Felton up against New York's point guard pride
Posted Aug 24 2010 9:32AM
To listen to New Yorkers, the Statue of Liberty should be holding not a torch, but a basketball, to be thrown to the nearest open man. That's how proudly New York feels about producing point guards, a notion that comes with a fair degree of merit.
Weren't many point guards born and raised over the decades on the cracked asphalt of Bed-Stuy, Coney Island, various pockets of Queens and in the South Bronx? Didn't they perfect the art of the dribble by bouncing the ball everywhere they went, even the bathroom? Couldn't they all pass the ball through a car wash without it getting wet?
Oh, the names: Tiny Archibald, Pearl Washington, Kenny Anderson, Mark Jackson, etc., etc., all professors of pass, all known for their ability to see the floor.
But the home team, the same team that once gave us Clyde Frazier, has suffered tremendously from stability and quality at the position lately. Oh, the names: Chris Duhon, Stephon Marbury (a New Yorker, at that), Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, an old Derek Harper, an old Doc Rivers. That's a sampling of the starters the Knicks have had since Jackson, the last point guard who allowed Knicks' fans to sleep peacefully at night.
Maybe that changes now, with free agent newcomer Raymond Felton, who in some respects will carry a bigger burden than Amar'e Stoudemire.
If nothing else, Felton won't be following a tough act when he suits up this season. Duhon was one of the least-productive starters in the NBA last season. He had major problems with his jumper (shooting 37 percent) and averaged a mild 5.6 assists. He clearly wasn't a good fit for the exciting, up-tempo offense long promised by Mike D'Antoni. Besides, Duhon is probably cut out to be a backup, anyway, a job he secured this summer when he signed with Orlando to give Jameer Nelson a breather.
Marbury was supposed to bring sizzle and star power when he arrived in a flush of optimism in December of 2004, but his four years were just shy of a disaster. He took the Knicks to the playoffs and played perhaps the best basketball of his career in his first few months on the job. But then came the train wreck: fighting with Larry Brown, then D'Antoni; getting caught up in a sexual harassment case and finally acting batty before the Knicks cut him loose.
Who else? Eisley and Steve Francis were expensive and regrettable decisions; both were beyond their prime. Ward was the guy during the best years of the Patrick Ewing era but was the weak spot of the starting five and never became an All-Star. Harper helped lead the Knicks to the NBA Finals and did outplay the Rockets' Kenny Smith in that series, but his stay, while sweet, was short. Same For Rivers.
Jackson left town in 1992 (save for a brief return in his twilight) and the Knicks haven't had an All-Star point guard since he became one in 1989. That's 21 years, a lifetime for New York basketball fans. No points arrived in the Draft, or trade, or free agency, or by luck.
The Knicks' best chance to grab one was last summer, but they passed on Brandon Jennings for Jordan Hill. This was an embarrassing oversight for three reasons: Jennings played a year in Italy, where D'Antoni was once a star point guard himself; the Knicks needed a point guard more than they needed a small forward; and Jennings eventually carried the Bucks to the playoffs last season while Hill was locked to the bench (and later traded) by D'Antoni.
How exciting would the Knicks look right now, with Jennings at point guard next to Stoudemire, Anthony Randolph and Danilo Gallinari? How would Jennings and his showmanship go over at Madison Square Garden? Also, with Jennings on board, you think another free agent would've signed with the Knicks, in addition to Stoudemire?
The Knicks certainly blew that decision, but maybe found a common ground between Jennings and Duhon by signing Felton. By all accounts, Felton is neither an impact player like Jennings nor out of his league as a starter, as Duhon was. Felton was a solid starter (13.3 points, 6.4 assists) for five seasons with the Bobcats, who took him fifth overall in the Draft, and easily was the best free-agent point guard on the market.
He brings durability (never playing less than 78 games a season) and defensive toughness. He's not terribly athletic but finds his way around the floor. He was handled by Nelson in the first round of the playoffs last spring, but took full responsibility for that, a trait that'll serve him well in the harsh glare of the big city.
He's either the answer to the Knicks' point guard prayers, or merely keeping the spot warm for the next guy.
At this stage, given what they've gone through, the Knicks will simply settle for fewer turnovers, both at the point guard position and when that player has the ball.
