Posts Tagged ‘Kenneth Faried’

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Nuggets Considering Lineup Changes

April 24, 2013  ·  5:28PM

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DENVER – Coach George Karl, noting his team did not play with the necessary energy in Game 2, strongly indicated Wednesday the Nuggets will make one lineup change and possibly two when the series with the Warriors resumes Friday in Oakland.

Karl is “definitely thinking” about putting Kenneth Faried, who came off the bench Tuesday in his return from a sprained ankle, back in the opening lineup. It is a especially predictable move with the two days off before Game 3 giving Faried additional time to regain his stamina.

But the Nuggets are also weighing the possibility of benching center Kosta Koufos after his Game 2 of two rebounds, two fouls and zero points in 14 minutes.

Asked after Wednesday’s practice at the Pepsi Center how strongly he was considering the change at center in addition to the expected move with Faried at power forward, Karl said, “Probably enough to bet on it in Vegas.”

The Nuggets have several options to replace Koufos. They could promote JaVale McGee – Karl likes him with the second unit – or reach deeper into the bench for Timofey Mozgov. Or they could put Faried at center and hope his relentless energy compensates for giving up four inches to Golden State’s Andrew Bogut and keep Wilson Chandler at power forward.

No matter what, Karl wants to see increased energy in the wake of the 131-117 loss that tied the best-of-seven series at 1-1 with the next two games at Oracle Arena.

“What I told the team, I thought we played a regular-season game in a playoff intensity,” he said. “I think we’ll learn. We’ll learn that desperate teams are dangerous and desperate teams that shoot the hell out of the ball are really dangerous. I think we’re OK. I think we’re fine. I never thought this was going to be anything except a close series. Every game we’ve played has basically been a fourth-quarter (outcome) or a very small differential. The process depends on the momentum of the series. It changes back and forth. Now it’s our turn to change the momentum back when we go to Golden State.”

So why didn’t the Nuggets bring the proper energy?

“It’s not the proper energy,” Karl said. “I think we played hard. We just didn’t play playoff hard. There’s a difference. Desperation, urgent teams, it happens all the time. Chicago outworked Brooklyn the other night. I think we’ll learn our lesson and it won’t happen again.”

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Posted in 2013 NBA Playoffs / Comments (19) /

Kenneth Faried In, David Lee Out

April 21, 2013  ·  8:13PM

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DENVER – It was the day the power forward universe shifted. It began before the Nuggets’ light workout on their practice court upstairs inside the Pepsi Center. Kenneth Faried, given the chance to stand for an interview session, jumped up on top the hard-plastic lid of a trash can in the corner. That was a pretty good injury update.

About two hours later and a couple miles away, David Lee of the Warriors was talking about an ache in his right hip so bad that nothing is comfortable, not even sleeping. As he stood on the sideline before a practice he would not be able to join, Lee said there is no response on that side of the joint when he simply tries to raise his leg.

The Nuggets, already leading 1-0 in the best-of-seven first round, took more control of the series before another game had been played, when one update on the power forward front would have been significant enough — two became a linkage impossible to avoid.

Denver’s starter was hopping on objects when it would have been acceptable to stand. Golden State’s was standing because nothing else felt any better.

And the difference in severity is obvious, too. Faried had a sprained left ankle that cost him all of three games, including the playoff opener, and most of a fourth. Coach George Karl said there was a chance Faried could have played Saturday, and a good chance if the Nuggets had built enough of a cushion to cushion the mistakes of a rusty player. While the health concern was a big deal because of the timing, it was a relatively minor issue.

The Lee setback, though, is huge. His season is over, even if the Warriors make it to the Finals. His chance to participate in the USA Basketball mini-camp in July, a stepping stone to making the Team USA roster for the 2014 World Cup, is over barring an unexpectedly quick recovery. That the typical recovery time for a torn hip muscle should allow him to be ready for the start of training camp will have to do for encouraging news.

