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]
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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.