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November 25, 2008
Felton's actions set right tone
It’s easy for an NBA player to become selfish and self-absorbed. This is a league where statistics matter, particularly when your contract expires at the end of the season.
And that’s what makes me admire Raymond Felton so much these days.
Everyone says they’ll do what it takes to win, but Felton lives it. When Larry Brown moved rookie point guard D.J. Augustin into the starting lineup, Felton could have treated this like a threat. Had Felton frozen out Augustin, leaving him to figure out the NBA by himself, Felton would have been no more selfish than half this league.
Instead, Felton took charge of the transition. He mentors Augustin so much, he should draw a coaching salary atop his player salary. With Augustin scoring and passing, Felton has channeled his energy toward defense and rebounding.
The two of them carried the Bobcats past the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday in an almost organic process. Felton and Augustin simply shot so well (16-of-22 from the field, 4-of-5 from 3-point range) that it didn’t matter much what any of the other Bobcats did.
That won’t happen every night, and I’m not sure Felton will be here next season, once restricted free agency takes hold over the summer. He might well be more valuable to some other team than he is to the Bobcats.
But the Bobcats are better for Felton’s presence: he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s accountable. He sets the right example.
Posted by rbonnell on November 25, 2008 at 12:49 AM | Permalink
Comments
No doubt, I'll miss Felton if/when he leaves. He has always tried to keep a positive attitude and just do whatever the past coaches would ask him to do, no matter how dumb it might have been. When most players in his situation would have openly thrown fits and become a locker room problem(specifically being moved to SG with McInnis at PG), Ray just kept his cool and tried to do what he was told. Unfortunately, he was never rewarded for that and never really got a chance to be the man at point on this team. Hopefully if he goes to another team they'll put the ball in his hands and he can finally reach his potential.
Posted by: Jon | Nov 25, 2008 2:30:04 AM
If there's one thing I'm truly proud of about this bobcats team... it's that no one player has ever put themself above the rest of the team. No one player has brought embarassment or shame to the organization. Even in the short time the franchise has existed it's amazing to think that they've all been on their best behaviour, considering the current state of professional athletes. Felton exemplifies the "good" athlete, and when his shot is falling like is was tonight the city can truly fall in love with him.
Posted by: David | Nov 25, 2008 3:36:54 AM
It is good to see Felton finally get some of the praise he deserves instead of all this whining about him that is usually here. As to last night's play, what about Morrison's hustle? And Wallace played just the way the team needed him to, not the way that he can? And while Okafor was not spectacular, he played his role.
It was impressive to see how hard this team is working to play the way that Larry Brown wants them to. They will keep at it. And they will be a spectacularly better team by the end of the season than they are now. Time is all that is needed given their work.
Posted by: Steven | Nov 25, 2008 5:57:44 AM
I'll probably be accused of getting carried away with last night's backcourt results, but if they're still trying to pry Chris Kaman away from the Clippers, should they not be dangling Jason Richardson, rather than Gerald Wallace? Yes, JR is a borderline all star and the leading scorer on a team that's last in the NBA in scoring, but getting a legitimate double digit a night scoring threat inside, to go alongside Okafor, would likely open things up even more for this offense, specifically, players like Felton, Augustin and Morrison. Addition by subtraction. Also, if (admittedly a big 'if') there's one player to whom this fanbase has attached itself, it's probably Gerald Wallace, for his effort and intensity as much as his on-court productivity. While fan attachment is certainly no reason to keep a player around, I think long term and in many ways, this team would lose more by trading him than by trading Richardson.
Posted by: MB | Nov 25, 2008 7:58:17 AM
Last nights game was the most enjoyable game I have seen this season and highlighted a few things for me:
1) We have to shoot the ball exceptionally well to win most games.
2) Augustin is ultra-quick and a better finisher in the lane than I originally thought. However, his defense is going to need a LOT of work. Philly's poor shooting last night masked many of mistakes.
3) Okafor simply has regressed on the offensive end. Say what you want about his touches, he is terrible. Leads the league in turnovers per touches and just can't finish unless he has a wide open dunk.
