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The Nuggets have already lost Danilo Gallinari for the playoffs with a knee injury. It appeared as though they could lose rebounding machine Kenneth Faried when his ankle rolled at a horrible angle while driving to the basket today. According to the Nuggets twitter feed, though, the X-rays are negative and he is day-to-day. With two more games remaining and the Nuggets trying to get the #3 seed, the “day-to-day” part will probably be through the end of the regular season with how sore he is likely to be after that, and the training staff will be working to get him back for the playoffs. While the specific schedules have not been announced, that gives Faried six days before the playoffs open on April 20th. The Big Lead

Denver Nuggets, Injuries, Kenneth Faried 

Smith's two-year tenure in Portland will come to an end this week and it's only fitting that he'll face Denver -- and Faried -- today in one of his final games with the Blazers. But as he leaves Rip City, Smith prefers not to dwell on his past failings, but rather to focus on rediscovering his game and prove there is a place for him in the NBA. "This is a business and things in this league happen in time," Smith said. "You have to get to a team where you're in their plans. That's one thing I'm looking forward to this summer in free agency. I'm going to get to a place that wants me, that wants me to be myself and play my game. If you think about it, there's no telling what would have happened with (Faried) if the Blazers drafted him. He might have been playing behind LaMarcus (Aldridge) and maybe his opportunity wouldn't have come. His opportunity in Denver didn't come until Nene got hurt. But Kenneth got an opportunity and Kenneth made the most of his opportunity -- in Denver. So now all the Portland fans can be mad." Oregonian

Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Draft, Nolan Smith, Kenneth Faried 

Dick Vitale whispers louder than Andre Miller screams. But in the pregame locker room, the Nuggets' veteran guard delivered a powerful, passionate speech, channeling the oration of, say, Jesse Jackson, who just happened to be at Tuesday night's Nuggets-Thunder game. "One amazing speech — guys were just amped up, ready to play," Denver forward Kenneth Faried said after the Nuggets' 114-104 win, Denver's 13th consecutive, a franchise-NBA record. "He said it doesn't matter that we're coming off a back-to-back, it doesn't matter that we went to overtime — we're going to play this game hard and with pride. We don't have any excuses. Andre Miller is a guy who doesn't really say much, but when he talks, everybody listens, nobody's playing around. "Everybody locks in." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Andre Miller, Jesse Jackson, Kenneth Faried 

Kenneth Faried took a risk. He became the first NBA player to join an organization that supports gay rights while playing. Wednesday, the NBA honored the Nuggets forward for his efforts by giving him the monthly Community Assist Award for February. According to the league, Faried was honored for "his efforts to champion equality and bring awareness to the importance of respect and inclusion." Faried, who was raised by his mother and her female life partner, is a member of Athlete Ally, an organization that helps promote acceptance of gays in sports. In a show of support for equal rights, in January he attended the launch party for One Colorado to celebrate the passing of Senate Bill 11, the Colorado Civil Union Act. Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried 

The Lakers' Metta World Peace threw an elbow Monday at Kenneth Faried. It was determined, later in the week, to be a flagrant two foul. "I saw it on film, I thought it was, whatever the word is, premeditated," Karl said. "I don't know if it was flagrant enough to be a 2." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Kenneth Faried, Metta World Peace 

The NBA seemed to agree, retroactively assessing World Peace a flagrant-2 foul Thursday. If the league needed more evidence, it could always check with Faried. "I still have a scar in my mouth," Faried said. "When I eat, it still burns." Los Angeles Times

Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Kenneth Faried, Metta World Peace 

It is an area in which one does not normally find professional athletes, who normally blanch at taking a stand on what cereal they eat, lest they offend a single person anywhere. But Faried came to his position honestly and through tough experiences growing up in Newark, N.J., where he was raised by his mother, Wauuda, and her wife, Manasin Copeland. "I've been supporting gays, lesbians, transgender, transsexual rights since I was in high school, since my mother came out to people," Faried said. "I've been okay with it. I'm in support of it and I'm gonna continue to be. I guess I'm in a bigger light now, and when I say things about it, when I make a statement about it, it's more glorified. It's okay with me, because I respect it, and I'm going to continue to live up to the hype of being in support of it." NBA.com

Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried 

"Everybody deserves the right to be married to anybody they want," he said. "But for gays or lesbian and transgender or transsexuals, it has to be civil unions. But why can't it be a marriage? I mean, it's two regular people, and they decided to get married in matrimony." NBA.com

Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried 

Chris Palmer: Line of the Night: Kenneth Faried 40 pts, 10 rebs, 18-22 FG, 22 min, W Twitter @ESPNChrisPalmer

Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried, All Star Game 

Chris Haynes: Kenneth Faried is named the MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge. Twitter @ChrisBHaynes

Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried, All Star Game 

Kenneth Faried: Getting fired up for the #SpriteSlam but still looking for dunk ideas!!! Tweet your ideas with #ManimalDunks & I'll take a look. Thx! Twitter @KennethFaried35

