Bradley’s Buzz: Favors is down, but Georgia Tech’s up
Derrick Favors against Indiana-PA. He has done less of this versus the ACC. (AJC photo by Elissa Eubanks)
According to the good folks at NBAdraft.net — the best site of its ilk, IMHO — Georgia Tech freshman Derrick Favors is now No. 6 in its 2010 mock. That’s down from No. 2 earlier this month, and that’s a rather significant drop.
There’s a reason. Given his hype, Favors isn’t having much of a freshman season. He’s averaging 11.1 points and 8.6 rebounds, and even those numbers mislead. Over the past eight games he’s averaging 9 points and 8.4 rebounds, with 22 turnovers and 20 fouls against seven assists. He has scored in double figures once in four ACC games.
In sum, he doesn’t resemble the player he was at South Atlanta High, where he was considered the nation’s top recruit by Scout.com. (John Wall, ranked No. 2, is not only the best freshman but the best player in the college game. And he’ll be the NBA’s No. 1 pick in June.)
Maybe we should have seen this coming. Favors was a post player in high school. Tech already had a post player — Gani Lawal, who’s having a great junior season and who NBAdraft.net projects as going 24th this summer. Favors is playing power forward and facing the basket, and he’s struggling from the change. (Hence the turnovers.) Sometimes you watch Tech for long stretches and you forget Favors is on the roster.
And that, for NBA scouts, is the issue. They come to Tech games in bunches and they leave having seen Favors do very little. Owing to fouls and Hewitt’s substitution whirl and the emergence of Zachery Peacock as Tech’s best clutch scorer, Favors doesn’t play very long. He worked 23 minutes against Charlotte, 21 against Georgia and 19 against North Carolina. And when scouts can’t evaluate what they can’t see.
From Tech’s perspective, there’s an encouraging flip side. Even with their most talented player struggling, the Jackets are climbing. Joe Lunardi of ESPN.com rates Tech a No. 5 NCAA tournament seed in his latest edition of Bracketology. Andy Glockner of SI.com has the Jackets a No. 6 seed, and Ryan Fagans of Sporting News Today has them a No. 4.
And that’s without Derrick Favors at anywhere close to peak capacity. Imagine how far the Jackets might go if he gets rolling. Elite Eight, maybe? Final Four, perhaps?
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127 comments Add your comment
Mark Bradley
January 19th, 2010
3:25 pm
Bosh averaged 15.6 points and 9 rebounds his one season as a Jacket. Just for comparative purposes. Thaddeus Young averaged 14.4 and 4.9.
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
3:26 pm
Mark,
The Jackets red shirted a freshman from Loganville, with a big man and a few of the players that will stay GT might be a better team next year.
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
3:28 pm
What about Crittenton that guy should have stayed in college. He is a nomad and hardly plays.
Mark Bradley
January 19th, 2010
3:29 pm
Be hard to be better without Lawal, Peacock and Favors. Then again, I figured it’d be hard to be better without Bosh and Ed Nelson.
Mark Bradley
January 19th, 2010
3:31 pm
And Javaris Crittenton may have bigger issues than playing time, if you’ve kept up with the news.
Technophobia
January 19th, 2010
3:32 pm
That’s because point guard is THE key position. If you’re not strong there you’re not gonna get very far.
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
3:32 pm
HAHha i know but what a waste
Posh Spice
January 19th, 2010
3:33 pm
Since the meat of the schedule stated up a few games back, the freshmens’ performance has tailed off some. No doubt, this is a function of the increased level of play, inexperience at the collegiate level, and nerves (imagine playing Duke & UNC as a freshman in your first ACC games with all the pressure on this team).
Folks are looking at Derrick and noting a decrease in production, however Mfon’s numbers are also down (who btw is still averaging in double figures). It was telling that for the last 10 minutes of the UNC game, CPH went with experience in the lineup (Bell, Peacock, Lawal, Shumpert, Foreman and pick your freshman).
Another note … CPH also seemed to have cut back on the substitions at the end of the game … a good sign.
As an Mfon fan, I was disappointed to not see him in the lineup late in the game like at Duke, however, you can’t be unappy with win.
As the rest of the season unfolds, I hope to see the freshmen settle in and play with the confidence of the upperclassmen. That will help to elevate the level of play with this team. Time will tell …
Technophobia
January 19th, 2010
3:34 pm
I hear we’ve got a good shooting guard coming in next year too. He’ll be a freshman but a good point and good shooting guard are a tremendous help to the big men. Good big men don’t help you out at the point or shooting guard position.
Herschel Talker
January 19th, 2010
3:34 pm
dc –
73-66. So suck it. Oh, I almost forgot. 30-24. Suck it twice. Just admit you are nerds and losers.
motel 6 shreveport
January 19th, 2010
3:34 pm
y’all come back now ya hear!
willie martinez's wife
January 19th, 2010
3:34 pm
Favors is definately gone after one year. I think his head is already thinking NBA, thus the poor play.
