During the 2013-14 NBA season, Raymond Felton became the punch line that finished all jokes about the New York Knicks terrible season. Felton was out of shape, came under fire with the law, and just played terribly from start to finish for the Knicks. It’s not at all a stretch to say that Felton was the worst starting point guard in the league last season.
Once the off-season got here, the Knicks couldn’t trade him fast enough, sending the guard to the Dallas Mavericks as part of the Tyson Chandler trade. With Monta Ellis, Devin Harris and newly-acquired Jameer Nelson already on the roster, there are questions as to what role, if any, Felton will have with the team. That hasn’t hampered the guard’s confidence, as Felton was very optimistic about his future on a conference call with Dallas media.
“I still can play. I still can play this game at this level. I can still play this game as an elite point guard at this level.” Felton said, “When you come off a season like I had last season, it’s always a point that you’ve got to prove to yourself coming back the next year. And trust me, I look forward to it.”
Well, I guess.
Nobody has really ever called Felton an elite point guard (outside of himself), even during his near All-Star peak a few years ago. It will be interesting to see if the guard makes the Mavs rotation or if he moves one step closer to being out of the league. If I were a betting man, my money would be on the latter.