The Definitive Raymond Felton Thread

Lately a lot of our threads wind up being discussions about Ray and his ability/inability to be an effective PG for the Cats. So, instead of having all of the Ray talk scattered we can just gripe/defend/discuss it all in this thread.

First, here are my issues with Ray
* This is Ray's 4th season in the league, 3 of those 4 seasons he has shot under 40% from the field. To put it in perspective, DJ is shooting better from three point range than Ray is overall
* 3 different coaches (I'm not really sure if you can call :fhb: a coach ) have seen something in his game that makes them decide to play him at SG rather than what everyone perceived as his natural position PG.

* If you play him at SG he is too small and can't shoot!!

* This is the issue that gives me an ulcer... Despite having the worst FG% on the court (38.8% as of today) he insists on taking the bulk of the end of game shots. With that FG% he should be the LAST option.

:banghead:

On the positive side he has heart and is a hard worker, but I think we've seen enough to realize that the Ray as Charlotte Bobcats starting PG for the next 10 years simply isn't going to happen.

I've had enough, he needs to be benched or traded.

Have a nice day:biggrin:

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Originally Posted by ohara831

And it absolutely drives me up a wall when Ray just has to be the one to shoot the damn thing at the most crucial times. He just dribbles some clock off and then tries to be like MJ - and he cant. I do like Ray as a spot up shooter in the open. Many times you see him be the man who gets the kick out and he drains a shot. That is where he is at his best in shooting. But he suxs as a creator of his own shot, cause he cannot create his own shot.

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From the game thread.

My question is why Larry Brown lets him do that. We can blame Felton for trying to take over, but at the end of the day it's LB who is the one allowing him to do it.

He could flat out bench him. He could tell him he'll get pulled after every stupid shot. He could get pulled when he doesn't make the pass.

LB is one of the best coaches out there. Why does he allow this to continually happen?

From the Observer:

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Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown loves his point guard's intentions, toughness and accountability.
Raymond Felton's judgment, now that's something Brown needs to fine-tune.
“Raymond tries to do the right thing, but he tries to do too much,” Brown said after the Bobcats wasted a 17-point comeback in a 93-89 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday. “When you're driving to the goal, and not getting the call, you've got to be smarter than that.”
Brown was referring to Felton's awkward attempt at a layup with 48 seconds left and the Bobcats down two. That shot came eight seconds into the possession, never had a chance to go in, and led them right off the path to a victory.
Felton, 5-of-17 from the field, admitted that wasn't his best moment.
“I know there have been some situations where I get up in the air and other guys are open,” he said. “Maybe next time” he won't commit to shooting so soon.

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From the offiical site:

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(On Raymond Felton)
"I thought he played great. Raymond is trying to do the right thing but I think he’s trying to do too much."

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Tenaciousness and willingness does not equate immediate result, and that, right now, is what the team, players and your run of the mill fans want. In his four seasons in the league he's proven he could be a more than adequate back-up PG on a very solid team, where he could chip in as an ocassional SG, but his future stint in Charlotte is under a big '?'

If trading him (and Matty or Nazr maybe) could yield a solid SG/SF and a tough biggy, I'm all game.

Those were two great posts Spectre. The two quotes show how something can be said and translated differently or even having parts of the quote cut out. Also a very good point about LB allowing Ray to take over. I dont understand the time out call late, only to have Ray drive for a layup? They did not need a TO to call that play, did they? The man has great heart, and plays thru injuries, but his judgment hurts us awful bad at times. It is just so frustrating. Great game, bad game, bad game, avg game, bad game, great game, avg game, bad game, bad game, etc... It just goes on and on, and there seem to be as many bad games as the great and avg combined. Or maybe his bad ones just stick out more. Crap, I dont know. I just want to win guys. I just want this team to be a Playoff caliber team. Dont have to be a 60 win team every year. Just be a team that at least isn't a perennial Lottery team.

That's exactly it.

I know LB wants him out there for his defense, and he's also doing all the little things (higher rebounding, steals, etc.) that LB loves. For most of the game he played solid last night except the entire team playing bad defensively in the 1st...think I read somewhere he was 2 of 6 (?) after 3 quarters...then shot like 10 times in the 4th.

As hard as LB is on him...and I've seen him on TV chewing his ass out...why does this seem to continually happen?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by spectre

As hard as LB is on him...and I've seen him on TV chewing his ass out...why does this seem to continually happen?

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Its baffling to me, I wish I knew.

As many good games Felton has there are always more bad. I mean the Ham Biscuit couldn't coach, and McInnis couldn't play, but he was looking up the right tree moving felton down the pole. In my honest opinion he may flourish on another team (one that asks him to take 3-4 shots per night). I'd love to trade him and some junk in for some older PG and some junk that larry hand selects. Larry is the kind of coach who will find treasure in someone else's trash, but larry needs to get back in the dumpster again to do it.

I think we can all see Raymond is the cause of alot of the offensive problems. Now it's not just the fact that he can't shoot, He's turning the ball over more or driving to the lane and loosing the ball or getting blocked. It's clear he wants to be THE MAN, the go to player, But seriously he's not ever going to be that. It's almost sad to see Lil Sean showing more effort then Felton.
Another big problem Felton has is he can't guard anyone. I understand SG are bigger then PG's but Felton can't even stay in front of whoever he's guarding.
I have never turned on a player from my team so quickly as i have for Felton in his NBA career. As a UNC fan i knew what type of player Felton was, I just assumed he'd get better...I was clearly wrong.

I think the idea that Raymond is trying too hard is exactly what the problem is. At the beginning of the season he was all about being a good teammate and helping DJ succeed, but he probably had no clue that DJ would be as good as he is already. So he's in that "Oh shit" state of mind where he realizes that DJ is soon going to be better than him.

So now he's trying too hard and pressing and trying to show that he's worth the money hence his declining play as of late. We should trade him while his value is high and let's move along as a team and get better with DJ at the head and we bring in a solid backup for him when he hits that inevitable rookie wall.


p.s. I love the fact that he's trying so hard (too hard, in fact). It's highly welcomed in my book and I would love it if some of our other players showed the same drive. I'll take a guy that works TOO hard wayyyy before I take a guy who doesn't work hard enough Mr. Morrison and Mr. May