Assessing Kenneth Faried's Future.

[Star-Lord]

Kenneth is quickly becoming one of those types of players every team would love to have. Every coach in the league would kill to have a guy who can get his team 12 and nearly 10 a game without having to run a single play for him. I don't think anyone really thought he would end up being as effective in the NBA as he is today.

My question is, how much better can Faried get? I don't get to watch too many Nuggets games, but from what I've seen, the kid has already improved quite a bit just from last season to this one. He's gotten even better at consistently boxing out his opponents for rebounds, and his little 15 foot jumper seems to be coming around. He's clearly got a lot of work to do with regards to his team defense and his overall offensive ability, but I have to think Nuggs fans are pretty encouraged by what they've seen from Kenneth so far.

I'm curious to see what fans who get to see Faried play every night think. How good will he be when he peaks? All-Star caliber? Complimentary starter? Off the bench spark-plug?

[The Rebel]

I think most Nuggets fans think that Faried can become a true poor mans Rodman with better offense, the only thing he is really lacking is on defense with making the occasional mistake with his positioning, other than that he is getting better at rebounding, his defense as a whole has improved, he is beginning to not let physical play bother him, and as you mentioned his jumpshot. I can see him becoming a borderline all star type of guy, but would not be surprised to see him actually become a multi-time all star either.

[pickIBL]

Look @ that. Seems Rebel has swung a long way since the young fella was drafted.

Offensively yes Faried is better than Rodman. His work has to be sustaining it on the defensive end for 35 to 38 minutes a night. He's on track right now to be everything Rodman ever was minus the problems.

Now we can't say for sure if he can get there and he can stay healthy. But it would be insane to trade this guy. And over the next couple of years his minutes should increase.

If he can stay out on the floor 38 minutes a night and get a ring or two... anything is possible... all star games and beyond.

[DaFan334]

His improvement from last year has been a very encouraging as to where he could end up. His hard work apparently continues into the summers. He could definitely be an all star in the future.

[RRFB]

I like the way his offensive game has progressed. He's gotten really good at that little 5-10 foot baby hook shot and his mid-range jumper is much improved as well.

His defense is what still needs a lot of work. He's definitely gotten better from last year but he still gets caught out of position way too often. Every game there are multiple times where he just refuses to rotate and it always leads to a wide open jump shot. He also seems struggles against big men that can spread the floor because he's always so focused on getting rebound positioning that he doesn't step out to defend the perimeter.

He's made some pretty significant improvements over his rookie season, but I'm still not sure he'll ever be an all-star. He's got a great attitude and work ethic though, so you never know.

[BlackBerry]

I like Fareeds explosiveness. This man is explosive. I hate when people use the word explosive with OKC.

[Maf]

Man I love Nuggets. I sincerely do. But I hate BS like that. Comparing Faried to the great "Worm?" Be serious. This guy is a Hall of Famer. Owner of five rings and one of the greatest defenders and rebounders this game has ever had. What's next? Comparing Ty to Isiah? Galo to Bird?

Saying Faried is better in boxing out? Really? So you missed the 4th quarter of last game when Faried nearly cost us win? Yeah, talking about him "boxing out" Courtney Lee (or Bradley, doesn't matter) so he got easiest off rebound after missed free throw. Faried and his jump shot? I hate it as much as I hate JaVale leading fast break or JaVale trying to post up. Or JaVale doing anything outside dunking... He shouldn't be allowed to shoot outside five feets. That's his range.

[pickIBL]

Man I love Nuggets. I sincerely do. But I hate BS like that. Comparing Faried to the great "Worm?" Be serious. This guy is a Hall of Famer. Owner of five rings and one of the greatest defenders and rebounders this game has ever had. What's next? Comparing Ty to Isiah? Galo to Bird?

Hey... hold up now. The Worm as great as he was had his flaws. And he was quite lucky to play on the teams he did. Because if he played for the Clippers.... he would not be in the hall of fame. The worm would miss a layup if he thought he could get the freakin rebound. And I love how he could get in Karl Malone's head... but sometimes even the worm would melt down.