“It’s a tough day,” Lee said Sunday. “I knew last night when I did it. I felt it pop. I knew we were going to get the results that we did this morning. I went to run back on defense [after being hurt] and had absolutely no sensation in my leg. It wasn’t even painful as much as it was just dead. That wasn’t anything I had felt before. I had pulled muscles or strained muscles before, so I knew it was something different. It’s a disappointing day for me. I’d waited eight years for [the playoffs], and to have it come such an abrupt end with something that’s out of my control is frustrating. But at the end of the day, our team has still got a good chance, I think, in the series, and I’m going to put all my effort toward that. It’s easy to kind of sit here and worry about yourself, but I’ve been a leader all season long and I’m going to continue to be one. Guys need to see me be positive right now. I’m going to do my best to be that guy.”

Coach Mark Jackson purposely avoided anything resembling a clear answer on his lineup response, not wanting to give the Nuggets any help in preparation time before Game 2 on Tuesday, but he has options. The Warriors could elevate Carl Landry from dependable backup to starter, obviously a hit to front-court depth but the move that would require the least adjustment. Or, they could go small and add Draymond Green or Richard Jefferson alongside Harrison Barnes and still have a true power forward, Landry, to bring off the bench.

Meanwhile, Denver gets deeper and stronger, even with Faried not having played a full game since April 12. Two seasons into the league, his energy has already become dispensable, as in 9.2 rebounds per game in just 28.1 minutes, and his return could jump start the Nuggets’ transition game that got mostly shut down in the opener.

“He’s our hustle guy,” Karl said. “He’s our rebounder. [Saturday] night I think we missed him. You’ve got two teams that like to run and when you take your best big runner off the court, it’s going to effect the flow of the game a little bit. His offensive rebounding is probably the reason we’re No. 1 in offensive rebounding, point blank. He’s the guy that always goes and is always there. Those extra points. I tell teams so many times, even in the regular season, in the playoffs it’s magnified. Little things win close games. Little things win games of equal talent. He’s probably the one guy on our team that gives us the little things as much as anybody.”

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Denver’s Whole Much More Than Sum Of Its Parts

March 24, 2013  ·  1:50PM

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Back in 1985, give or take a generation depending on what year was dialed in, Doc Brown retro-fitted a campy DeLorean with a few spare parts he had around his workshop and spawned an entire time-traveling series of Hollywood comedies.

Nearly 30 years later, Denver Nuggets VP of basketball operations Masai Ujiri has cobbled together a roster largely out of spare parts, discards and items from the NBA’s great cutout bin and essentially made time stand still. As in another multiplex favorite, the one with Bill Murray and the rodent in which every day and night ends up the same: Win, win, win, win …

Consider the two hottest teams in The Association at the moment and how they came to be. The Miami Heat, aiming for their 26th consecutive victory Sunday evening against Charlotte, were conceived in a lightning bolt and thunderclap moment of AAU-comes-to-NBA inspiration, the brainstorm of the three key Hall of Fame-caliber players involved. Then there are the Nuggets.

Denver, which extended its lower profile winning streak to 15 games Saturday night, have made do – and made dangerous – with far more humble pieces than the crew in south Florida. At the risk of putting a silly “NBA.com has learned…” spin on something that’s been hiding in plain sight, it is worth looking again (if you haven’t done so recently) at the how the Nuggets’ roster was built:

  • Drafted (3): Kenneth Faried (2011, Round 1, No. 22 overall); Evan Fournier (2012, Round 1, No. 20 overall), and Quincy Miller (2012, Round 2, No. 38 overall).
  • Trades (9): Corey Brewer, Wilson Chandler, Jordan Hamilton, Andre Iguodala, Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, Kosta Koufos, JaVale McGee, Andre Miller and Timofey Mozgov.
  • Free agents (2): Anthony Randolph and Julyan Stone.

Looked at as a group, the ensemble nature of what Denver and coach George Karl are doing this season – 15 straight, 49-22, fourth-best record in the league with a legit chance to catch OKC to claim the Northwest Division and the West’s No. 2 seed – is amazing and undeniable. That whole sure had better be greater than the sum of its parts, because its parts, on paper especially, wouldn’t scare hardly anybody.

Faried’s sleeper status out of Morehead State has gotten wide play by now. But it’s indicative of Denver’s recent draft history, with the Nuggets stuck at No. 20 or lower for their last 10 picks overall. The last single-digit guy – heck, the last lottery guy – by the Nuggets? Carmelo Anthony in 2003.

