Larry Brown Sports

Former Portland Trailblazers coach Nate McMillan believes in Raymond Felton’s talent, but he thinks the point guard was just too overweight during his disappointing stint in Portland last season.

Felton was traded from the New York Knicks to the Denver Nuggets in Feb. 2011 as part of the Carmelo Anthony trade. He was dealt to Portland in a 3-team trade after the season, and he had a poor season with the Blazers. Felton’s shooting percentage dropped to 40.7 percent, and his assistant to turnover ratio was 2.32, which was much lower than it was in Denver or New York.

McMillan was fired by the Blazers last year as the team disappointed with a 20-23 start. He told ESPN New York that Felton is doing for the Knicks this year what Portland thought he could do for them.

“What he’s doing now is what we felt he was always capable of doing for us,” McMillan said. “He just didn’t have that kind of year. When we brought him to Portland, what he’s doing — pushing the ball, attacking the basket, his ability to create opportunities as well as push the tempo — we felt he could do that.”

McMillan feels Felton’s weight was the problem.

“I think [his weight] had a direct impact on how well he played,” McMillan told reporter Jared Zwerling. “When you’re not conditioned to play, then you’re going to struggle, you’re going to turn the ball over. If you don’t have your legs, your shot is not going to fall.

“He had picked up some weight, as he told me, and we were trying to work on him moving that weight during the season.”

Felton has always been pudgier than your typical muscular player, but he gained weight during the NBA lockout, which preceded the shortened season. In addition to his weight being a hindrance, Felton said that being traded to Denver from New York made him sick. I’m sure another trade to Portland after the season didn’t do wonders for his motivation. Now that he’s finally back where he originally wanted to be, he’s playing much better. Mental happiness probably has a lot to do with that.

Chest bump to Blazers Edge
Photo credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

Raymond Felton says he was so disheartened by his mid-season trade from the New York Knicks to the Denver Nuggets two seasons ago that it made him sick.

Felton was part of the monstrous trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks in February 2011. Felton admitted his feelings about the deal to the New York Post on Saturday, the day before the Knicks were set to face the Nuggets at Madison Square Garden.

“I was sick,” Felton said on Saturday. “I never wanted to leave New York. At the same time, I had to do my job.”

Felton had signed with the Knicks as a free agent before the 2010-2011 season, so he was only with the team he chose for a few months before being dealt elsewhere. Then, in Denver, Ty Lawson saw more minutes than him at the point guard position. He asked to be moved after the season, and he was traded to Portland.

Felton got a chance to re-do his stint with the Knicks when he signed with them over the summer as a free agent. He had a lot of expectations because he was replacing Jeremy Lin, but he never backed down from the comparisons.

So far things have gone well. Felton is having a strong season, and the Knicks are leading the Eastern Conference with a 14-5 record.

Raymond Felton has some pretty big shoes to fill. He is well aware of that. The Jeremy Lin frenzy in New York last year was one that is unrivaled by any other in sports that doesn’t have to do with Tim Tebow. Linsanity became an infectious disease across New York, and the fans loved every second of it. Now, he’s gone and Felton is supposed to take his place. The former Blazers guard said there is no question he can do it.

“I am a competitor, I am a point guard just like he is, so do I think I am better? Of course, I am going to say that,” Felton said according to the NY Post. “I think I am better than any point guard. That’s the way I am supposed to think. But at the same time it’s nothing personal between me and Jeremy. But people are going to make it about that. I am fine with that.”

Chances are, Felton will not be able to win New York over the way Lin did even if he performs as well. He played well with the Knicks for 54 games during the 2010-2011 season (over 17 ppg) before being shipped to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony deal, but that was under Mike D’Antoni. Lin and Felton were both beneficiaries of D’Antoni’s point guard-friendly system, but as we know Mike is gone.

Losing Lin is about more than just basketball to the fans in New York. His story made him a celebrity. Felton is a former fifth overall pick out of UNC who has been a good player throughout most of his career but has ultimately underachieved. Having come out of Harvard and almost been forced out of the NBA, Lin has a completely different background. In reality, Felton will probably never be a New York celebrity that inspires fans to make posters like this.

Photo credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

Talking trash after you win is a pretty easy thing to do. Had Russell Westbrook gone off for 25 points and 12 assists to lead the Thunder to a victory over the Blazers Wednesday night, Raymond Felton probably would not have taken the time to critique his game. However, Portland beat the Thunder 103-93, which inspired Felton to talk about how Westbrook is not a team player.

“That’s the type of guy he is, that’s his mindset, that’s how he plays,” Felton told The Oregonian. “He’s always in a one-on-one battle with all the point guards. I’m not really into that. I’m into winning. If you win, everybody gets the praises. We are not wearing ‘Felton’ on the front of our jerseys; it says Blazers. I care about the Blazers winning.”

Based on the altercations Westbrook has had with Kevin Durant, it was kind of obvious that he isn’t the greatest team player in the league.  Still, I don’t think he is as concerned about statistics as he is about winning.  When things are going well for the Thunder everyone wants to praise Westbrook.  When things are going poorly it’s because he’s selfish.

Whether Felton’s assessment was accurate or not, I think his emotions probably got the best of him after getting the best of Westbrook.  At the end of the day having a Russell Westbrook that can get carried away in one-on-one situations is better than having 90% of the other point guards in the league.

H/T to Eye on Basketball for the story