4) We desperately need a stud 4 and until we get one, this team won't be able to consistently win. I'm thinking a Griffin if we can draft him or possibly sign Sheed to a 2-3 year deal in the offseason. Both provide perimeter mobility, offensive talent and rebounding.
5) I know he is young and athletic, but wow Ajinca had the worst quarter I have ever seen a professional have. In just 3 or 4 minutes in the 3rd quarter, he took about 27 steps down on the baseline for a traveling violation, committed a lane violation on Brand's free throw, threw a pass about 17 feet over Okafor's head and missed a defensive assignment. I wish we would have taken someone else. I know Javale McGee (sp) went like one or two before our pick, but he is looking so much better than Ajinca.
Posted by: Mason | Nov 25, 2008 8:50:25 AM
espn.com says richardson for kaman is on the table...bonnell, what did you hear about this?
Posted by: dougie | Nov 25, 2008 9:03:27 AM
Felton is a great guy with a great attitude.
Yes, he and DJ won last night's game for the 'Cats. Thanks for this very good article, Rick.
Posted by: Sandy | Nov 25, 2008 9:33:44 AM
Funny, we don't hear as many people crying these days that we should have drafted Brook Lopez, who has proved to be just another soft, overrated Pac-10 chump who can't separate himself from the Nets' other mediocre big men. If Felton does leave via free agency, we'll be thanking God almighty that we have Augustin -- kid's gonna be unstoppable as long as the NBA forbids handchecking.
Posted by: Earl Cureton | Nov 25, 2008 9:58:49 AM
Couple of reactions:
Earl: Yeah, I was also wondering what happened to those people claiming drafting Augustin over Lopez was such a screw-up. Don't bash Lopez. He'll be fine. But it was obvious they couldn't go into this season without more security at point guard. Augustin was a smart, safe choice and it was obvious in summer league he had game.
Dougie: I'd probably do J-Rich for Kaman, and I should hope more talks occur between Bobcats and Clippers. But that espn.com article illustrates the unfiltered nature of the internet.
Here's what I mean: J.A. Adande, a fine writer-reporter for espn.com, does a story on how Mobley's heart check could scuttle the Knicks-Clippers trade. At the very end of that story, Adande quotes a source as saying the Bobcats and Clippers might be talking again. And in the same paragraph, he quotes another source, saying Kaman isn't going anywhere.
Hoopshype takes that last paragraph, and links to it with a big headline. I don't blame Hoopshype -- that website chases eyeballs in an unfiltered way. But the reader has to ask himself how serious this is, if Adande wrote that in passing, at the end of a story, with an immediate disclaimer.
Posted by: Rick Bonnell | Nov 25, 2008 10:24:29 AM
Thanks for commenting Rick. That sounds good to me. Keep us updated. The Clippers would and should be interested. Gordon isn't ready to start and Baron Davis would love to have J-Rich again i'm sure. We would look good with a real post presence downlow and finally Adam could get his chance to start. Or you could still go with Ray and DJ in the backcourt since we'll be so big up front. Hopefully it will be interesting couple weeks once J-Rich gets healthy.
Posted by: dougie | Nov 25, 2008 10:43:00 AM
Augustin was definitely the right pick. There will be more good to come. While most say he is an over achiever because of his size. People will soon come to realize he is just truly a very good player and a winner that hates to loose. That being said there is no room for two elite point guards on this team too much money is tied up in the medicore big three Wallace, J-Rich and Okeafor. So if you pay Raymond what's going to happen when its time for D.J....72 million for a power forward with no low post moves that can't catch a cold standing on top of the Time Warner arena soak and wet in his uniform on thanksgiving night. What a head scratcher. Did anyone besides me think of Okeafor when Larry borwn constantly says that teams are more atheletic.
Posted by: H-TOWN | Nov 25, 2008 10:54:31 AM
I haven't seen what Adande reported, but I was playing with the ESPN trade machine, and Jason Richardson for Chris Kaman and the expiring contract of Jason Hart would work, from a salary perspective. We'd have to pull the trigger on that, even though it would require Okafor to play the four, for which he's ill-suited. From the Clips' perspective, it alleviates the Camby/Randolph/Kaman logjam ... but Kaman's such a bargain, I would think they could get a better offer for him.