As for player acquired via trades, look how many current Nuggets were disappointing Something-Elses before they made it to Denver. Brewer, Randolph and Koufos, huge contributors on a surging team, were left at the curb by Minnesota. So, in a pre-arranged draft night trade, was Lawson, on the same date the Timberwolves spent the No. 6 pick on Jonny Flynn.

Andre Miller was considered old and broken-down by some at age 34, after five teams and 12 seasons. Chandler, Gallinari, Mozgov (and Quincy Miller, as a future pick) were, at the time of the Anthony trade, the best Ujiri and the Nuggest could do when faced with a marquee player who wanted out. Hamilton was a throw-in from Dallas to Portland to Denver on the night he was drafted in June 2011 at No. 26.

McGee? He was classic addition-by-subtraction for Washington, eager to reduce the knuckleheads quotient of its locker room. Even Iguodala, so helpful at both ends and in a leadership role, had fallen out of favor in Philadelphia.

Ujiri, early this season, referred to the process as a “rough two years.” Yet the Nuggets did not drop out of the playoffs in that span. They did not, obviously, sit and pine for pricey, big-name free agents they weren’t going to get anyway.

They took what was available and, with Ujiri working as hard in the front office as Karl on the sideline and the players on the court, rigged it MacGyver-style into something special. Gourmet chefs, three-star restaurants and the finest meats and veggies often make for great meals, but occasionally so do leftovers used creatively in perfect balance.

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Air Check: Showing Their Colors

February 27, 2013  ·  9:17AM

aircheck-250HANG TIME NEW JERSEY – For NBA fans like us, there’s nothing better than League Pass. Having the ability to watch every game every night (and then again the next day) is heaven.

Of course, with local broadcasts, you get local broadcasters, which can be good and bad. It can be good, because these guys know their teams better than most national broadcasters. It can be bad, because these guys love their teams more than most national broadcasters. And they’re usually not afraid to show that love.

The national guys aren’t perfect either. And if they’re not careful, they may be featured here, where we highlight the best and worst of NBA broadcasts.

Here are a few moments from the season thus far that made us laugh, made us smarter, or made us shake our heads.

1. Trifecta of bias

Game: Minnesota @ Denver, Jan. 3
Broadcast: Denver


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Denver analyst Scott Hastings really shows his colors here. First, he infers that the official should take a previous J.J. Barea complaint into account when making a call. Then, he disparages Barea’s size. And finally, he infers that the number of fouls that Kenneth Faried had at the time should have affected the call. Oof.

2. Mid-game education

Game: Golden State @ Minnesota, Nov. 16
Broadcast: Minnesota


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One of the biggest problems with some NBA broadcasters is that they’re behind the curve in regard to advanced stats. When a play-by-play guy or analyst references points per game and/or field-goal percentage as a measure of offensive or defensive quality, those of us who know and believe in advanced stats just want to squirm and/or mute your television.

So when one of these guys takes the time to educate their audience about pace and efficiency, it’s worthy of a mention. This clip starts out on the wrong foot with a graphic citing PPG, but Dave Benz and Jim Petersen quickly turn the conversation toward efficiency.

Hopefully, talk of pace and efficiency will be the norm (and not the exception) in the near future.

3. Foul? What foul?

Game: New Orleans @ Portland, Dec. 16
Broadcast: Portland


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There are a lot of times when broadcasters need to hold their tongues until they see a replay before questioning an official’s call. Let’s just say that Mike Barrett and Mike Rice don’t do that very often.

On this play, Barrett (play-by-play) first questions the idea of Nicolas Batum‘s foul being a flagrant. Rice takes over from there, seems to ignore an obvious blow to the face of Anthony Davis, makes a silly remark about the official not wanting him to eat dinner on time, and then takes a grade-school-level shot at Davis’ eyebrow(s). Oh yeah, like Hastings in the clip above, he infers that a previous call should somehow influence this one.

One more thing: Broadcasters should know that referees will err on the side of caution when initially determining whether a foul was a flagrant or a common foul, because one can be reviewed and the other can’t. If the refs initially call a flagrant, they can review the play and change it to a common foul. If they don’t call a flagrant initially, they can’t review it or change it. So if there’s any doubt, the best thing to do is call a flagrant foul and check the replay.

