Ray Felton could be Indiana’s next point guard
Ray Felton
One of the 800 rumors to see the light of day around the NBA trade deadline was of a proposed deal sending T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush to the Bobcats for D.J. Augustin, Gerald Henderson and Nazr Mohammed.
At the time, Charlotte reportedly decided against making the move, mainly because T.J. is slated to make $8.5 million next season and then-owner Bob Johnson was hesitant to take on that much cap space on a borderline starter. But now that Michael Jordan is taking over as majority owner of the ‘Cats — assuming he was the one interested in Ford in the first place before Johnson vetoed it — he might be willing to take more risks with his money. A couple days after the Bobcats played at Indiana, Charlotte Observer beat writer Rick Bonnell wondered if Ford could be part of the Bobcats’ offseason plans this summer, in a sign-and-trade for free agent Ray Felton.
As the Bobcats challenge for the franchise’s first-ever playoff berth this year, their core unit is mostly set in place for the next few years. Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson are under contract through 2013, Boris Diaw through 2012, and Augustin and Henderson are still on their rookie deals. Tyson Chandler has a $12.5 million player-option for next season, which he’d be crazy to give up and test the market.
Felton, despite being one of the few staples for the organization as the full-time starting point guard for the last four-plus seasons, is now a wild card. Seeking a long-term deal last summer, he could only land a one-year agreement ($5.5M) with the ‘Cats. And if the team didn’t want to commit to him then, I don’t see why they’d do it now, since Felton hasn’t gotten significantly better this year — in fact, his scoring and assist numbers (11.8 ppg, 5.5 apg) are down, although his shooting percentages are up.
As a Pacers fan, I like a Felton-for-Ford deal. Every time you want to completely give up on T.J., he comes through with a good stretch, like when he bounced back from a month-long benching to average 13.6 points in February. But it’s time to move on.
Felton is a better long-term option who is more of a pure point guard than a scorer who just happens to be short. He’s got a track record of hitting clutch shots and has developed a more reliable outside jumper, hitting 37% beyond the arc this season, and he’s better defensively. Felton would make a solid PG/scorer combo with Danny Granger, and if Roy Hibbert keeps progressing in the middle, if Tyler Hansbrough can get (and stay) healthy, if Dahntay Jones remembers he’s there for defense and doesn’t try to become a scorer, the Pacers would have a nice young core plus a Lottery pick coming in, ideally a two-guard like Evan Turner or an athletic big man like Derrick Favors.
If the Bobcats for whatever reason still want Ford this summer, Indy needs to make that deal.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
karizmatic says:
I think the Bobcats getting TJ Ford would be a stupid deal for them, however I could see Jordan doing something boneheaded like that. Felton does look like a good fit for the Pacers though, given the players they have and the style of basketball they want to play.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
harris11 says:
seems like a dumb move for the cats to pick up ford.. all he does is jack up shots
March 18th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
wait, you’re advocating the Cats to give up felton, the consistent PG on a potential playoff team, for a guy that got traded 2x already in his career (this would make it the third). this would be a terrible basketball decision for charlotte.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
And they’ll still suck.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Big surprise. Austin advocates a one-sided trade that benefits only the Pacers. What’s next? Solomon Jones and Hansbrough for Bosh?
March 18th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Darkness says:
I doubt wants Ford.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
eyes says:
If this league had quality starting pg’s. Felton would be a serviceable back up at best. Technically he’s more a scoring guard that can’t shoot or get people easy buckets. Both teams will make no noise in the future & continue to harbor right where there at. No matter the coach or money or city. If you don’t have the right players or talent. It aint happening.
That whole Carolina squad flamed out. Mccants,May,Felton
They weren’t that good. Winning a National Championship doesn’t make you a sure fire lottery pick or talent. Conley,Oden,Chalmers,Taurean Green,Brewer who’s finally starting to come around to decent. Daquan Cook,
Noah & Horford have been the exception. The Blazers healthy with Kevin Durant & Skip could have won the chip this year. I don’t like Raymond Felton’s game. He does nothing good. He just a big not tall guard who’s athletic. Yet you’ll never know from his lack of basic skills.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Darkness says:
I doubt too many teams want Ford I meant
March 18th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Boombaby says:
Jordan would be dumb if he do it. I would hate him if he do it. I am not a fan of Felton, but I dont like Ford. The guy spent most of his time in street cloths. Why trade a player on a court than in street cloths? In the long run Felton would be a better choice.
March 18th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
RC says:
I’m not a fan of T.J. Ford’s game. His greatest asset is his speed, but sometimes he is just too fast for his own good. He usually turns the ball over and takes a lot of off balance shots because he pulls up so fast for jumpers without setting his feet and shoulders squarely. Thus him not having a reliable jumpshot. And he is not a slasher either since he doesnt have that ability to finish strong. He can be a drive and dish guy but we all know he doesnt like passing that much.
So I’m not sure why Bobcats want to take on a bigger contract with TJ Ford who is definitely not as good or even steady as Felton. Meanwhile they can try Felton out for one more year for couple million dollars less and if doesnt work out they can lure in younger more talented guards. There’s plenty of them out there!
March 18th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
sh!tfaced says:
Won’t be surprised if Kwame makes his way to Charlotte…
March 18th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Brown says:
If Larry Brown could teach T.J. Ford to play the right way, it would be nothing short of a miracle. I can only imagine the look on LB’s face when Ford takes one of his trademark ill-advised jumpers, thinking to himself “who the hell ever thought this guy could be an NBA point guard?”
March 18th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
EN FUEGO says:
Nope. He’s not white enough for Larry Bird
March 18th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
K Dizzle says:
16% from the 3 point line….
March 18th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
the cynic says:
Larry Brown already has Ford in the doghouse and he isn’t even on the team yet. Felton is way better player
March 19th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
dvs says:
@11 As long as Kwame isn’t with the Pistons next year I’m happy.