THE ‘MANIMAL’ FEELS HUNGRY
Faried wants Nets rotation spot
Ask Kenneth Faried if he’s offended by being tagged a salary dump, if he’s motivated to show he’s still the same player he once was, and the Nets newcomer will let you know there’s no past tense here.
“Hey, I never stopped being the player I am. There’s no ‘were,’ ” the 28-year-old Faried said Wednesday as he was introduced at the team’s Brooklyn training facility.
“The Nuggets wanted to go in a different direction. Brooklyn decided, ‘Hey, let’s pick up a still-able, still-capable player who can go out and produce and lead a team and do the things he’s done before.’ … They believed in me, took this chance to trade for me, and I’m excited to be here and produce.”
What Faried has done since being drafted by Denver was bring energy and rebounding, earning the nickname “Manimal.’’ But after the arrival in Denver of All-Star Paul Millsap and coach Mike Malone’s desire to space the floor, Faried saw his playing time sliced, averaging career-lows of 5.9 points, 4.8 boards and 14.4 minutes.
While he was philosophical about the experience — “life happens,” he said with a shrug — Faried is happy to be where he’s wanted. Sure, it’s a homecoming for the Newark, N.J. native, but more important it’s a chance to play.
“The first thing I thought of when I found out I was getting traded was not to be close to home, but a fresh start, something new,’’ Faried said. “Just to be where a team wants me, and they’re interested in me and want me to come and not just sit on the bench but teach and do my job and play the game I love.
“I’m excited to be here, because it’s like home for me.’’
Home is where Faried learned to rebound, pushed by his mother Waudda to fight for every ball, every board. And his 12 rebounds per 36 minutes last season were actually even better than his 11.9 career average, his 5.3 average on the offensive glass a career-best. Basically, when he plays, he boards.
“This is for me more so an opportunity to just play,’’ said Faried, aiming to play his way into the rotation.
“It’s, ‘Hey, come in and be yourself. You’re basically a rookie again, take it as that because you’re on a new team.’ They have [starters] in place, a whole rotation. I’m the type who’d like to come in like I was a rookie and mess all that up. In no disrespectful way, but mess it up in a positive way.
“The intangible things I do, I want to rub off on my teammates. My energy is contagious, so my energy when I was in the game doing the things I did [was] contagious around the whole team, the stadium. That’s why when you hear ‘ We want Manimal!’ back when I was in Denver, or fans chanting ‘We Want Manimal,’ it’s for a reason: Because I bring that energy and that’s what I plan to do here.”
Brooklyn also introduced Treveon Graham, 24, who averaged just 16.7 minutes last season but was a career 43.8 percent shooter from deep in two seasons with Charlotte. Despite being 6-foot-5 and 219 pounds, he played some stretch-four.