4. I take that back

Game: Minnesota @ Brooklyn, Nov. 5
Broadcast: Brooklyn


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Let’s end on a good note, shall we?

Ian Eagle is a Hang Time favorite, because he’s calls games straight, he’s got a quick wit and he certainly isn’t afraid to laugh at himself. Here, he regrets his premature assessment of Greg Stiemsma‘s perimeter game.

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Blogtable: Title Without A Superstar?

February 13, 2013  ·  10:45AM

Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

Week 16: All-time favorite Dunk Contest dunk? | On LeBron’s hot streak … | Winning it all without a star

Can a team win it all nowadays without an MVP-type superstar?

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Steve Aschburner: Don’t want to say “can’t” about a superstar-deficient roster surviving to win the NBA title but I do think it’s a long shot. The ability to ride one (or better yet, two) hot hands and the role that free-throw opportunities can play in pivotal games — built off of star power, in many cases — are the things of which champions are made. It would be fascinating to a lot of hardcore pro hoops fans to see, say, a Nuggets-Pacers Finals, but it wouldn’t thrill the marketing types or maybe even the folks in Olympic Tower. But I don’t see them having to fret beyond the conference finals round.

Fran Blinebury: This is like the old kids’ riddle about how many balls of string would it take to reach the moon?  Just one, but it better be big. Of course, a team without a superstar can win it all. But it had better be talented, tough, unselfish and have enough players who could make all the big and little plays in the clutch. The stars have to be perfectly aligned to produce the 2004 Pistons again.

Jeff Caplan: OK, so the star-less Detroit Pistons won it all against the bickering, last-of-the-line Kobe-Shaq Lakers nearly a decade ago. The Chauncey Billups-Rip Hamilton-Tayshaun Prince-Rasheed-and-Ben Wallace Pistons remain the lone example, an exception to the rule. So, no, I don’t believe a team without a bona fide superstar in today’s NBA can win it all. We’ve seen that it’s nearly impossible for a lone superstar to take his team to the top. Dirk Nowitzki finally managed that task with one of the great postseason runs of all-time in 2011. And let’s be real, those Mavs caught a collapsing Lakers team with Phil Jackson having one foot out the door, a very young Thunder team just getting their feet under them and the Miami Super Friends in their first season together. I truly enjoy watching George Karl‘s squad run up and down the floor, but a team has got to have a go-to-guy who can create his own shot when the game turns into a halfcourt grindfest and when crunch-time demands an isolation takeover.

Scott Howard-Cooper: Possible, but it makes the odds much longer. The team does not have to have an MVP-type superstar, but it needs to have a player able to beat coverage to hit a pressure shot coming out of of a timeout in the final seconds. It also needs to have the player strike a fear in defenses, enough to create an opening for a teammate if Player X himself does not take the shot. That usually describes a superstar.

John Schuhmann: I think so. It would take great defense (like what we’ve seen from the star-less Pacers and Bulls) and an offense with shooting and ball movement (like the Spurs in Chicago on Monday). Of course, I don’t think the Nuggets have what it takes. They’re not good enough defensively, not good enough on the road, and not good enough from behind the 3-point line to thrive in at a slower, playoff-like pace.

Sekou Smith: It’s only been done once in my time eyeballing the league, by the 2004 Detroit Pistons. And they did it with one of the most meticulously crafted rosters I can remember seeing that was didn’t have a true MVP-type anchor (Chauncey Billups or Ben Wallace came close). I love the Nuggets and the way they are playing this season. The committee approach only goes so far in the NBA playoffs these days. Sooner or later you run into a team built around a superstar player (or players, in most instances).

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Ross Out To Dunk Cancer Too

February 12, 2013  ·  6:03PM

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HANG TIME SOUTHWEST – Terrence Ross is thrilled to be one of six competitors and the lone rookie entrant in Saturday’s Sprite Slam Dunk contest in Houston as part of All-Star Saturday. And as the Toronto Raptors guard defies gravity, he’ll be uplifted by a number of young fans he probably never knew he had.

That’s because the 22-year-old guard out of Washington plans to dunk something far bigger than basketballs — he wants to help dunk cancer and help the children battling the despicable disease every day.

