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Kenneth Faried went from signing a 50 million dollar contract to being out of the league in just a few seasons. His rise and the tragic downfall are still being discussed and people are asking what happened to him, and how did he disappear so quickly.
In this video we’ll unravel the series of events that happened for Faried to go from a key player on a 57 win team, all the way to being out of the league. So, let’s get into it.
In the aftermath of the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Nuggets went from a title contender and a conference finals team, to a dynamic roster full of interesting young players.
Ty Lawson, Danilo Galinari, Corey Brewer, Aaron Aflalo, Rudy Fernandez.
All exciting to watch, despite being far from a championship level quality. So there was no pressure of competing for a title.
Denver added Kenneth Faried with the 22nd pick in 2011 and they immediately saw what they got:
These are literally the first 2 points of Faried’s NBA journey. He left a great first impression and became a fan favorite right from the jump.
The crowd quickly got used to his top 10 worthy dunks, and the monster blocks that showcased his insane athleticism. The nickname Manimal seemed fitting for a player looking and performing like this.
One thing that everyone especially loved about him tho, was his effort. Even as an undersized big man at 6-8 (203), Faried battled on both ends and often got double digit rebounds.
In the best game of his rookie season against Golden State, he exploded for 27 points and 17 rebounds in only 24 minutes of action. These are unbelievable numbers for basically 1 half of basketball.
His energy and effort, helped the Nuggets secure the 6th seed and go head to head in the playoffs against the Lakers.
The Manimal averaged a double double for the series and to everyone’s surprise, Denver came back from 0-2 and forced a game 7 against Kobe, Pau and Bynum.
But the talent as well as the size of the Lakers prevailed at the end.
However, despite the loss-admittedly to a better team, there was a lot of hope in this promising squad.
That summer, the front office pulled the trigger on a trade to get Andre Iguodala, a big boost to an already solid roster.
Faried started off great. He had some monster games including a 16 point and 20 rebound explosion, a season best for him, but also a 19 and 19 spectacle.
He was posting phenomenal numbers.
And as a sophomore, he even won the MVP of the All Star rookie challenge game scoring 40 points and 10 rebounds, and of course a lot of highlight dunks. So things were going great for him.
But the Nuggets as a whole took some time to get in rhythm, as they found themselves at the number 8 spot in the middle of January.
But then, Denver went on an unbelievable run of 31-6 steamrolling through the entire league.
They looked unstoppable, especially at home with an astonishing record of 38-3 in Denver, the absolute best home court advantage in the NBA.
Ending the season as the number 3 seed, suddenly the appetite grew, and they were aiming for a deep playoff push.
But the young Golden State Warriors team shattered their dreams, upsetting them in 6 games.
Faried was solid for the series, but also struggled defensively against the lightning quick playing style of the Warriors, and was often in foul trouble. 2 games with 5 fouls, and even fouled out once. It was tough.
The loss prompted a lot of changes for Denver. They fired George Karl, who won coach of the year just a month earlier- for the great season that he had with the Nuggets.
They also couldn’t re-sign one of their leaders in Andre Iguodala who went to Golden State as a free agent.
Corey Brewer, another 12 point per game scorer, left and signed with Minnesota.
And an injured Galinari missed the entire season. So this was bound to be a down year for Denver.
In a situation like that tho, Faried thrived and had the best season of his career.
Averaging 13.7 points per game, 8.6 rebounds, and some more absolutely monster games.
24 points and 21 rebounds along with 5 assists against Utah, a complete all around takeover from him.
And against the Pelicans Kenneth had 34 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. A career high in terms of scoring in another absurd display of his talent.
Then, against Golden State…
Despite Denver not making the playoffs, the entire league already noticed Faried, and that summer he even had a spot on team USA for the World Cup, alongside superstars like Steph Curry, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
The Manimal won the gold medal with team USA, but there was another life changing experience for him that offseason.
5 сен 2024