If the Nuggets keep good talent around Faried and he continues to work hard the sky is the limit. Just to put things in perspective at what the Worm did best... rebounding... in his 2nd season Faried is rebounding at the same rate per minute as Rodman did... and Faried is younger.

Faried doesn't have it all figured it... but the potential is there for Faried to be the BEST lunch pale guy the NBA has ever seen. Doesn't mean it will happen... but he's got a legit chance for sure.

[Maf]

OK I see you want to be optimist and I respect that. You know, it really seems like you, well not expect, but like you wouldn't be surprised if Kenneth is future Hall of Famer. I say noooo way. I think you're wrong if you say Dennis was best at rebounding. His strength was defense. I mean REAL defense. (not that crap Camby won DPOY for- blocking shots and boxing out his own teammates for rebounds) Defense Bruce Bowen played. Tonny Allen does it now. Being so damn annoying, personal and dirty so all your player wants is game being over. (And you might recall Galo was really annoyed by Allen)

Rodman of course had luck to play on great teams. Pistons, Spurs, Bulls (Lakers and Dallas didn't end up well but they were good as well). One thing is that bad or mediocre players aren't usually starters on great teams. And second- winners are different... Look, Tracy McGrady was great. One of the best of last decade. Had one of the best individual seasons of all times. And NEVER got past first round! Vince was great. Never won anything. AI... all he has is one final. So what I'm trying to say- you can't say Michael Jordan won Rodman his tittles. Dennis won two with Pistons (and they wouldn't win without him) and was close with Spurs- no accident.

[pickIBL]

His strength was defense. I mean REAL defense. (not that crap Camby won DPOY for- blocking shots and boxing out his own teammates for rebounds)

Rodman of course had luck to play on great teams. Pistons, Spurs, Bulls (Lakers and Dallas didn't end up well but they were good as well). One thing is that bad or mediocre players aren't usually starters on great teams.

Mediocre players are starters on great teams because great teams have role players and weaknesses. I don't see Otis Thorpe or Kenny Smith in the Hall of Fame. I suppose Luc Longley is in the HOF in Australia somewhere.

Why do you think Rodman colored his hair blonde? It's because he felt he got no props for what he was doing. So he wasn't considered a star for the Pistons. David Robinson & co didn't think he fit the family atmosphere of the Spurs club... and it was Phil and Jordan that felt they could handle him.

I am an optimist on Ken... but I'm not one of those that goes around comparing current prospects to the greats often. I'm saying there is some real juice to the Ken to Dennis comparisons that aren't usually there with others

Rodman is known first to be the greatest rebounder and 2nd for his defense and head games (and melt downs).

Faried is 23 (Rodman was 24 when he entered the league)... there is soo much Faried can accomplish if he continues the same curve of development.

[Maf]

Ok I wrote it wrong. They are bad and mediocre players. But Rodman was key member. Not role player. You should see (and I mean in it good way, it's really great) Beyond the glory about Rodman. You'll see he didn't colour his haire to get recognised. About Spurs and Robinson there is really great part. How Admiral always tried to give him Bible and Rodman was just "you do your job I'll do mine." And after they fall short in PO who do you blame? Mr. Robinson or Rodman? Everyone just pointed at him beacuse he was different.

That's all I can say. Really go and see Beyond the glory. You'll see this guy whole new way.

[pickIBL]

I've seen it and still stand by what I said. When people (teens & teens at heart) color their hair funky (unnatural) colors... they do it for attention.

[Star-Lord]

Interesting opinions here. I totally agree that one of the main issues with Faried's team defense is that his nose for rebounds sometimes causes him not to commit fully to closing out or defending the pick and roll properly. Ultimately it seems like a problem that he should be able to correct with a little more experience and some hard work.

I think Kenneth has a very good chance of becoming a much, much better offensive threat than Rodman ever was. The mechanics on his jumper look pretty solid, and he's head and shoulders above Worm in the athleticism department; especially as it pertains to body control, which is often an underrated aspect of a player's overall athletic ability. What separates Faried from Worm or someone like Gerald Wallace is his ability to actually control himself. Sure, he can just fling himself in the air and sort of hope for the best, kind of like the other two guys I mentioned, but it seems to me like he's already much more efficient at finding ways to attack the basket and absorb any contact while still finishing the play.

