Denver Nuggets: Is it time to give up on the Kenneth Faried experiment?

By Andrew Dill | Jan 26, 2015

Kenneth Faried is a high-energy player who can come in and make a difference on the boards right away. The problem? He’s a starter for the Denver Nuggets and is getting paid like one. Denver made the mistake of extending Faried after a solid performance at the FIBA World Cup in Spain. Denver was a little too trigger happy in my honest opinion.

I’ll admit, I was fooled by the signing initially. I was excited, ready for the season to start but my hopes crashed after five regular season games. This team and roster is flawed, filled with a bunch of role players. Kenneth Faried is one of them. With the score tied at 105-105 Sunday night against the Washington Wizards, Faried was fouled with nearly one second left on the clock. Faried headed to the stripe with a chance to take the lead. Miss. Miss. Faried missed both freebies which sent Denver and Washington into overtime. Denver went on to lose the game as Faried finished the night 1/4 from the stripe.

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming Faried for the loss, but he did have a chance to help Denver to their 19th win of the season. The problem is Faried is too inconsistent both offensively and defensively, although defensive is definitely not his strong suit. For a guy who plays with so much energy and passion if you will, he’s only averaging 11.9 points and 9.1 rebounds. This is supposedly the face of Denver’s franchise, at least one of them alongside Ty Lawson.

Faried is a fan favorite in Denver and rightfully so. I’m a Faried fan as well, but that doesn’t mask his inconsistent play. For a guy who Denver agreed to a four-year, $50 million extension with, the numbers are not enough and Denver’s record is a reflection of it.

Lets just take a look at Faried’s last five games and you tell me if this is worth $50 million.

Jan. 17th: vs. Minnesota: 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block.
Jan. 19th: @ Golden State: 7 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block.
Jan. 20th: vs. San Antonio: 26 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist.
Jan. 23rd: vs. Boston: 11 points, 14 rebounds, 1 block.
Jan. 25th: vs. Washington: 9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks.

I don’t think so. The San Antonio game was something else, although Denver took the loss. Just take a look at this clip. John Wall‘s pass to Nene literally went in front of Faried’s face – not to mention the terrible pick-and-roll defense.

If you watched that clip, it’s nothing new if you watch the Nuggets on a regular basis. The team just lacks the basketball I.Q. to contend in a dangerous Western Conference.

Denver reportedly just said they wouldn’t trade “any of their core players,” in reference to a trade with the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez. I’m assuming Faried, Lawson, Jusuf Nurkic and possibly Wilson Chandler are the players they are talking about.

It’s hard to see the Nuggets give up on a player such as Faried since they just extended him four-years, but who would take on his contract? I’m sure some team out their would but I’m sure fans would be outraged (I don’t know why) if Denver traded the “Manimal”, a fan favorite in the Mile High City.

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