Raymond Felton must take a seat for the rest of season
By Matt Shetler
It goes without saying that New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton isn’t very good.
In fact, some league execs have gone as far as to say that Felton is the worst point guard in the NBA.
Mar 3, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) reacts after making a three point shot in the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit won 96-85. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
It’s hard to argue with that as Felton pretty much makes that debate an easy one with his atrocious play at both ends of the floor.
But as bad as Felton has been before his arrest, he has been much worse since.
While Felton said his off the court issues would not be a distraction, they clearly are.
That should leave the Knicks with either one of two alternatives.
Option one would be for the Knicks to simply sit Felton down for the rest of the season. He’s not helping the team, there’s no point on him being run out there. However that won’t happen as Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson is notorious for giving major minutes to players that don’t get the job done, so Felton shouldn’t be any different.
Option two is for Felton to walk away until his legal troubles are settled.
Its clear things are weighing on him and it has affected not only his performance, but the team as well. Felton, like any other player is paid to be a professional. He hasn’t been one lately and should not be run back out there.
Woodson benched J.R. Smith for not being a pro (Smith should be sat also for what it is worth), why not do the same with Felton?
Things hit a new low on Monday night when Felton went 1-for-9 from the floor in the Knicks seventh consecutive loss, an embarrassing defeat to the struggling Detroit Pistons.
To be fair, Felton wasn’t the only one that was lousy.
Felton and J.R. Smith were a combined 1-for-19 from the floor. They finished 6-for-26, which was not helped by the combined 2-for-13 from subs Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr.
While many Knicks have been struggling, Felton’s have been magnified, going just 7-for-32 from the floor since his arrest.
“My personal life is my personal life. But at the same time, if you’re dealing with something, it’s on your mind,” Felton told Newsday’s Mark Herrmann. “I try not to let that come into my job. This is my job. I’ve got to perform, I’ve got to do my job.
“There’s nothing I can really do about it. Just keep shooting. At some point, it’s going to go away. I can’t not take those shots because it’s going to mess up our offense. I’ll figure it out.”
To me, that is a comical statement coming from Felton and it’s a problem that the Knicks haven’t noticed a problem and a downward trend in a player like Felton.
He says he will figure it out.
When? What’s been his excuse the rest of the season?
He speaks as if he has been a productive scorer in the past and is just in a mini slump.
Here’s a guy that has shot only 39 percent from the floor on the season and 29.4 percent from behind the arc. If he’s so concerned about figuring things out all of the sudden, what has been his problem the rest of the season? Where was the urgency to figure things out all year?
Felton is a career 41.2 percent shooter from the floor and only a 33.1 percent shooter from long range. There’s nothing for him to figure out. He’s never been a quality shooter in the NBA.
I give Felton some credit for realizing he is a problem, but while his arrest likely has played a role in his recent struggles, he fails to mention he has been horrific all season long from the floor.
It’s time to move on.
While the Knicks don’t have great options at the point guard spot, Woodson has to sit Felton for good.
It’s embarrassing to the organization to continue to run Felton out there.
While Pablo Prigioni and Toure’ Murry aren’t great fallback options, they give you a better chance to win then running a struggling player out there with plenty of other things on his mind.
Woodson needs to act like a coach for a change and Felton needs to act like a pro.
It’s time to move on.