A bad season for Felton just got worse Saturday. The Trail Blazers starting point guard went 4 for 17 and had more turnovers (three) than assists (two) in 39 minutes of play. He also missed his only free throw, which happened to come in a tie game in the second overtime, adding to his -- and the team's -- growing list of late-game miscues that have limited the Blazers to a 15-13 record. Felton not only is shooting poorly -- 37.3 percent from the field and 20 percent from three-point range -- but he has lost himself. He is no longer that go-go-go point guard we saw early in the season, the one who pushed the pace even off other team's makes. He is no longer that point guard who penetrates and finds someone for a layup. All he does is drift around the three-point arc, making the mundane perimeter pass, often without testing the defense.
Of course, part of his lack of penetration is because teams are giving him no respect, sagging into the lane to help on big men while daring him to take an outside shot. He took a three-pointer at a key moment in the fourth quarter at Utah in which no Jazz defender was within 10 feet of him. He missed it.
His turnovers are alarming not so much in their volume but in the manner of how they are being committed. Turnovers made while attacking and pushing the envelope come with the territory. Ask Steve Nash and Deron Williams, who are routinely among the league leaders. But Felton's turnovers are coming off sloppy perimeter passes, or mindless dribbling forays. On Friday in New Orleans, he twice failed miserably while trying to split a trap, in fact making the trap more effective by dribbling into it.
But what is most alarming is that Felton is doing nothing to create shots for his teammates. You wonder why the Blazers' offense is so stagnant? It's because Felton isn't beating his man off the dribble, or even trying to. He has been reduced to a simple perimeter passer.
McMillan is cautious of benching Felton for fear that it will strip the veteran of whatever confidence he has. And the coach is not exactly convinced there is a clear improvement waiting in the wings: Jamal Crawford has also struggled with his shot and turnovers, and rookie Nolan Smith has been tentative in most of his limited minutes.
But at the same time, the Blazers coach can sense a season is slipping away. He gave himself 20 games, he said, to allow his players to work out their kinks, be it lack of conditioning, lack of rhythm, or getting used to new teammates.
The Blazers have played 28 of their 66 games.
"It's time the play becomes better," McMillan said Saturday.
So will he consider taking Felton out of the starting lineup in favor of Crawford?
"I have to look at it," McMillan said.
How much more McMillan needs to see before making a change, I don't know.
McMillan has already started to trend toward featuring Crawford at point guard. For the past week or so, he has used the tandem together, but has ordered Crawford to handle the ball and initiate the offense. Crawford has had some of his best performances in this role, primarily at New Orleans, when he had 31 points and eight assists. He also had 21 and six against Houston and eight assists against Denver. What's more, Crawford is creating opportunities and shots for his teammates, and thereby is a threat. Yeah, he is still taking -- and missing -- a lot of shots. But this team is more dangerous when he has the ball than when Felton does.
Entering Saturday's game, Felton was averaging 33 minutes per game, Crawford 26. Those should be reversed. McMillan can't keep rewarding Felton with minutes. He has to earn them. A good start would be for Felton to get back to pushing the pace, to at least try to beat his man off the dribble. To get back to being himself.
Because right now, Felton is showing little, if any, leadership. It's not that he is a bad teammate. He cheers from the bench and I think generally supports his teammates. But he has incredibly negative body language on the court, whining to the officials, throwing his hands up in the air when a teammate doesn't pass to him -- like Saturday when Nicolas Batum didn't see him cut through the lane on a inbounds play -- and just generally looking dour.
In the locker room, he has become wary of certain media -- the ones who have pointed out his flaws -- while aligning himself with those who have ignored his play. I approached him after Saturday's game, and he said he didn't know why I would want to talk to him.
I asked him where his mind was at.
"What kind of question is that?" he scoffed.
I told him I wondered if he had lost his confidence.
"Why wouldn't I have it? I shot 17 shots tonight, of course I have my confidence," Felton said. "I ain't going to stop. Shots just didn't fall tonight. Doesn't mean I'm not going to take them. If it's in the offense, I've got to take them. Hey, I'm struggling, having a struggling season so far, but hey, whatever."
Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index....
Dude just doesn't get it. probably why Denver traded him.
