By Nuggets Rookie Kenneth Faried Puts Up Monster Game Against Golden State
April 11, 2012 – 9:00 am by Eric Schmoldt
On Saturday, Kenneth Faried probably played his worst game since garnering a decent amount of playing time for the Denver Nuggets. In 21 minutes, he didn’t make a single basket, scored just one point and grabbed only four rebounds. He all but made everyone forget about that outing just two nights later against the same team.
Faried said he was out for revenge after his rough outing and he proved it by scoring 27 points and grabbing 17 boards in 24 minutes as Denver waxed the Warriors. If Faried can be more consistent, he’ll be a key piece for the Nuggets down the stretch as they attempt to make the playoffs. The Nuggets entered today one game ahead of Phoenix in eighth place in the West.
Kenneth Faried joined KKFN in Denver with Drew and Scott to discuss bouncing back against Golden State, his work ethic, what he learned from his miserable game Saturday, carrying the momentum into the home stretch and the Nuggets’ inconsistency this season.
You had one points in 21 minutes at Golden State Saturday, then came back and had 27 and 17 against the same team Monday. That was a response for you wasn’t it?:
“Yeah, I mean, I had one point and went 1-for-4 from the free-throw line, 0-for-2 from the field and four rebounds. I don’t think I ever played that bad as a Nugget. It was just disrespectful to me, the fans and my teammates in general because they know I’m better than that.”
Where did you get your work ethic from?:
“My parents worked hard all their life. My mom and my dad both worked hard to keep clothes on my back, to keep me getting the things not just what I needed, but the stuff I wanted. As a kid growing up in an urban area, there’s just a lot of things that you don’t usually get but my parents was able to get those things for me just by working hard and having that true grit. So I just wanted to repay them and I don’t want to let my parents down. Everything I focus on is not letting them down.”
What did you learn from that first game against Golden State that allowed you to bounce back?:
“I learned that I let my parents down on Saturday, especially on national TV. It was on ESPN and it was just so bad of a game for me. I just had to come back and bounce back. I was lucky enough that we played the same team and revenge was on my mind. I didn’t play my game at all Saturday. I wasn’t smiling; I didn’t have fun. [Monday] was just a stepping stone that when I smile and have fun, my teammates feed off that.”
How much do you want to carry that momentum into this home stretch of the regular season?:
“If the numbers come like that again, I’m happy, but I just want to win games. I’m just going to focus on what I’ve got to do defensively and offensively and keep doing what I’ve been doing. It’s a great blessing to have [Danilo Gallinari] back. He really helped a lot [Monday] with the stretching of the floor and people weren’t able to box me out as much as they usually do.”
Why have you guys been so inconsistent at times throughout this season?:
“It’s just a long NBA season and people have to understand that injuries really hurt our team. When people go down, that’s a big part of our team, especially like Gallo. … We’ve got to bounce back and find a new rotation and it’s hard to just throw somebody in there who’s never been in the fire unless they’re really prepared. Some nights guys are prepared for being thrown into the fire and some nights guys can’t handle the pressure. We’ve got to stay focused and can’t worry about that but we’ve still got to continue to grind.”
Listen to Kenneth Faried on KKFN in Denver here
Tags: Danilo Gallinari, Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried, Morehead State, NBA, NBA playoff race
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