Felton & Lawson - Two of a kind?

[dnbman]

Check it out for yourself
www.draftexpress.com/profile/Raymond-Felton-5/

He brings up some valid points that I do agree that with a real coach who has a system in play and a full season gaining experience at the point like Spectre said Felts could breakout by putting up comparable stats to his 05 counter parts. He's shown the potential we all hoped for after we finally waived Jeff that he can give us double digit points and assists numbers a full year with the two above mentioned things would only make him better IMHO.

I think it's hysterical that this review foresaw what we've all been saying all along and have witnessed time and time again: Felton's great ability when the right system is intact.

With a quality coach, Felton will be a top 5 point guard in the league, especially when Kidd and Nash start to drastically decline. I just hope he does so while a Bobcat.

[MattD]

With a quality coach, Felton will be a top 5 point guard in the league, especially when Kidd and Nash start to drastically decline. I just hope he does so while a Bobcat.

That I think, is a stretch. Felton is good, but poor decision making and court vision will always hurt him

[spectre]

Who ever wrote that has no idea what they are talking about and is obviously biased towards European players.

It's just too easy isn't it?  

You guys will get what's so funny in a bit.

That I think, is a stretch.  Felton is good, but poor decision making and court vision will always hurt him

Don't you think that'll get better with experience so far as decision making?  I think his court vision is pretty good; it's more knowing when to take the risky chance and when not to.

[dnbman]

That I think, is a stretch. Felton is good, but poor decision making and court vision will always hurt him

Don't you think that'll get better with experience so far as decision making? I think his court vision is pretty good; it's more knowing when to take the risky chance and when not to.

Exactly. I can have supervision, but if there's nothing opening up, there's nothing opening up. He demonstrates good vision on a nightly basis. He just tries to force the issue too much, which I can't really blame him since Carroll and Dudley are the only guys that do much of anything off the ball. Most of our guys find there place and then look at Felton and waive there hands with a man on their back.

This is what I think Felton can and must do to improve his game:

1. Keep his head up. When he plays with his head up, he does a fine job of looking for teammates. However, he tends to do this chin-to-chest thing, as if he's trying to fake out his defender, which leads me to the second thing:

2. Play solid basketball rather than gimicky basketball. Too often, he does these weird little things-- chin-to-chest, pointless fakes, etc.-- that don't really make much of a difference in the play. That's one of the biggest things I like about Paul is he just plays a regular looking game that ends up being spectacular.

3. Play in all gears. Once he makes his first step around a defender, he rarely changes gears. Consequently, he has to force a shot or a pass or he runs out of real estate. If he was more in control of his speed, which I think he will be, he'll vastly improve his game.

4. Hire his UNC shot coach. He vastly improved his shot each year at UNC. Whatever that guy told him, he needs to practice. He has the ability to be a good shooter. However, his form isn't consistent enough, leading to shots that look bad straight from the release. Last night, he looked like he was rolling his shooting hand over, putting a sideways rotation on the ball.

To me, if he does those things, which are all doable, he'll be a much better player. If we don't find a good coach for him here, we need to trade him though. I have to admit, I love the guy. But, I'd rather trade him than continue to use him the way he's been used these last two years.

[chabber]

Who ever wrote that has no idea what they are talking about and is obviously biased towards European players.

It's just too easy isn't it?

You guys will get what's so funny in a bit.

Calling all users with stretched alien heads as avatars!!

[Slam]

Calling all users with stretched alien heads as avatars!!
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Calling all users with stretched alien heads as avatars and a serious hate for any prospect who is high flying with very little substance!!

