HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- It didn’t take long for Kenneth Faried to endear himself to his new team’s fans. Midway through the fourth quarter of his first home game as a Rocket, Faried came over to help on a Kawhi Leonard drive to the rim. It should’ve been an easy two points for the Toronto Raptors' star, but Faried leapt in the air and swatted it away.
“I was like Hey, I’m gonna go get this, we need this block, and I went to go get it,” Faried said after the game Friday night.
With the aid of the block, that possession ended in a shot clock violation, and after James Harden hit a couple of free throws at the other end, Faried found himself in Leonard’s cross hairs once more, this time he was isolated one-on-one against him, and again, Faried won the battle. Not only did he force a turnover, he drew a foul and after making the first free throw, Faried fought through four Raptors for the rebound and laid it in for another bucket. Faried finished his first home game as a Rocket with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 14 rebounds, and two blocks as the Rockets beat Toronto 121-119.
“I love playing basketball, so for me just to be out there with those guys helping out anyway I can, rebounding, defensive blocks, playing defense on whoever we need to. Just being out there, giving my all. I love diving on the floors for loose balls, that’s fun to me.”
Before joining the Rockets Monday, Faried hadn’t been playing a lot of basketball. Last season in Denver he appeared in just 32 games after falling out of Mike Malone’s rotation, and then following a July trade, Faried played just 118 minutes in 12 games with Brooklyn, none of which came at Toyota Center when he and the Nets visited last Wednesday. Faried was waived three days after that game and quickly signed with Houston where he’s already played 87 minutes in three contests with the Rockets, scoring double-figures in each game.
“He was talking about this is a place he feels he can revive his career,” Rockets guard Austin Rivers said. “We all believe in him and believe in that.”
Rivers faced a similar scenario as Faried when he joined the Rockets Christmas Eve. He was bought out and waived almost immediately after a trade sent him from Washington to Phoenix, and while he said his time unemployed was rough the aftermath has been beneficial to him and thinks it can be for Faried as well.
“You get a fresh start somewhere. It’s your opportunity to go turn whatever you want around, it’s up to you. I think he’s done a good job of that. Just come in here and just try to play hard. He hasn’t tried to fit in, he hasn’t tried to do anything, he’s just tried to play with passion. He’s playing with a chip on his shoulder.
“He was a big name in the NBA, and the past three or four years he’s kinda had to go through some rough patches, so I think for him to be here, you can just see he plays with that energy, that chip on his shoulder.”
Faried’s availability came at a perfect time for the Rockets, who will be without Clint Capela for 4-6 weeks due to thumb surgery. The Rockets tried to piece things together at the center position, but with Nene limited to 16 minutes the Rockets had no one else on the roster who could fill the void, and while nobody expects Faried to replicate Capela's productions, the two are similar.
“We finally got another guy to attack the rim,” Rockets forward P.J. Tucker said. “Since Clint has been out that’s something that we’ve been missing, that (alleyoop) threat, and with James and with Eric (Gordon) too, when they start attacking to make those bigs stay honest and they step up too much, kinda get that lob and that backside drop off a dunk. His energy and the way he keeps the bigs off the glass and rebounds, it helps a lot.”
“This is a perfect position for him,” Rivers added. “Prior to this, I think the teams he was playing for he just couldn’t, I don’t know if it was the guards they had, I don’t know what was the deal, I don’t see how he can’t fit in or play well. He picks, he rolls, he finishes, he rebounds, he goes after shots."
“Clint is just longer,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Kenneth’s got more of a quick bounce, but other than that they play the same way.”
The 22nd pick of the 2011 draft averaged close to a double-double his first five seasons in the NBA. He was a first team All-Rookie selection and a starter on the United States 2014 FIBA World Cup team, with Harden, but at 29-years old in his eighth NBA season one of the most prolific rebounders in college basketball history has seen his career stall, though one of his first NBA teammates believes he’s in the perfect spot to get it back on track.
“Young fella like him, he can take advantage of an opportunity,” Nene, who played with Faried his rookie season in Denver, told SportsRadio 610 Friday. “Bring energy, bring toughness, hustle. That’s what we need. He’s in a perfect situation.”
Kenneth Faried spent the last two seasons glued to the bench of teams that didn’t want or have a use for him, but after less than a week out of basketball purgatory, he’s enjoying the opportunity to contribute once again.
“I love playing the game, so for me any time I get to step out there and showcase my talents, and with such a talented team it’s just easier and funner for me.”