Before the Raptors play host to the Denver Nuggets tonight, Ross will announce his involvement in launching a three-part fundraising campaign in partnership with “Dunk Cancer” and its month-long initiative, ”Dunk Cancer Month,” during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend.

Ross has committed to help raise money to benefit the Children’s Cancer Association and his high school back home, Jefferson High, in Portland, Ore.

“Ever since I was in about the third grade, my mom has run an out-of-home day care service,” Ross said. “So there were always kids around. One of the kids that she took care of had cancer. We were close to the family and were always around each other so it hit home for us. That’s the main reason I’ve chosen to support “Dunk Cancer” and “Dunk Cancer Month.”

Ross kicks off the first leg of the campaign on Thursday as he’ll host a 72-hour, Twitter-based online fundraiser from his @T_DotFlight31 twitter handle. Using the #dunkcancer hash tag, he will encourage Twitter users to support “Dunk Cancer Month” by purchasing “Dunk Cancer” merchandise (T-shirts, hoodies etc.) at dunkcancer.com.

During Saturday night’s slam dunk contest, Ross will donate $2,000 to “Dunk Cancer” for every round he advances in the three-round slam-dunk competition.

He’ll go up against defending dunk champ Jeremy Evans of Utah, plus Denver’s powerful Kenneth Faried — who leads all contestants with 85 dunks on the season (seventh-most in the league) — the Los Angeles’ Clippers’ high-flyer Eric Bledsoe, the Knicks’ 30-year-old James “Flight” White and Indiana’s Gerald Green, who blew out a lit candle in a cupcake perched on the back of the rim in the 2008 dunk contest.

So what does the 6-foot-6, 195-pound Ross, the youngest of the contestants, have planned?

“I’ve been planning my dunks for about a week now, testing them with teammates to see which will get really good scores,” said Ross, who noted that Raptors newcomer Rudy Gay has provided some pointers. “I’m definitely going to do something new, nothing I’ve done during the season.”

So a few surprises then?

“Possibly,” said Ross, who is averaging 6.6 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 17.3 mpg. “I think I have a fairly good chance of winning. Plus, I need to advance to build up my contribution.”

After the All-Star break, Ross, the eighth overall pick last June, will turn his attention to his old high school in Portland. As the Raptors are playing the Washington Wizards next Tuesday, Jefferson High will be taking on Benson High. Ross will donate $500 for each dunk a Jefferson player slams home, up to $2,000. The money will go to support the school’s athletic program.

“I’m just doing my part to try to help kids that are in need,” Ross said. “Partnering with ‘Dunk Cancer,’ to benefit the Children’s Cancer Association and my high school back home, allows me to lend my name to a good cause.”

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Nuggets’ Faried First To Boldly Step Forward To Fight Homophobia

February 12, 2013  ·  11:48AM

HANG TIME SOUTHWEST – Kenneth Faried plays for the Denver Nuggets. He is now officially a trail blazer.

The second-year power forward nicknamed “The Manimal” for his ferocious style of play, has become the first NBA player to join Athlete Ally, an organization determined to end homophobia in sports. Faried has spent a lifetime immersed in the importance of raising awareness and fighting for equal rights in the gay and lesbian community.

The 23-year-old was raised in New Jersey by two lesbian mothers. Faried stood up in January to support marriage equality with a PSA geared toward legislation in Colorado. His moms married in 2007.

Stepping forward as the first NBA activist into an arena still mostly taboo in professional sports locker rooms is a bold move for a player who has made an immediate and significant impact on the court.

“Becoming an Athlete Ally gives me the opportunity to spread a message of inclusiveness throughout the NBA and our country,” Faried said in a statement. “I have two moms and I love them both very much. I respect, honor and support them in every way. The bond I have with them has made me realize that I want all members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community — whether they are parents, players, coaches or fans — to feel welcome in the NBA and in all of our communities.”

The dread-locked Faried will be highly visible during this weekend’s NBA All-Star extravaganza in Houston as a first-time participant in Saturday night’s Sprite Slam Dunk contest. He will also play in Friday’s BBVA Rising Stars Challenge.