Posted by: Earl Cureton | Nov 25, 2008 10:59:13 AM
The trade makes sense for the Clippers too....Baron, JRich, Thorton, ZBo, and Camby. They are weak in the SG area and have too many big men....it makes too much sense for that trade to happen.
Posted by: Parker | Nov 25, 2008 11:00:18 AM
I think the draft complaints were legit. People wanted to see us maintain the guys we had and succeed. Drafting DJ did nothing to help us now, as we're no better than last season. Getting a big obviously would have helped more in the meantime considering we have no size, but it looks like Augustin will turn out to be the better pick in the long run. Alot of people(myself included) were hoping that Felton would finally get his chance, and I think that pick was a let down for them. This team could have been successful with Felton at the helm and a good big man in the paint, but the team looks like it's decided to do a little rebuilding, which is probably smart.
Kaman for J-Rich is fine, but I would move Okafor as fast as I could after the trade. Kaman is a full size center who is a slight upgrade to Okafor in every way. Okafor has the body of a PF, but has the skill set of Brenden Haywood and I don't like the idea of playing two centers together. We need a dominant post scorer. Kaman is not that, but he's better than Okafor and his contract is half as long. If you can get an expiring contract for Okafor then go after a star FA big man in 2010 we'd be in great shape. I don't really understand the BYC trade restriction Rick, could you elaborate on how that would effect a trade for the purpose of getting Okafor's contract off the books?
I think we should also move Gerald for an expiring contract and see if we can't pick up another all star caliber player in 2010, or next season depending whats out there.
Posted by: Jon | Nov 25, 2008 11:14:26 AM
It's always going to be a challenge for Charlotte to make waves in free agency, I don't care how much cap space we have. All-Star caliber players have to maximize their sponsorship potential. Can't do it in a small market.
Plus, we have some brutal contracts (Carroll, Nazr, and Okafor, even though I'm glad we kept Emeka) that preclude us from accummulating a tremendous amount of cap space during the next few years, even if we did dump Wallace -- which we shouldn't.
If we could move J-Rich for Kaman and Hart's expiring contract, re-sign Felton, then get a second-tier power forward (Drew Gooden? Brandon Bass?) via free agency and a dynamic shooting guard (Demar DeRozan) in the lottery, we'd be headed in a very positive direction.
Posted by: Earl Cureton | Nov 25, 2008 11:58:58 AM
Great win last night. Okafor really needs to dedicate more practice time to his offensive game. He makes entirely too many mistakes when asked to do anything productive on the offensive end. Morrison is still a defensive liability, but he is hitting some big shots these days. I like his shot selection for the most part. It will be interesting to see what Richardson's return does to the Bobcat starting line up. I think Felton will still be the starting PG.
Posted by: Token | Nov 25, 2008 12:08:48 PM
Rick Bonnell and Earl Cureton,
Brook Lopez advocate right here! I'm glad DJ is doing well, but as I have written many times, we could have handled that position with Chalmers, and gotten a better guarantee than Ajinca with Lopez. Many fans foresaw this on the night of the draft.
Look at the numbers. The last I checked, Chalmers was doing a commendable job as a starter for a .500 team. And Lopez, now shooting 50% in plenty of playing time for another .500 team, is averaging 11.1 rebounds per 40 minutes. Meanwhile, "Human Wingspan" Ajinca is averaging 5.6 rebounds per 40 minutes. Likely, Augustin, Chalmers, and Lopez will be good for the longterm. Alexis is the BIG wildcard in all of this. If he blossoms in a few years, then the draft looks fine. But he has absolutely no frame for low post play, and he is not even close to impressive right now.
Posted by: DeLaQuest | Nov 25, 2008 4:47:12 PM
Also to Earl Cureton,
Regarding the Pac-10, save your comments for topics you actually know about. Ever hear of Kevin Love? Ryan Anderson? OJ Mayo? Just to name a few....
Posted by: DeLaQuest | Nov 25, 2008 5:10:29 PM
DeLa -- I'm just busting Pac-10 chops; I used to live in Cali. I even said on another one of Rick's blogs today that I hope the Bobcats draft Demar DeRozan next summer, who of course will be one and done at USC.
Posted by: Earl Cureton | Nov 25, 2008 10:27:39 PM
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