Derrick Favors: Wuss or what ?

[Grandpa Jazz]

A lot is showing up in this estimable forum about Favors since that incident. People are saying his isn't aggressive, is mentally weak, no this, no that.
I think a lot of people are letting the "incident" color their impressions of Derrick, unfairly!
I like his aggressiveness just fine, especially considering his age, i like his confidence, see no reason to challenge is mental toughness or his BB IQ.
My main concern has been slightly diminishing playing time. I believe as most seemed to a few short weeks ago that he is an all-star caliber player in the making.
I would wager, nobody has ever slapped the ball out of his hands before in that manner. He was kind of stunned and simply did not react. Folks, he is just past being a teenager.
Though he certainly doesn't look that young, he really is. Not like Le Bron James who looked like a thirty year old dock worker when just out of high school, ( and gets uglier by the day)
but certainly physically developed beyond his years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Od-U5IF4s

Does this look weak in any way ? Even if he never learns to respond the way we think he should to those situations, weak is not a term that should be associated with him in any way.
Just believe some are over-reacting.

 

[freakazoid]

I would wager, nobody has ever slapped the ball out of his hands before in that manner. He was kind of stunned and simply did not react.

Yeah, I think people are making a mountain out of a molehill. To me, it looks like he was still in shock at having the foul called on him in the first place.

As far as Dirk swatting at the ball in the first place, that looked to me like something done out of frustration. Maybe Favors was getting under his skin. I'm looking forward to the next matchup, in hopes Favors comes out to send Dirk a message. Show some respect, old man.

 

[carolinajazz]

Dirkawitz should have been called for a tech on that anyway! I certainly would have teed him up!

 

[Legatus]

It was well known, that Favors was a laid back, silent type of person. But it's not the worst thing on the world to have and the ball-slap thing was nothing big imo. Tim Duncan is doing fine...

I would take Kanter's mind set above Favors', which i mentioned before this "incident":

Also kanter is far more aggressive on the court, while favors doesn't have any mental toughness yet.

https://jazzfanz.com/showthread.php?8488-Favors-or-Kanter/page3

 

[BluesRocker]

Making a mountain out of molehill is nothing to sneeze at

 

[montanajazz]

I wasn't alive but wasn't Malone kinda quiet at the beginning of his career. I was watching a hardwood classics game of the jazz back then and Malone didn't show emotion when players would attempt bullying him very often until later in his career. I may be wrong. Correct me if I am.

 

[carolinajazz]

Malone and Stockton were true blue professionals! They had savy on the court, but would always play within the rules!

 

[fallenchicken]

Freakazoid is right. Watch the replay, he wasn't even paying attention to Dirk. He didn't even register what Dirk did.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Favors was going to unleash his vintage McDyess dunks if the ref would just get off his back. There was a travel call earlier, a cheap foul, then that call for a push off on the pick n roll. I like the aggressiveness. I think it's a step forward.

 

[candrew]

What a crock of ****....

Favors got fined 25K for tossing the ball "into the crowd"

 

[Zulu]

I think dirk/refs may have woken the sleeping dragon!

 

[NUMBERICA]

I was a little worried about his investment in the game and competitiveness before this. This just highlights that he's been a ghost a whole lot of the time.