Raymond's Last 4 Games

[BigSlam]

Per game stats:

FG - 50%
FT - 80%
3'sPG - .5
PPG - 16.0
RPG - 3.5
APG - 5.8
SPG - 1.8
BPG - .3
TPG - 2.8

Discuss (not Felts Vs DJ and who is the future or what sort of contract we should or shouldn't offer him etc, just Felts last 4 games and how he has played and what you have noticed)

[fatlever]

he's been hitting the jumper. it makes a world of difference in his case. it opens up everything else. if ray can start making jumpers on a regular basis he really does become a serious threat as a combo guard and potentially worth keeping around long term.

[Dexmor]

Considering his low trade value and DJ is only 5'10 he is absolutely worth keeping around if he plays like this. I just said it before in another post but if Ray can consistantly hit the jumper, take smarter shots, finish better at the rim he will be a legit allstar. A guy who can carry a team to the playoffs. A guy like Tony Parker level for sure.
He is very fast, very strong, can take contact and still finish, good playmaker which would only get better if people paid so much attention of his offense, fearless and willing to take the last shot, can hit free throws and has defensive potential. Even though he is only 6 foot flat he can play sg at times. He doesn't have a bad attitude and the only thing that makes me say he's not smart is his shot selection but if he is hitting the shot he is smart. Can play in the halfcourt and the running style.
Coming out of the draft people said he was drafted because he was a unc player but I thought he was the right pick at 5th. Granted I was wrong but if he can shoot 45% at least he would be a top 5-10 pg would average 20 points and 8 assists. He also is a decent rebounder for a guy his size. If he worked on his jumper and shot 1000 shots a day to do so he would be a much better player then Ben Gorden.

[BigSlam]

So DJ is going to be he greatest free throw shooter in the HISTORY of the NBA, EO50 is the greatest rebounder in the NBA today and Felts is has the potential to be a legit All Star?

But, I digress.

The thing that I have noticed the most is that he has slowed it down. He's not forcing the ball up when he drives and instead is driving and kicking a lot more which means he isn't trying to finish a shot after initiating contact or jacking up circus shots.

He's been playing a lot more in control.

[Dexmor]

I doubt Felton will ever be a good shooter so I don't think he will make the allstar team but the potential is there. Just like Gerald Green, he probably won't ever be a star but all the potential is there if he could just put it all together.
EO50 is 6th in rebounding and if you count the swats to the guards as his boards which in a way they are he would lead the league. What is wrong with that?
DJ's % is 92. I don't know what the record is but I am sure that is close. What if he gets better at shooting free throws. He is a rookie, are you telling me he has no chance to get better at shooting free throws? I wonder what the record is.

Look those are just the positives. If I listed the negitives, the flip side to the coin it would sound like the whole team needs to be blown up.

[August Us Seazr]

I'm going just a tad OT, but it relates in a way.

A lot was said during training camp about our players learning how to play the game "the Larry Brown way". In past seasons, Ray has been a bull in a china shop. Determined, but did not have a coaching staff that gave the correct technical support that the whole team needs. As a result, Ray and others on the team have to be weaned away from what was done under Bernie and Baldy. When you have 3 and 4 years of bad habits that have crept into your game, it takes a while to get the gameplay on the same page as the coaching staff.

I'm not condemning Bernie and his system, but lets be realistic, it was elementary NBA. I can't figure out what kind of NBA Vincent's system was. Larry Brown's system is more like high NBA. It takes a while to become a Larry Brown type of player. If Ray can continue progress like Slam's stats, two things will happen, both at the same time.

1- All of the trade talk will STOP from Charlotte's fans. He'll be too valuable to us to trade him.

2- Trade talk will START from every other team in the NBA wanting to take him away from us. He'll be too valuable not to trade and cash in his new-found value!

Some conundrum huh? But as long as he can start a basketball renaissance in Charlotte with great team play along with using his weapons efficiently, I'll be in his corner. And saying no to trading him!

[BigSlam]

DJ was a career 80% ft shooter for Texas. Maybe his 92% in the NBA is the exception rather than the rule? I'll be over the moon stoked if he can hover his NBA average over 85%

EO50's tap outs are considered as and are registered as a rebounding stat to him.

It's true that Felts has the potential to be an All Star - but pretty much anyone drafted in the 1st round of any draft has the "potential" to be an All Star!!

I think it was you who made the Billups comparison to Felts? I think that's a very good one. Maybe it'll take Felts 5 or 6 years to truly get it?