I'm not sure he'll ever approach Rodman as a rebounder, but I think that'll have quite a bit to do with the fact that Dennis focused almost exclusively on that particular aspect of the game, to the detriment of his other skills. I also think it's very possible Kenneth becomes a better defender than Rodman was, particularly when it comes to man to man defense. Worm was always an overrated defender in my opinion, because he relied so much on a cerebral approach. If you were able to ignore him, Dennis would either get bored and essentially quit, or he would get pissy and have one of his classic melt downs. Kenneth just isn't that kind of guy.

As you guys can probably tell, I'm pretty damn high on Mr. Faried myself, and I really do think the kid could end up being a top 5-10 power forward in this league.

[Powder Blue]

I just watched some K-Mart clips...Knicks just signed him bringing their old-nugget count up to 5!

Faried plays with passion, i'm not questioning that...He'd be a true beast if he had an edge to him like K-Mart. We had some real nice squads back in the day.....too bad all that's left is the joke-of-a-coach.

[pickIBL]

Guys like KMart, Melo, and JR crumbled mentally when the pressure was on in the playoffs. Faried gives you tons of effort (and will improve and develop) without any problems. His two moms raised him well. No off the court issues or on court meltdowns in Faried's future.

[Powder Blue]

Guys like KMart, Melo, and JR crumbled mentally when the pressure was on in the playoffs. Faried gives you tons of effort (and will improve and develop) without any problems. His two moms raised him well. No off the court issues or on court meltdowns in Faried's future.

So quickly you guys forget the talent this team once had.

Crumble under pressure??? How many game winners did Melo hit while he was here? How many games did JR bring us back in when he was on fire? How many defense stops did K-Mart pull out? Just because they left doesn't mean you can't appreciate what they did while here.

I'll agree that Faried has yet to have any off court distractions but the dude can't hit his free throws to save his life, don't start saying he's mentally tough and doesn't crumble cause he's had a nice season and dropped 40-10 in an Jr All-Star game.

[pickIBL]

Guys like KMart, Melo, and JR crumbled mentally when the pressure was on in the playoffs. Faried gives you tons of effort (and will improve and develop) without any problems. His two moms raised him well. No off the court issues or on court meltdowns in Faried's future.

So quickly you guys forget the talent this team once had.

Crumble under pressure??? How many game winners did Melo hit while he was here? How many games did JR bring us back in when he was on fire?

I'm not anit-Melo at all. Not a fan of his forcing the trade... but I've moved on. Melo had his playoff melt downs though and I was refering to the playoffs. Not the regular season.

As for JR... how often did he shoot us out... how many brain farts did have have defensively. Not letting you get off with the JR comment at all LOL

[Maf]

Faried and defense. After last game I don't know I'm sad, angry or laughing my ass off. Probably the last one. It was a joke, not defense.

[83SixersRocked]

Just started watching the Nuggets recently, and while I don't think he'll ever set the world on fire, he seems pretty good on the open floor. His half-court play IMO has seemed meh (so far); there are times when his footwork is awkward around the basket. Like somebody mentioned, better positioning would help. He's only 23 and he has time; hopefully he makes use of it. I think Hakeem or Pete Newell's camp (if that's still around?) could help his footwork, though admittedly that doesn't do a thing for his D.

[CLIN]

You're lucky this nuggets forum is dead, otherwise you're faried > rodman comparison would get buried. talk about being a homer.

at one point rodman was getting up to like 18 or 19 rebs per game. That is just insanity. Along with DPOY type defense. Faried is a good player but to pencil him in for a series of inevitable big improvements is foolish. I hope he turns into the next rodman cuz rodman was fun to watch but we'll see.

i mean "faried has the potential to be the best lunch pale guy the nba has ever seen" is crazy. In the last month faried averaged 12-9 on 30 mins. amazing. And his last game against OKC he straight up sucked.

Hopefully george karl doesn't fill you with too much hype so you won't be crushed after the first round exit.