Raymond Felton?

by Dale_Cooper on Jul 6, 2010 10:54 AM PDT

I'm surprised nobody here (that I know of) has been talking about Raymond Felton. He's a free agent entering his prime who could be potentially had for the MLE. He's one of the best defensive PG's in the league, and is coming off a season where he shot 38.5% from three. I think Felts could be more talented than Blake, and a better fit than Miller.

What do you think? Could Felton potentially be the point guard Portland needs?

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i'm not sure he can be had for mle

if blake can be had for 4 million…i would think that felton would be well over the MLE.

"There was a time when this blog was for intelligent BASKETBALL fans. It has unfortunately become O-Live 2…" ~Ilikeemall

"Did they really expect me to bow down to Jesus?!?" ~Sophia
"At first glance, I saw a fairly unremarkable penis." ~Sophia on Greg Oden

by Philthyanimal on Jul 6, 2010 11:22 AM PDT reply actions

Is he really one of the best defensive PG's in the league?

by hoodieNation on Jul 6, 2010 11:26 AM PDT reply actions

Larry Brown thinks so.

He can guard 2’s which is always nice.

by Nick Van Excellent on Jul 6, 2010 2:16 PM PDT up reply actions

Is Charlotte wanting to keep him?

by hoodieNation on Jul 6, 2010 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions

They can't afford him.

The Lakers wanted him too, but he’s worth more than the MLE. (or at least he thinks he is)

“Felton received calls from New York, Miami, Indiana, New Jersey, Dallas and Memphis at the beginning of free agency, a source said. Felton is viewed as the best point guard available in free agency. While the Los Angeles Lakers are looking for a point guard, Felton is expected to command more than the midlevel exception and is likely out the Lakers’ range.-Yahoo”

by Nick Van Excellent on Jul 6, 2010 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Good player, should be a 20 mpg backup exclusively at the PG.

I don’t really like giving players like that (rotation players without much upside) MLE type money, but I wouldn’t hate it either. Bad season to be throwing money at guys you don’t need to though.

by howlingfantods on Jul 6, 2010 11:48 AM PDT reply actions

I'd LOVE to get him...he's not a rock start, but definitely a player...

…I think his skills are underrated…to many guys on BE think we can have Oden/LMA/Scottie Pippen-Lite/B-Roy/Chris Paul…

…if guys develop at all like they should, Raymond is NICE. Def above average defender, pure pg, perfect age for our “window,” and has shown signs he is developing a 3pt shot…def a rock star shooter compared to Miller…

…if we could get him, and play a J-Bay/Roy/Felton combo at the guard spots…no complaints there…

…I thought we could get him for the mid-level, but as I’ve been investigating the current FA period, it appears pretty rock solid that he’ll get solidly over the Mid Level Exception…

…too bad for us in my book…if he would have been unrestricted last year, to have him for our “window” instead of Miller…that would have been nice… there’s always a little luck in building a team

by irish3 on Jul 6, 2010 9:24 PM PDT up reply actions

just because market price is X

that doesn’t always mean that it’s a good idea to be paying market price for that something. There was a time when market price for a tulip bulb was $50,000, that doesn’t mean you should pay it.

by howlingfantods on Jul 6, 2010 11:23 PM PDT up reply actions

nice Dutch reference

I love that story.

You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.

by austinpwnz on Jul 7, 2010 5:58 PM PDT up reply actions

I like felton

but at an inflated salary?

"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man

by PDXBuckeye on Jul 7, 2010 12:00 AM PDT up reply actions

We're not getting him this year...and I'm not into giving Joe Johnson contracts out...

…just saying if he were a FA last year…bet ya we could have had him for the same contract as Miller got

by irish3 on Jul 7, 2010 8:29 AM PDT up reply actions

He was a pretty lousy 3pt shooter before last year

and has averaged less than one 3pt shot made per game for his career. I don’t think he’s a threat to spread the floor.

His PER has hovered around or below 15 and his WP48 only became above average last year.

by ninjasocks on Jul 6, 2010 11:49 AM PDT reply actions

though there is evidence that 3pt shooting is one of those things that players can develop over their careers, moreso than many other skills

See Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, Travis Outlaw for an example closer to home…

You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.

by austinpwnz on Jul 7, 2010 6:00 PM PDT up reply actions

See Miller, Andre. But then he isn't paid to practice during the summer, so ....

by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 7, 2010 6:16 PM PDT up reply actions

Felton is going to cash in big

Not a lot of PG talent in free agency, so Felton will be overpaid. Sounds like he’ll get well over the MLE as a lower tier starter somewhere. Knicks?

by lostcauses on Jul 6, 2010 12:37 PM PDT reply actions

Ray Felton's going to make a good team better

as a starter for the next many years. It’s a sure bet he makes more than the MLE, maybe lots more. We would be lucky to get him for A. Miller’s expiring, Rudy and a draft pick in a sig’n trade. Doubt Charlotte wants Dre but it’s worth a try, especially if they want to save some money. Now that Jordan’s an owner we’re going to get a good look at his penurious nature.

by oregonslee on Jul 6, 2010 1:31 PM PDT reply actions

lol, thats seems like WAY to much to give up for him.

