Who better represented the United States in international play in their prime?

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Kenneth Faried



or

Tim Duncan

[Nowitness]

faried + kobe ...5 rings. 1 mvp. 2 finals mvps

duncan on his own... 5 rings, 2 mvps, 3 finals mvps.


god damn

[oarabbus]

Faried is an AMAZING FIBA player. Just incredible. He's basically made for FIBA style bball.

[dubeta]

Taking Duncan out of Pop's system is like taking fish out of the water

[Nowitness]

Taking Duncan out of Pop's system is like taking fish out of the water

i'll give kobe credit for one thing though. he beat up prime spurs/system a couple of times whilst lebron has been exposed with each visit.

30%/8 turnovers in matchup 1
mediocre efficiency/bailout/bunch of missed clutch shots in matchup 2
loses finals mvp to guy he was supposed to be guarding in matchup 3

and im a humble lebron fan. it pains me to say this.

[hawksdogsbraves]

Faried is an AMAZING FIBA player. Just incredible. He's basically made for FIBA style bball.

He's been great, but I don't know that his success is based on him being great for the FIBA style. I mean look at the front courts he's faced. The best player he's gone up against is probably Jonas Valanciunas, who is a much worse player than him in every facet of the game.

Pair his energy with his superior athleticism compared to these international bigs and it's easy to see why he, (and Davis) have dominated the tournament.

He isn't as good in the NBA simply because effort only gets you so far when the bigs you're facing are more skilled and can match or exceed your athleticism.

[buddha]

tim duncan isnt even american that fakkit sabotaged us.

[RedBlackAttack]

He's been great, but I don't know that his success is based on him being great for the FIBA style. I mean look at the front courts he's faced. The best player he's gone up against is probably Jonas Valanciunas, who is a much worse player than him in every facet of the game.

Pair his energy with his superior athleticism compared to these international bigs and it's easy to see why he, (and Davis) have dominated the tournament.

He isn't as good in the NBA simply because effort only gets you so far when the bigs you're facing are more skilled and can match or exceed your athleticism.

That's all part of it, but another thing is the way he fits on this specific team with these specific teammates.

I said it at the time when they were putting this roster together and I'll repeat it now. Coach K and Jerry Colangelo put together a fantastic group that really does fit together like pieces of a puzzle instead of just blindly picking the assumed "best players" or "biggest names" without worrying about chemistry.

Kenneth Faried is an incredible 'garbage man.' When he is surrounded by talented shooters, playmakers, slashers, etc. and put on the otherside of a beast like Anthony Davis or Cousins, he has so much room to roam around and do his thing that he's able to use all of that energy and athleticism without worrying about actually having to create his own shots or have plays run through him.

He has the freedom to roam, which is absolutely key for him.

There are certain players who play at their best alongside elite players. It isn't necessarily an easy thing to do. If you're a guy who needs plays run through you or has to have touches offensively, playing with a roster full of other elite players can be a major hurdle, even a death knell. I think Dwyane Wade found that out in Miami over the last few years. It wasn't as easy as he thought it was going to be playing with an all-time great.

However, for a guy like Faried who prefers to do his thing away from the ball? He allows the elite players to be at their best while also playing at his absolute best. It's the same reason LeBron James loves to play with Anderson Varejao.



That's why those expecting Faried to go back to Denver and somehow duplicate what he's doing right now... unless they suddenly get an influx of top line talent, I don't see it happening. Don't get me wrong... he's a nice player wherever he's playing, but the beast that we've seen over the last few weeks comes from the freedom he has in playing with a lineup of Davis, Irving, Curry and Harden... all elite players who, even when they miss, are taking defenders with them or occupying the defense enough to allow Faried to do his 'garbage man' thing.

And he does it so well...

[oarabbus]

That's all part of it, but another thing is the way he fits on this specific team with these specific teammates.

I said it at the time when they were putting this roster together and I'll repeat it now. Coach K and Jerry Colangelo put together a fantastic group that really does fit together like pieces of a puzzle instead of just blindly picking the assumed "best players" or "biggest names" without worrying about chemistry.

Kenneth Faried is an incredible 'garbage man.' When he is surrounded by talented shooters, playmakers, slashers, etc. and put on the otherside of a beast like Anthony Davis or Cousins, he has so much room to roam around and do his thing that he's able to use all of that energy and athleticism without worrying about actually having to create his own shots or have plays run through him.

He has the freedom to roam, which is absolutely key for him.

There are certain players who play at their best alongside elite players. It isn't necessarily an easy thing to do. If you're a guy who needs plays run through you or has to have touches offensively, playing with a roster full of other elite players can be a major hurdle, even a death knell. I think Dwyane Wade found that out in Miami over the last few years. It wasn't as easy as he thought it was going to be playing with an all-time great.

However, for a guy like Faried who prefers to do his thing away from the ball? He allows the elite players to be at their best while also playing at his absolute best. It's the same reason LeBron James loves to play with Anderson Varejao.



That's why those expecting Faried to go back to Denver and somehow duplicate what he's doing right now... unless they suddenly get an influx of top line talent, I don't see it happening. Don't get me wrong... he's a nice player wherever he's playing, but the beast that we've seen over the last few weeks comes from the freedom he has in playing with a lineup of Davis, Irving, Curry and Harden... all elite players who, even when they miss, are taking defenders with them or occupying the defense enough to allow Faried to do his 'garbage man' thing.

And he does it so well...

Great post, right on the money. And the other factor I add too is that in FIBA there is less guard play due to zone defense and more to clean up. Guards stay on the outside a lot more than in the NBA due to less foul calls.

Come to think of it... I wouldn't mind a trade involving David Lee and Faried, Faried mopping up splash bros misses

[kurple]

Faried is an AMAZING FIBA player. Just incredible. He's basically made for FIBA style bball.

literally everyone said the oposite 1 month agp



faried is made to play basketball. his energy and hustle is in a league of his own (maybe PJ Tucker).

[kurple]

He's been great, but I don't know that his success is based on him being great for the FIBA style. I mean look at the front courts he's faced. The best player he's gone up against is probably Jonas Valanciunas, who is a much worse player than him in every facet of the game.

hasnt the US guards and other bigs also faced equally bad oppontent? hasnt lithuania and jonas played just as bad teams?

[Lebron23]

You can ask this guy.

[kurple]

That's why those expecting Faried to go back to Denver and somehow duplicate what he's doing right now... unless they suddenly get an influx of top line talent, I don't see it happening. Don't get me wrong... he's a nice player wherever he's playing, but the beast that we've seen over the last few weeks comes from the freedom he has in playing with a lineup of Davis, Irving, Curry and Harden... all elite players who, even when they miss, are taking defenders with them or occupying the defense enough to allow Faried to do his 'garbage man' thing.

And he does it so well...

i'm sorry RBA but you need to watch more nuggets basketball

faried is just playing his game. ha aint grabbing all those offensive rebounds because he plays with harden and kyrie ****ing irving.

nuggets have plenty of shooters and guys that can attack the basket and break down the defense. why would we need a superstar for faried to play his game? just so you finally bother to see him on sportcentre??

[kurple]

some ignorant shit right there. especilly to faried. saying he only plays this good because he's playing alongside the stars who are underpreforming?

gtfoh


i'll give you playing alongside Davis. but what player doesnt get better by playing alongside that beast

[kurple]