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
3:35 pm
Next year GT could start 3 guards with the new recuit they have coming in. Udofa, Shumpart, and new recuit. GT would just need to get a forward of some sort who can take the ball to the hoop with power. The red shirt will be like the white boy from Kansas
willie martinez's wife
January 19th, 2010
3:37 pm
They start 3 guards this year.
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
3:39 pm
They dont start 3 true guards!
messin with sasquatch
January 19th, 2010
3:39 pm
dogg logic – a course taught at the terry kindergarten of business.
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
3:39 pm
Herschel Talker,
you will not be able to talk after you get that AZZ whooped in MMA.
Your a loser
willie martinez's wife
January 19th, 2010
3:40 pm
They’re listed as guards…..that makes them college guards.
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
3:40 pm
Who is listed as guards
Gordon
January 19th, 2010
3:40 pm
I’m with Dan the Nerd @ 2:11. The worst thing that could happen is if Tech finishes with 19 or 20 wins, 8 wins in the conference, just slips in, and loses in the first round. I either want a great year for Hewitt to establish some momentum, or a bad one to get rid of Hewitt (if that’s even a possibility with the buyout). If we can just get some consistency, it could be the former. But even with the Duke and UNC wins, I got the feeling it was more players making plays than coaching. I would love for Hewitt to prove me wrong.
Mark Bradley
January 19th, 2010
3:41 pm
That’s true — D’Andre Bell, Mfon Udofia and Iman Shumpert are all listed as guards, though Bell is essentially a wing.
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
3:43 pm
Ok I guess I am wrong. I though Bell would be listed as the small forward.
willie martinez's wife
January 19th, 2010
3:46 pm
13 D’Andre Bell Guard 6-6 222 RS SR Los Angeles, Calif. (Palisades Charter)
33 Derek Craig Guard 6-4 196 SO Spring, Texas (Klein Collins)
14 Derrick Favors Forward 6-10 246 FR
4 Nick Foreman Guard 6-3 208 SO Bel
24 Kammeon Holsey Forward 6-8 209 FR
31 Gani Lawal Forward 6-9 234 JR
5 Daniel Miller Center 6-11 252 FR
3 Maurice Miller Guard 6-2 189 JR
11 Brian Oliver Forward 6-6 220 FR
35 Zachery Peacock Forward 6-8 235 SR
41 Glen Rice, Jr. Guard 6-5 195 FR
34 Brad Sheehan Center 7-0 235 RS JR La
44 Sam Shew Forward 6-5 190 JR
1 Iman Shumpert Guard 6-5 209 SO
10 Lance Storrs Guard 6-5 221 JR
0 Mfon Udofia Guard 6-2 187 FR
I was thinking Bell, Shumpert and Utofia as the three guards. Hewitt starting lineup varies I know.
F-105 Thunderchief
January 19th, 2010
3:48 pm
Do you think Mfon has an iPhone?
willie martinez's wife
January 19th, 2010
3:52 pm
Not wrong…..I think he’s used more as a small/shooting forward than a true guard. That’s a good thing in college.
willie martinez's wife
January 19th, 2010
3:58 pm
Mark, those are the three guards I had too.
I’m going to the game tonight and expect a typical tight ACC game. Clemson and Tech are similar and match up real close to each other. I expect Clemson is a tad better and should win.
UNC appeared to be outmatched and smaller than Clemson and Tech, which is unusual and surprising.
Dip
January 19th, 2010
3:59 pm
Wonder if Derek was calling his LA Tech recruits to go to UT………
Technophobia
January 19th, 2010
4:05 pm
Dip, (1) think about that for a minute; (2) who cares.
willie martinez
January 19th, 2010
4:05 pm
I’m waiting on a call. Any high schools out there in need of a waterboy?
willie martinez's wife
January 19th, 2010
4:06 pm
No Willie, stay home with me
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
4:09 pm
I here UGA is looking for one
willie martinez's wife
January 19th, 2010
4:14 pm
Some coed grad student beat me to that one GT fan.
willie martinez
January 19th, 2010
4:16 pm
I refused to wear the outfit.
Al Beeski
January 19th, 2010
4:21 pm
Hate to say I told you so, but I’ve seen ALL the great hi-school ballers in Georgia the last 25 years, and I said it right here on AJC blogs that Favors was nowhere near the dominant force of former great GA hi school greats by the way if u ask (I’ve said it before the best 5 ballers from GA over the last 25 years were Dwight, Shareef, Lou W., Kwame, & Wingfield) and only Dwight & Shareef even came close to livin up to potential. But I saw Favors twice last year in the playoffs and NEVER saw the killer instinct or the dominant game in Favors. I hope the kid makes it for his sake and Tech’s but he’s got alot of work to do.
Mark Bradley
January 19th, 2010
4:24 pm
Shareef Abdur-Rahim was the best high school player I’ve seen since I’ve lived in Georgia, Al Beeski.
rascal
January 19th, 2010
4:27 pm
If you have seen Favors play, his potential is so obvious and his skill set just needing some refinement. He is gone and will go high, no matter his performance. He is a MAN.
