Former Nets Devin Harris, Derrick Favors dealing with life after trade

You reach a point when you realize it’s no use,” said the former Nets captain, wearing pregame sweats that had Utah Jazz emblazoned across the shirt. “I mean, it’s hard to speak up when you go in the very first day and the talk is already starting.

“It was the first day of October, I think, when we started hearing the (Carmelo Anthony) rumors. There’s not a lot you can say after that, no matter what it does to your season. It’s a lost cause, because at that point, everybody is spending every day looking over their shoulder.”

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But he obviously struggled with it,” Harris said, nodding toward Derrick Favors, the quiet rookie power forward. “He’s only 19, so what do you expect? When you hear trade rumors from the day you were picked in the draft, it’s kind of tough.”

It was “very hard” to go through, Favors confirmed later. But the hardest thing was his inability to show the Nets what he could do. Part of it was the kid’s fault: If you cannot convince the coaching staff that you have the requisite passion to be a cornerstone after 60 games, you can’t blame the team for assuming that you’re expendable.

Especially if you can help them land Deron Williams.

“I thought I did what they asked me to do — play defense, dunk, play with energy, and don’t worry about offensive stuff,” Favors said. “They said they were going to bring me along slowly. So I did what they told me to do.”

“I could have shown more, but I had to wait my turn,” he added.

“Since he got here he’s become more comfortable — just in a few weeks,” Harris said, and on cue, Favors was one of the few Jazzmen to show up (16 points, eight rebounds) Monday night. “You get more of everything: offensive rebounds, post moves, shooting the jumper with confidence. He’s doing things you didn’t see in Jersey.

“He’ll reach a point when you’ll see the killer mentality. He just has to stop thinking the game, and just go out and react.”