post by Byron Mullens. So get him off the post they say, well sadly he doesn't do much better there. Even in the PnRm tonight he just plowed over Mullens on a clear offensive foul. And on his face ups he frequently travels. Favors is going to have to work very hard to just average 15 ppg in the league.
The best hope for him is to get him as close to the basket as possible and get him the ball. Not necessarily a back to the basket post move, but some early positioning as he starts down the court and the Jazz set the offense. Karl was masterful in his 88-94 years at beating people by positioning himself early. Of course Stockton had teriffic sense of timing to know when the pass should be made, but other Jazz players learned, they picked up the timing from him --so it can be taught and learned. Anyway Karl was the best at it, and it makes me crazy to see the openings for the same scoring opportunities and the current Jazz players don't even know where to look for them. The best part was that it was a quick score before the defense got set, it was fun to watch and frequently ended in a dunk or exciting lay-up. No foot work, or holding the ball, or pounding the ball into the timbers was needed. That is where Derrick Favors can do his work, his athletic ability would be highlighted and Jazz Fans would be ooing and ahhing. Its an inside scoring play early in the shot clock that is not a post up. And let me ramble on a bit more. If the Jazz could even have one of their staff guys go through a 200 games or so from the 88-94 seasons they would have hours of film for these young post players to watch and learn how to run the floor and where to run too, and the gaurds and wings would see where to look, and when to make the pass.
So in review, I agree with you that Favors is probably never going to be doing the dream shake Hakeem Style. And I will be pleased if he never learns a wheezy, but I'm saying that he could be a threat to score inside if the Jazz could remember their own history and somehow remember that the Jazz didn't always run the Flex and Jerry was once very satisfied with Karl getting early scores outside of the offense and it wasn't until Jerry got older and more rigid that he insisted that a 24 second violation was prefered to making a play. And futhermore, scoring in the paint is not only accomplished by a post up that happens after the Jazz wait for the defense to set, but it can be accomplished by smart positioning and making a pass while everyone is 'setting-up'.
thank you and good night.