DirtyDawg
January 19th, 2010
4:33 pm
Favors doesn’t just need another year, he needs another head. The kid I’ve seem ‘play’, and I do mean a qualified ‘play’, is seldom better than the guy guarding him and when he’s pulled for ineffective play and/or foul trouble, he lolly-gags to the bench, head hanging and shaking and tops it off with a petulant attitude. He reminds me of the Smith kid coming out of high-school, without the ‘hops’.
SEC sux
January 19th, 2010
4:37 pm
TO CUZ:
why in God’s name do you think the sun rises and sets in Tuscaloosa? What does that one horse town have over the one horse town you cheer for? And why would CPJ want to coach there? If Bama is the promise land, then why doesnt Richt bolt for the job as well as all the coaches that finished in the top 10? This is what is wrong with you and your fans. You feel inferior to Bama and that is why you cannot be the team you use to be. Here is what we do know. Bama beat FL but they struggled against TN and others, not to mention playing three sisters of the poor on their schedule. And there would be several teams that could beat Texas with the qb out of the game. I get sick and tired of reading comments from know it alls like you that thinks you know everything there is to know about college football and sports in general. And one side of your mouths, CPJ is a no good sob but the other side of your mouths, CPJ is heading to Bama, the promise land. Well I got news for you…the coastal divsion with Miami, VT and GT is more tougher than anything he is going to see at Bama for God’s sake. Besides Fl, who else did anything in that conference? Not everybody thinks that conference walks on water. You need to worry about your own 09 rankless team. WHy dont you move to Tuscaloosa? Great idea
SEC sux
January 19th, 2010
4:39 pm
nobody at GT gives a damn about Chan good riddance Gailey, you love him so much, you hire him
Al Beeski
January 19th, 2010
4:41 pm
Can’t argue with your point Mark, as Shareef was probably the most polished and D-1 ready physically and mentally in hi-school. Of course, Dwight was just a man-child playing against Single A competition, so you were never quite sure how he’d turn out, when the level of competition increased. While, Lou was without a doubt the best scoring guard from GA in last 2 decades, he still has a chance to develop into a premier player. Kwame just flat out never has shown any glimpes of improving his game, and Wingfield was off the court issues. But these websites who declared Favors #1 in the nation were way off the mark on this kid. Of course, this is an inexact science and I hope the kid develops into a good player, but I know I NEVER came close to putting him in the category of the previous five studs from Georgia.
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
4:46 pm
I think a John Wall has been the most impressive freshman. He is GOOD.
SEC hoops = terrible
January 19th, 2010
5:02 pm
SEC is the midget league. That is all.
BuzztheKiller
January 19th, 2010
5:05 pm
I think what we are seeing from Favors is expected from a freshman just getting into the ACC playing a different position. Luckliy they seem to be better not depending on much from him. Anything more from him and it could get exciting in March. I agree, he is gone after this year. Top 15 in the draft, you have to go.
GT is lame
January 19th, 2010
5:08 pm
Just a friendly reminder… UGA 73 – gt 66!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
UGA 30 – gt 24!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!
Just another miserable day for GT fans!!
WE RUN THIS STATE!!!
Herschel Talker
January 19th, 2010
5:10 pm
GT fan –
Good to see that YOUR Tech education has not taught you how to spell YOU’RE
73-66!!! hahahahahahahahahaha
30-24!!! hahahahahahahahahaha
observation
January 19th, 2010
5:20 pm
PHew pulls Favors at the end for O and sends him in for D…that seems to me to be “disrespectful” of his O and I (my opinion….I know you all have yours) think that has affected his confidence.
Would love to see Tech not have a close game with Clemzon and Favors playing (both ways) at the end. I would love to see three big guys and two guards at times. F, P and L….feedum the ball!
IndyGT
January 19th, 2010
5:24 pm
I was calling for CPH’s head on these same blogs.. Now, I’ll just keep my mouth shut and wait and see what happens at the end of the year. I didn’t give us any chance in the world against Duke, and beating UNC at Dean is still a big deal. But, I still maintain that I’d like to see some consistency out of this team! Lets start a good streak tonight. As for Favors.. I was expecting a bit more. He seems like he’s ok with just letting Gani dominate.. I’d like to see him be a bit more aggressive. I really don’t see Favors coming back at all. Though it really seems to have helped Gani out.. he’s got a decent jumper this year too!!
GT fan
January 19th, 2010
5:28 pm
Herschel Talker
Are we in school? Are you grading my papers? I did not know this was the correct spelling blog! Next time I will look for one where you can make mistakes, or better yet, I ll just go to the UGA blog.
Floyd Middle
January 19th, 2010
5:29 pm
Mark, did you ever see Cedric Henderson play at Marietta? And don’t forget Brian Oliver at Wills!!
GT/Falcons fan
January 19th, 2010
5:52 pm
Well…..looks like tech will limp to an 8-8 conference record with its underaachieving AAU all star grp. I believe this is a matter of coaching however, as an AVERAGE coach would be undefeated at this point with this crew. With any luck, the NCAA will look at our SoS and realize that we dont belong, and Drad will begin the process ofsending Pewitt on his way……Now bow your heads with me for a word of prayer.