Jun
09
Predraft Workout: Kenneth Faried
By caseyholdahl Posted in: 2011draft
Kenneth Faried considered leaving Morehead State for the NBA after a junior season in which he averaged 16.9 points and 13.0 rebounds for the Eagles. He eventually decided to head back to campus, which was probably a wise decision. In his final season as a collegiate, Faried passed future hall of famer Tim Duncan for most rebounds in the modern Division I era. The extra season also allowed him to move into second all-time in double-double behind Duncan.
Now Faried isn't saying he's the next Tim Duncan, but when asked about being undersized to play power forward in the NBA, the 6-8 banger from Newark compared himself to another all-time NBA performer.
"You saw Dennis Rodman do it," said Faried. "Why can't I?"
That's the question many NBA scouts will be asking as Faried participates in workouts, as he did June 6 in Portland, in the run up to the 2011 NBA Draft. Despite being one of the most prolific rebounders in NCAA history, Faried is still asked whether he's tall enough to play in the NBA after four years at a small school.
The answers to those questions may be important to some, but not to Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan, who was on hand to see Faried perform both at the predraft combine in Chicago and, more recently, in Portland. And for McMillan, effort is more important than altitude.
"Everything (Faried) does is hard," said McMillan. "The guy ties his shoe hard. Everything he does is hard. He's certainly a guy that's on our radar screen and when i watched him up in Chicago, all of the drills, everything he did out on the floor was hard."
If that's the case, the Trail Blazers might have to work just as hard to get Faried on the roster.