I’d rather keep Miller for the year or two and see what happens to Bayless.

by hoodieNation on Jul 6, 2010 1:55 PM PDT up reply actions

Me too

I’d rather bet on Bayless developing and hedge my bets with Dre in the short term than give something up for Felton. But I can see Charlotte wanting him, he’d make a big contribution to that team. If they keep TT, and he grows up a little, that would be a pretty good team, but not formidable considering how much stronger the East will be after this offseason.

by HailOden! on Jul 6, 2010 2:59 PM PDT up reply actions

I'd have to think there would be better trades for Dre's EC

by dirtboydave on Jul 6, 2010 6:41 PM PDT up reply actions

did any body hear the WAW show earlier?

Sorry, I can’t be more specific, but I can’t remember the guys name, anyway, a Chi Town reporter was on the WAW show and said there’s rumored to be a Deng for Joel P. and J. Bayless trade on the table waiting Portland’s approval. Assuming it’s true and goes through I wouldn’t mind adding Felton for MLE. He may be worth more than that, but how many teams out there are in need of a PG? There aren’t many. Could bring his value down some. The teams that were in need opted to go with cheaper options (by comparison) like Blake at around 4 mil. Any way I think Felton could be had for around 7mil. We’d probably have to resign him in a few years though.

by King Mar on Jul 6, 2010 1:38 PM PDT reply actions

This whole rumor started due to a comment on the O-Live boards.

I would like to say our management isn’t stupid enough to trade away our best expiring contract and our backup PG for an $11 million backup SF…but with KP gone who knows?

by GMan83201 on Jul 6, 2010 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm telling you, unless we can hit a homerun trade this summer (Deng isn't it)...

…then we should hold those 2 expiring deals for mid-season. Rumor is starting to spread that with the lockup and new CBA coming next summer, teams may be desperate to shed contracts come February.

Plus, if we are stupid enough to take on Deng’s 4 year monstrosity of a contract AND help Chicago at the same time, then color me severely disappointed.

"I want to be traded to a contender" is almost always code-speak for "I'm a loser."
-Dave, 2/5/2010: http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/2/5/1297509/no-amore-for-amare

by douglast on Jul 6, 2010 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions

All our expirings, plus the majority of our talent, will be more valuable in several months

I agree that, with a potential lock-out and new CBA, organizations will very much value 2011-2012 expirings.

Also if Batum comes back healthy, Bayless shows progression from playoffs, Cunningham gets more minutes and Rudy find’s his shot all 3 of them will increase in value (I would say 3/4 of those things happen). Unless a rookie fails pretty miserably they will certainly have higher value (more of a proven commodity).

by Sir.Ludo on Jul 6, 2010 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions

I like this approach the best

See what we got in Bayless, Batum and Greg come February when other teams are desperate.

by dirtboydave on Jul 6, 2010 6:42 PM PDT up reply actions

yep

get what we can with our MLE and, unless it is a blockbuster steal move leave it alone until the in season trade deadline.

"Oh Yeah!" ~ Kool Aid Man

by PDXBuckeye on Jul 7, 2010 12:05 AM PDT up reply actions

Agreed. 14 million in 2 expiring contracts is a ton!

by AtlBlzr on Jul 6, 2010 8:46 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes for sure.

Gotta see RAMBO in action, if Rudy can bounce back, etc.

You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.

by austinpwnz on Jul 7, 2010 6:03 PM PDT up reply actions

I can’t remember the guys name

Kaplan, don’t remember his first name. He does a radio show in Chicago

Deng should not be coming to PDX, under any circumstances. Wheels speculated that he may go to Dallas because the Bulls want a center in exchange for Luol (Haywood, Dampier)

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Jul 6, 2010 3:22 PM PDT up reply actions

That's his name

Thanks. Didn’t say I liked the trade, just that if it went through I would like to see Felton take Bayless’s spot as backup PG til Andre is gone.

by King Mar on Jul 6, 2010 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions

He (Felton) has definitely been talked about. Look through the last 2 weeks and you will find at least 3 posts dedicated to the debate

The conclusion has almost always been: “He will be too expensive for whatever upgrade he might bring”

by Sir.Ludo on Jul 6, 2010 2:00 PM PDT reply actions

i like his steals

by Captain fruit on Jul 6, 2010 3:21 PM PDT reply actions

Raymond Felton?

Nope. Keep guessing.

Treat people well because Karma can hit you at any second.

by Net Ranger on Jul 6, 2010 3:54 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

I think he is a very good player

but I dont see how he fits with our team based solely on his contract demands. If he would take a lesser amount of money I would gladly sign him and move someone like Bayless to make room.

OJ Mayo is the Blazers' PG of the Future

by GreatOden'sRaven on Jul 6, 2010 4:24 PM PDT reply actions

I'll pass

He always seemed a bit nondescript for my taste. Kind of mediocre at most things IMO.

by ebnerblazer on Jul 6, 2010 7:59 PM PDT reply actions

not what we need

don’t get caught up with names and stats, FIT is much more important

Our “PG” (and I put that in quotes because Brandon is our ball-dominator/playmaker) needs to be able to facilitate, knock down the open 3 at a high clip, run the pick-n-roll effectively, and stay in front of his man on D (and switch effectively guarding the pick-n-roll)

while Felton is a decent defender, he’s not a very good shooter. Look, Steve Blake was completely past his prime but was still very effective for us because he shot a high % and didn’t dominate the ball. Sure he got torched on D, but if we could find a more athletic, laterally quick guy that could shoot like him, I’m pretty sure he’d be great in our system

And yes, if he continues to improve his shooting, that could definitely be Bayless

by rip_city_swagger on Jul 7, 2010 10:30 AM PDT reply actions