Kenneth Faried Doesn't Comment On Lockout, But Is Close To Shoe Deal

The Denver Nuggets, by most accounts, had a good 2011 NBA Draft by picking up Kenneth Faried, Jordan Hamilton and making a draft-day trade for Andre Miller. But until the lockout is over, all of that success really remains untapped potential.

Faried recently sat down and did an interview with SLAM Online. While Faried stuck with "no comment" on the NBA lockout, he did reveal that he is close to signing a shoe deal:

I’m leaning towards one company—I can’t say. I haven’t signed yet and hopefully I will sign soon. We will see what happens with that. I’ve got my own nickname now (Manimal), so I’ve been marketing that. [Laughs]

I hope that nickname sticks. It's a winner, and Faried thinks he's a guy who could win the Rookie of the Year award. All the doubts people have had over the years and will have just make him want to do better.