:P

[chabber]

You talking bout Carney again slam

[TheBeagle]

As I've said long before I even became a denizen of Bobcatsplanet, and more than a few times since then, UNC PGs are system PGs, much like many college QBs a la Ty Detmer, David Klinger, Andre Ware, etc. Going back to Dean Smith, maybe even Frank McGuire, the PG is the key to the team in terms of getting the offense going, and being the extension of the coach on the floor. Rarely does UNC expect their PG to be scorers, most notably pre-Roy; they feed the interior and run the offense, and if an open lane or open jumper provides itself, they'll take it. Just look at a small sample of starting PGs to come out of UNC since '82: Jimmy Black, Kenny Smith, Ranzino Smith, Jeff Lebo (combo guard, really, but was pure PG his senior year), King Rice, Derrick Phelps, Jeff McInnis, Ed Cota, Ronald Curry, Adam Boone, Raymond Felton, Bobby Frasor, Ty Lawson, (and Larry Drew Jr. will be next year, depending on Lawson). Please let me know if I left off anyone, but this list is pretty much it. Since '82, and even before that, UNC has been one of the most successful programs ever in terms of winning percentage, and yet, you look at that list, and how many NBA starters do you see? In fact, how many guys who made it to the NBA do you see? The Jet, Jeff, and Raymond is it. The Jet was a very solid 10 year or so player, who won 2 championships with the Rockets. Jeff was Jeff. And the verdict is still out on Raymond, those he's proven to be more than adequate as a starting PG. (Interestingly enough, the Jet was on the brink of being a marginal NBA role player after playing in Sacramento and Atlanta, until he was picked up by the Rockets, and he found his niche. Makes you wonder what Raymond could do if he went elsewhere.)

In essense, this crash course in UNC PGs the last 25+ years is only to illustrate that either UNC ruins its PG recruits NBA chances because of their system, or UNC recruits PGs that will fit it system, regardless of their NBA potential. They might be two sides of the same coin, I'm honestly not sure, and as a amateur Tar Heel historian, it's something I've thought about quite a bit. King Rice was a very higly regarded recruit coming out of NY: was it the system that did him in, or was he just not NBA material from the beginning. If any of you even remember him, it appeared to be the latter, but who knows. Admittedly, Curry split time as QB for the football team, which didn't help his progress much, but if you remeber seeing him play, there was no way he looked like the national player of the year coming out of high school, which he was awarded coming out of Hampton, VA.

Maybe one of the most telling anecdotes about UNC and its PGs has to do with Kenny Anderson. Anderson, a member of the class of '89, was the key target of many schools, and Coach Smith was at the head of the line, and he put all his apples in the Anderson cart (so much so that he wouldn't give Bobby Hurley, who desperately wanted to play at Carolina, any guarantee of a scholarship, so he chose Duke...thank god!!!). It seemed to be destined that Anderson would be a Tar Heel because he went to the same high school in NY that Kenny "Jet" Smith went to, and their school uniforms were Carolina blue. Well, it didn't happen; Anderson picked Ga. Tech over UNC because he was guaranteed a starting job, and would have free reign to do whatever he wanted on the court under Bobby Cremins, which would never have happened at UNC under Coach Smith. While Kenny Anderson never lived up to his potential in the NBA, it's noteworthy that he chose GT over UNC because they gave him a better chance to showcase his skills for the NBA.

All in all, there is a tenuous at best relationship between UNC PGs and the NBA, and because of its repetition over the years, I have to think it's not a coincidence, and I think a similar fate awaits Ty Lawson. For all his speed, decent range, and ability to feed the post, at this point in time, he is a downgrade from Raymond. Raymond has more size both in height and bulk (though Lawson is definitely strong), and he is a more consistent and even mature floor general...comparing their Carolina careers thus far. To be honest, I would be shocked if Tywon is a lottery pick should he enter this year, or maybe any year. So to answer the thread: Raymond was the superior college player in the same system, and I believe he will be the superior NBA player as well, though I hope they both become perennial All Stars!

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I just realized how damn long this post was, and assume it was a subconscious way of dealing with the Heels loss last night. As always, thank you my fellow Bobcatsplanet folk, for giving me a place to work out my issues

[ohara831]

+1 Beagle. That was an awesome historical perspective and analysis. I would have had to research all weekend for that material.

Beagle: I just had a brain lapse. It's 5:45 am so give me a little break. Cannot remember if I hit the button to bump the Rep up +1. If I did not, say so and I will do it right this time. If I did, great, as it was well deserved with that post.

[Slam]

You talking bout Carney again slam

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LOL!