As a member of Athlete Ally, Faried joins Super Bowl champion Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens, Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings, Scott Fujita of the Cleveland Browns, Connor Barwin of the Houston Texans, plus Australian rugby star David Pocock, Australian Rules Football player Brock McLean and scores of college athletes who have already signed on.

Faried will serve as a liaison between the organization and the NBA, help promote Athlete Ally’s mission to end homophobia in sports by speaking out to his team, league and fan base, and encouraging his colleagues to join in the effort. In August, Faried joined with the organization in partnership with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to deliver a pioneering awareness training to the 2012 NBA rookie class.

 

While there have been some women athletes to come out during their professional careers, no American male athlete has taken the leap and come out while playing a team sport. How professional athletes and organizations would handle such a scenario within the hallowed confines and forever hetero-dominated world of the male locker room has been hotly debated.

Some suggest today’s athletes still are not equipped to embrace a gay teammate, while others believe the time is finally here, that an openly gay player can coexist.

Recall it was just April 2011 when Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 by the league for using a gay slur during a game. Recently, Bryant reprimanded a fan on Twitter who tweeted, “You’re Gay” to another fan. The NBA has run a series of television ads about not using the word “gay” to put someone down.

Simply looking at the percentage of gay men in society suggests that the NBA and every other professional sports leagues have gay players within their ranks, and always have. Faried, the trail blazer, is working to ensure that soon those players will feel empowered to come out of the shadows without fear of repercussion.

“Kenneth’s advocacy for marriage equality was game-changing and his work to transform the culture of sports as an Athlete Ally will also make a huge difference,” said Brian Ellner, who led the Campaign for New York Marriage and who serves on the Athlete Ally Board of Directors. “Today, Kenneth sends a loud message to young people around the world that you can be who you are and compete at any level.”

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After Home Blitz, Nuggets Rising in West

February 9, 2013  ·  10:07AM


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HANG TIME SOUTHWEST – Who’s the league’s hottest team either side of San Antonio? Don’t look now, but it’s the Denver Nuggets.

With a grueling road schedule to open the first two months of the season, some observers predicted a hard charge up the standings once the schedule turned in Denver’s favor, which it did starting Jan. 1 with 15 of 18 games to be played in the Mile-High City.

On cue, the sky’s been the limit for George Karl‘s bunch, which is riding an eight-game win streak — while averaging a whopping 115.0 ppg — as part of a larger 15-3 run since New Year’s Day. They’ve won 13 of those 15 home games and have gone 2-1 on the road.

On Dec. 29, the Nuggets had dropped to 17-15 after an ugly 82-71 loss at Memphis. At that point, Denver had played a discombobulating 23 road games, stood seventh in the West and were just one game ahead of — believe it or not — the Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. was 15-15, the last time that outfit would sniff .500.

Now the high-octane, well-balanced Nuggets are 32-18 and have pushed past Houston, Golden State and Memphis to slide into the No. 4 position in the West, a hugely significant spot for a team that’s 22-3 at home. The top four teams in each conference earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Only the smooth-sailing Spurs have fewer home losses (22-2) among teams in both conferences, and no team has more home wins (San Antonio and Oklahoma City each also have 22).

Of course, Karl’s previous seven seasons in Denver have been marked by first-round disappointments six times and twice the Nuggets have wasted a top-four finish by not getting out of the conference quarterfinals (2006 and 2010). Only the 2008-09 Nuggets, who finished second in the West, made it out, with Carmelo Anthony finally taking the team all the way to the West finals before losing to the Lakers.

So home-court advantage isn’t a free pass into the second round, but would the run-and-gun Nuggets rather play four of seven games in the high altitude or, say, in the madhouse that is Golden State’s Oracle Arena?

So now the schedule evens out. Denver has played 25 games at home and 25 on the road (10-15), and next up is a four-game Eastern Conference road swing, including two back-to-backs: Cleveland (Saturday) and Boston (Sunday), followed by Toronto (Tuesday) and Brooklyn (Wednesday).

The Nuggets will look for their two pace-setters to continue their brilliant play that has led to the team’s longest win streak of the season. Neither point guard Ty Lawson nor forward Danilo Gallinari will be in Houston for the All-Star Game, but had they put up these kind of numbers earlier, both might have finally made the squad.