[BigSlam]

The thing that I have noticed the most is that he has slowed it down. He's not forcing the ball up when he drives and instead is driving and kicking a lot more which means he isn't trying to finish a shot after initiating contact or jacking up circus shots.

He's been playing a lot more in control.

Case in point!!

Tonight, when we beat the Wizards!!, when Felts rolled his ankle - he was on a two on one break (2 of them, one of us - Felts). Rather than taking the two defenders on, trying to initiate contact and create something from nothing, he made a really nice back pass to the trailing EO50 for the easy finger roll.

Not sure that Felts would have made that play over the past couple of weeks, let alone the last couple of years.

Maybe DJ is rubbing off on him because that was the exact thing that DJ would have done.

Either way, it shows a maturation and better understanding of the game on Felts behalf.

[Dexmor]

First off I didn't know that about DJ or Mek.
So you were right and I was wrong, sorry.


Felton now as I have said before is my alltime favorite college player and I really do like him here so instead of me being terrified they are gonna trade Crash now Im scared there gonna trade Felton or even worse not sign him and lose him for free. If Felton has another 5 games in a row like this I would rather keep Felton then Crash.
Many pg's take a couple years to get it not just Billups. Even Nash took 5 years to get good. That is why I was so surprised they didn't take Lopez.

I do believe Felton if he lets say keeps it up and stops taking 3's and shoots 44% for he rest of the season and gets 12 points and 6 assists I say we absolutely keep him and would be willing to give him a 5 year 40 million dollar deal. If he keeps up the play I would even say we keep him as the starter and have the rotation pretty similar to how it is were both guys play around 30 minutes. I would use DJ as the backup and have Felton play sg also to try and get Felts minutes to round 33 and DJ's to round 30. That would be good if DJ can always play against the weaker pg's because with his height he is limited as much as we don't want to admit it.

I also do think if he were traded it would be a Devin Harris type situation. Also the trade rumors for him are even worse then Wallace like Felton for Brandon Wright.

[Rich4114]

Felton's biggest problem right now is the fact that he doesn't shoot well. If he did shoot well, everyone would view this guy much much differently. He does everything else well just about except that. And when you're a PG and you miss shots, it looks worse than if you're a PF or a SF or something missing shots because you're supposed to setup a guy to take a shot with the highest % of scoring.

The good news is improving your jumper and finishing is much easier than learning other more complicated skills that really need to come naturally. There's plenty of guys who got to the next level by becoming a better shooter, maybe he can too.

[countryboi]

i dont know if felton will ever have a decent shot...i am sure he works on it and know he is a jumper away from being a very good player...but after 4 season i just dont think its going to happen

[fatlever]

watch ray shoot jumpers in pre-game warmups and you'll get a sense of why is a a poor shooter.

he never practices muscle memory. most players when get to a spot and work on getting a good rhythm going. not ray. he does cross over, between the legs, cross over, off balace shot. over and over and over. he doesnt seem to work on squaring up, feet together etc... its like his warmup is completely random. its not even like he's practicing shooting off the dribble, he's just out there throwing up shoots at the rim.

seriously, watch him next time any of you are at a game.

of course, ammo pre-game shooting ritual sometimes consists of him standing alone at the top of the key, w/ a ball under his arm... just standing there.

[Rich4114]

Shouldn't our coaches like recognize this and maybe advise they change a few things?

[e4Nf6]

I noticed Felton's terrible warm-up form myself actually. It's really stange to see. It makes me think he is just killing time out there and doesn't really believe in a "warm-up," You'd think after all these years in the NBA and college between Doherty/Williams/Bickerstaff/Vincent/Brown somebody has told him his jump shot from is crappy and he always shoots off balance.

[zoned unc]

between his sophomore and junior seasons at unc, roy totally retooled his shot. he was finally showing some consistency. had a nic follow through, squaredx up well and hit i think close to 40% from 3.
sometime between then and his rookie year he reverted back to his chicken wing shot.
I agree with you, he's a jump shot away from being a top 10point guard in th league, but unless he really changes his form it will never happen.

[fatlever]

I noticed Felton's terrible warm-up form myself actually. It's really stange to see. It makes me think he is just killing time out there and doesn't really believe in a "warm-up,"

thats pretty much it. its like he's out there just f'ing around waiting on the game to start. kinda like how i shoot when i show up to the playground 10 minutes before my buddies get there.