NBA Saturday: Felton Reviving Career in New York?
By Alex Kennedy
NBA Writer
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Raymond Felton never wanted to leave the New York Knicks. Two years ago, Felton was having the best year of his career and telling those close to him that he wanted to retire in New York. He had developed chemistry with Amar’e Stoudemire and was receiving All-Star consideration. Then, just as he was getting comfortable and averaging a career-high 17.1 points and nine assists, Felton was traded to the Denver Nuggets along with Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov.
The veteran point guard was stunned. Not only was it the first time he had ever been traded, he was now expected to come off of the bench for the first time in his career. He didn’t start a single game for the Nuggets and didn’t hide his frustration. Chandler, Gallinari and Mozgov settled in with the Nuggets, but Felton had one foot out the door. He made it clear that he wanted to be traded, and his wish was granted over the summer when the Nuggets sent Felton to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team deal that netted Andre Miller.
In Portland, Felton had every opportunity to succeed. He entered the season as the number one point guard on the depth chart, but he showed up to training camp out of shape and quickly butted heads with Blazers head coach Nate McMillan. During the first half of the season, Felton averaged just 10.2 points while shooting below 38 percent from the floor. By February, Jamal Crawford replaced Felton in the starting lineup, which didn’t sit well with the veteran point guard.
While Felton’s play improved after McMillan was fired – he averaged 14.4 points on 46.3 percent shooting and 7.7 assists – he was blamed for Portland’s struggles. After unsuccessfully trying to deal Felton at the trade deadline, the Blazers sent him to New York last week along with Kurt Thomas in exchange for Dan Gadzuric, Jared Jeffries and Kostas Papanikolaou.
Felton’s career hasn’t gone quite as planned since leaving the Knicks. Now, back in New York, the 28-year-old wants to forget the last year and a half and get back to the high level that he was playing at last time he was donning an orange and blue jersey. Entering this season, Felton knows he has a lot to prove and he’s hoping to silence his critics.
“I feel good,” Felton told HOOPSWORLD in Las Vegas. “I feel like I’m ready to go right now. I have a really big chip on my shoulder and I have a lot of things that I want to prove. I’m looking forward to it.”
This will be the most talented team that Felton has ever played on. As a point guard, having weapons like Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler makes the job easier. However, Felton will also have to spread the ball around and make sure he’s distributing shots evenly. He says he’s ready to take on Anthony and Stoudemire, and run the offense as he sees fit.
“I’m a dog,” Felton said. “I’m a guy that’s not afraid of either one of them. I’m a guy where if they get mad and upset, I’m able to sit there and tame them. I’m going to let these guys know, ‘Look, I’m going to get you the ball. Just let me run this team. You all are going to get your shots.’”
Felton is excited to play alongside Jason Kidd, who the Knicks signed to the mini mid-level exception prior to completing the trade with Portland.
“He has a lot of knowledge,” Felton said of Kidd. “He’s one of the best point guards to ever play the game. I look forward to learning from him and playing along with him.”
Felton has big shoes to fill in New York. Jeremy Lin became an overnight sensation and fan favorite, but the Knicks decided to hand the reins over to Felton and let Lin walk to the Houston Rockets. After a season and a half of struggles, Felton hopes that a return to New York can revitalize his career.
and if we can get kenyon that would even be better
