Kenneth Faried knows how to handle trade rumors.
Leading up to the Feb. 20 trade deadline, the third-year forward was linked to plenty of scuttlebutt. Nothing ever came to fruition, so he remains a member of the (slumping) Denver Nuggets.
Still, incessant rumors can damage a player’s psyche. Look at Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks (injured). Constantly being linked to rumors has definitely hindered his development early on, which is no surprise.
Young guns aren’t accustomed to the push and pull of trade rumors. In college, there are no such talks. At the NBA level, they’re playing under an amplified spotlight and the stakes are higher. Couple that with the normal nerves and trepidation of being a developing prospect in a league dominated by superstars and unforgiving fans, and the pressure can become too much.
But not for Faried.
During an interview with RealGM’s Shams Charania, Faried admitted he was unfazed by trade rumors, going as far as to say he took them as an expected compliment.
“I’m not surprised at all that my name was in trade situations, because I am a good player and people do want me,” Faried told RealGM. “It just makes me that much more aware of how many other teams want me and like me.”
That’s the spirit.
We’ll never know how close the Nuggets were to actually trading Faried, or what they were telling him behind closed doors. Could head coach Brian Shaw have told him he wasn’t going anywhere when rumors first started to gain traction months ago? Or perhaps someone from the front office? Possibly, and that changes things.
I’ll bet anything the Knicks have never provided such assurances to Shumpert. Having the faith of your team means everything, so if Faried was told by the Nuggets they value him, his response is no surprise.
Then again, maybe that’s not necessary for someone like Faried, who by all appearances is confident and believes in himself.
In that same interview, he indicated that the Nuggets were his team in Ty Lawson’s absence:
“I feel like this is my team right now, at least maybe until Ty gets back, and even past then,” Faried told RealGM. “I feel like this is my team and I have to do whatever to help us win games. For me, I know I had to step into the role of taking over the team and putting the team on my back. I got to step up. The trade deadline came and went.
“Right now with all the injuries, the coaches are searching. I’m trying to be that guy they can stop searching and stop looking for.”
That’s an interesting sentiment considering Faried has never been considered someone who would headline any team. He’s more of a hustle guy known for snagging rebounds and notching frequent double-doubles. But with his limited offensive skill set and suspect defense, many would stop short of calling him a building block.
In Lawson’s absence, however, he really is the guy. Danilo Gallinari is done for the season and with Andre Iguodala having bolted for the Golden State Warriors, the Nuggets don’t have another star-caliber player. Faried is the closest they come.
Perhaps that’s why he was never traded, since ownership knew Lawson is injury-prone and Gallinari is done.
Or maybe, just maybe, those were self-foisted rumors, leaked by the Nuggets, because they knew such conjecture would subsequently bolster Faried’s already sturdy ego.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