Denver Nuggets, All-Star, Kenneth Faried 

So he’s changing the way people think — wherever he deems it necessary — and it’s not limited to a 94-by-45 box. On the court, he has actually managed to get George Karl — one of the NBA’s seminal thinkers — to reconsider what the Denver coach had believed was basketball gospel. Off the court, the Technology High product on Tuesday become the first NBA player to publicly support LGBT rights by joining Athlete Ally, an organization working to end homophobia in sports. "It says a lot about him as as man, and it tells me that I raised him right — with help from his father, and my wife," said Waudda Faried, a proud mother in a yellow nylon jacket and cap, seated with a few dozen friends in Section 13 at Barclays Center Wednesday night. "And it says a lot about the kind of messages you send to your children, (when you see) how they turn out." Newark Star-Ledger

Denver Nuggets, George Karl, Kenneth Faried 

Now he is the NBA’s tenth-ranked rebounder, and has the cachet to lead his peer group of household names into the most important civil rights discussion of his time. "It’s not really a big deal to be the first. I just wanted to show that I really do care about people’s rights," Faried said after the Nuggets dropped a 119-108 game to the Nets. "My mom is a lesbian and was married in a civil union, and I want to support others who deserve that right." Newark Star-Ledger

Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried 

Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried became the first N.B.A. player to join Athlete Ally, an organization aimed at combating homophobia in sports. Faried, 23, was raised by a lesbian couple in Newark. “I have two moms and I love them both very much,” Faried, who played collegiately at Morehead State in Kentucky, said in a statement from Athlete Ally. “I respect, honor and support them in every way. The bond I have with them has made me realize that I want all members of the L.G.B.T. community – whether they are parents, players, coaches or fans – to feel welcome in the N.B.A. and in all of our communities.” New York Times

Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried 

Kenneth Faried is the first NBA player to join forces with Athlete Ally, an organization working to raise awareness and end homophobia in sports. Here’s a commentary I recently wrote about gays in sports. Faried joins NFL players Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Super Bowl champ Ravens, Chris Kluwe of the Vikings, Scott Fujita of the Browns and Connor Barwin of the Texans, as well as two Australian pro athletes to help with the cause. “Becoming an Athlete Ally gives me the opportunity to spread a message of inclusiveness throughout the NBA and our country,” Faried said in a statement. “I have two moms and I love them both very much. I respect, honor and support them in every way. The bond I have with them has made me realize that I want all members of the LGBT community – whether they are parents, players, coaches or fans – to feel welcome in the NBA and in all of our communities.” Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried 

Jody Genessy: Jeremy Evans will get a chance to defend his Slam Dunk crown per @jphanned. Participants: Bledsoe, Faried, White, Green, Ross, Evans. Twitter @DJJazzyJody

Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Eric Bledsoe, Gerald Green, Jeremy Evans, James White, Kenneth Faried, Terrence Ross, All Star Game 

Evan Dunlap: Gerald Green, Terrence Ross, James White, Eric Bledsoe, Jeremy Evans, and Kenneth Faried in the dunk contest. Twitter @BQRMagic

Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Eric Bledsoe, Gerald Green, Jeremy Evans, James White, Kenneth Faried, Terrence Ross, All Star Game 

Rosters set for Rising Stars Team Shaq: Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Andre Drummond, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Chandler Parsons, Dion Waiters, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Tyler Zeller, Kemba Walker. Team Chuck: Anthony Davis, Kenneth Faried, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, Ricky Rubio, Tristan Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Brandon Knight, Isaiah Thomas, Alexy Shved. Sulia

Ricky Rubio, Harrison Barnes, Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, Klay Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Kenneth Faried, Anthony Davis, Tristan Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Tyler Zeller, Bradley Beal, Brandon Knight, Chandler Parsons, Andre Drummond, Damian Lillard, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Dion Waiters, All Star Game 

The BBVA Rising Stars Challenge -- televised live nationally on TNT at 9 p.m. ET and broadcast live on ESPN Radio, with live audio also available on NBA.com in multiple languages -- features two teams each consisting of nine rookies and sophomores mixed together, drafted from a pool selected by the NBA's assistant coaches. Joining Irving from the Sophomore class are: Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets), Brandon Knight (Detroit Pistons), Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs), Chandler Parsons (Houston Rockets), Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors), Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers), Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic), and Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats). Davis and Lillard lead a group of rookies that includes Harrison Barnes (Warriors) Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Bobcats), Alexey Shved (Minnesota Timberwolves), Dion Waiters (Cavaliers), and Tyler Zeller (Cavaliers). Oregonian

Harrison Barnes, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Kenneth Faried, Tristan Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Tyler Zeller, Bradley Beal, Brandon Knight, Chandler Parsons, Andre Drummond, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Dion Waiters, Alexey Shved, All Star Game 

Kenneth Faried might be a "Manimal" on the court, but off the court he is an advocate for same-sex marriage and a fierce supporter of his two moms. The Denver Nuggets forward sat down with his mothers to speak out on behalf of civil unions in a video, uploaded by OneColorado, an advocacy group dedicated to securing and protecting equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Coloradans and their families. "I support civil union, because it gives people -- gays and lesbians -- the right to make decisions on their own," he says in the video. "If they want to get married and let them choose who they want to be with." Huffington Post

Denver Nuggets, Kenneth Faried