Gallinari is averaging 19.9 ppg during the eight-game win streak and is shooting the 3-ball at a 44.7-percent clip to boost his previously slumping season percentage to 37.3.

Lawson over the last eight games is averaging 18.9 points — more than three points better than his season average — and 8.1 assists — pushing his season average to a career-high 7.0 apg. After posting four double-doubles through the first 42 games, Lawson has two in the last three games and four of his six on the season have come in the last 15 games.

Add Kenneth Faried‘s (12.2 ppg, 9.7 rpg) relentless motor, a deep roster with six players scoring in double figures, and a seventh, Wilson Chandler, back from injury and averaging 9.7 ppg, the Nuggets have a team that can simply gas opponents.

Especially on their home floor.

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‘The Manimal’ Cannot Be Outworked

February 8, 2013  ·  3:10PM



Soon after tipoff, Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried pushed his tachometer into the red, as he so often does. Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau got to grinding and barking from one of the sidelines, as he so often does.

That’s when the potency of the situation hit home: If Faried played for Thibodeau, teaming their work ethics on any given night in The Association, the result would be like crossing the streams in “Ghostbusters.”

Total protonic reversal.

Too too much.

Faried has been outworking opponents since the day he arrived in the NBA as the No. 22 pick out of Morehead State in the 2011 draft. Using hustle, scrappiness and tenacity the way more refined players rely on touch, grace or hand-eye coordination, the 6-foot-8, 228-pounder from Newark, N.J., ranks 11th in the NBA in rebounding, seventh in offensive rebounding and ninth in field-goal percentage because of the high volume of dunks and layups. He had six and two, respectively, against Thibodeau’s Bulls Thursday night, part of his 9-of-10 shooting for 21 points and 12 rebounds.

It was his fifth 20/10 game this season and his 33rd double-double in 96 NBA games dating to the start of last season, and the Nuggets are 28-5 on those nights.

Denver, as a result, hasn’t missed Nene. It seems fine without Carmelo Anthony. All because it has The Manimal, Faried’s nickname these days.

Faried, though, sounds like he’s interested in making a name for the Nuggets. Routing the overachieving Bulls, who are said to be one Derrick Rose away from a title chase in the East, was the latest, greatest move.

“Not a lot of people see us when we play,” Faried said afterward, referring to the TNT network audience that was theirs Thursday. “So more people wanted to step to the stage on a nationally televised stage, and we brought it tonight. People might not respect us as much because we’re not on TV as much like a Clippers, Lakers or Knicks. But today we made a statement on TNT, showing everybody – hey, pay attention.”

So consider yourself forewarned, viewers: That would be Faried, most likely, testing the 120Hz refresh rate by streaking across your flat-screen in Denver colors.

Faried will get a chance under the bright lights again at All-Star Weekend when he competes both in the 2013 Sprite Slam Dunk contest and for TEAM CHUCK in the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. But the man brings such a motor and such heart to his job, night in, night out, even in the dog days of early February, that it can make you wonder what other players – perhaps more skilled or polished – could do if they ran that hot.

Here are a handful off the top of some HTB heads.

  • Tyrus Thomas, Charlotte Bobcats
  • Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors
  • James Johnson, Sacramento Kings
  • Michael Beasley, Phoenix Suns
  • Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers

Feel free to name some more, explaining why and how they’d benefit from a little more Manimal in their tanks.

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Blogtable: Draft The Rising Stars

February 7, 2013  ·  11:45AM




Tonight, on TNT (7 ET), the participants for the All-Star Saturday Night events will be revealed: the Sears Shooting Stars, the Taco Bills Skills Challenge, the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest and the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

Also on TNT tonight — before the big Los Angeles Lakers-Boston Celtics game — Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal will draft the teams for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, a game between some of the NBA’s best rookies and sophomores that will be held on Friday night of All-Star weekend (Feb. 15 on TNT, at 9 ET).

Each week in the NBA.com blogtable, we ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below. In this special edition, we’ve asked our guys to look at the pool of players for the Rising Stars game and give us their top three choices. Here they are:

Steve Aschburner: This is easy. I take Kyrie Irving with my No. 1 pick because he’s the best player on the board. I take Kenneth Faried No. 2 because he has only one gear — he can only play with a high-revving motor, which puts him way ahead of anyone else in an exhibition like this. Plus, I like “sophomores,” who don’t want to lose to the newbies. But that said, I take Damian Lillard with my No. 3 pick because this will be his chance to make a Rookie of the Year statement on a huge stage. Two point guards? Bah! I remember the havoc caused by Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury down the stretch in the 2001 All-Star Game.

Anthony Davis, by Noah Graham/NBAE/via Getty

Anthony Davis, by Noah Graham/NBAE/via Getty

Fran Blinebury: 1.) Kyrie Irving — All-Star games are all about scoring points and nobody here can do that better than Irving, who’s already good enough to also be playing in the main event on Sunday. 2.) Anthony Davis — The No. 1 pick in the Draft has trailed Damian Lillard from opening night in the Rookie of the Year race in an up-and-down season. But he’s got all the tools to the foundation player for the Hornicans/Pelinets and can use this chance to strut his stuff at both ends of the floor. 3.) Chandler Parsons — Never miss an opportunity to suck up to the hometown crowd in an All-Star Game. And he’s the kind of excitable guy who could rise to the occasion.

Jeff Caplan: Kyrie Irving: Look around, the NBA is the League of the Point Guard right now and this kid is phenomenal, already an All-Star in just his second season. I know I’m not alone with this pick (Damian Lillard is a solid choice, but I think a distant second right now) because Irving is so dynamic with the ball and is a scoring machine. Get him some offensive help and his assists will go up. I love that he’s deadly from 3-point range (41.2 percent) and is an excellent free-throw shooter (86.2 percent in first two seasons). Anthony Davis: To go with a top-notch PG, you need a big man that can get the job done on both ends of the floor. As the 6-foot-10, 220-pound Davis matures, he’ll be a double-double machine. He’s shooting 53 percent from the floor, 72 percent from the free-throw line and he’s averaging 1.8 blocks a game, a number that will surely rise as well. It’s been a relatively quiet season for Davis after a ton of hype as the No. 1 pick, but this kid is going to be really good for a really long time. Kawhi Leonard: Now you need a solid wing to go with the point guard and center and I can’t think of a more well-rounded player than Leonard. He plays the game the right way, which is why he’s fit like a glove in San Antonio. He’s going to give you excellent defense on every possession and his offensive game is really nice, too. His numbers (9.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) would be more impressive on a team that wasn’t loaded with offensive weapons. Still, what’s tremendous about this kid is he can put it on the floor, shoot the mid-range jumper and, hugely important, he he can really pop the 3-pointer — he’s shooting it at a nearly 40 percent clip — while shooting 48.4 percent overall.

Scott Howard-Cooper: 1. Kyrie Irving. Because he’s not just one of the top young players in the league. Irving is on his way to being a star in any age group. 2. Anthony Davis. Interior defense, rebounding, the ability to handle pressure or accept a complementary role, plus an underrated offensive game. 3. Klay Thompson. If I have Irving and Davis, I next want someone who will make defenses pay from the perimeter. I thought hard about going with Bradley Beal off his breakthrough shooting in January, and because I was a Beal guy to begin with, but the injury and Thompson’s longer track record swayed me to Golden State.

John Schuhmann: My first pick is Kyrie Irving and I don’t have to give you a reason. My second pick is Andre Drummond for his size and athleticism. He can finish at the rim offensively, protect it defensively and run the floor with my franchise point guard. And my third pick is Kawhi Leonard for both perimeter defense and shooting. I think he’d be the best complement to the other two.

Sekou Smith: Kyrie Irving is an easy No. 1 pick in a game like this, given the nature of the game and the fact that he’s the best player available. But we’re trying to build a team here and that means I need balance, which makes Kenneth Faried my no-brainer choice for pick No. 2. There other guys who are true centers in this game, but none of them operate with a motor that can match what Faried brings to the party. If Kyrie needs someone to run the floor or fill the lane, Faried will be there. Rebounds, defense and pure energy in its rawest form is what you get from “The Manimal.” My third and final pick is Klay Thompson, the best pure shooter in the game. He can just line up and pick his spots and wait for the dish from Kyrie and see if he can’t break the 3-point shooting mark for this game.

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