Western Notes: Towns, Felton, McDaniels, Bledsoe

Early in the 2015/16 season, we’re seeing rookies shine all across the NBA, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press writes.  That group of bright youngsters includes Timberwolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been a force on both ends of the floor for Minnesota.  Averaging 15.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG, and 2.3 BPG, Towns appears to be on his way to stardom.

“I think about the things I’m asking him to do against the people I’m asking him to do it against and I have to always remind myself that he’s 19,” Wolves interim coach Sam Mitchell said, “that he should be a sophomore in college.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

• Raymond Felton never was more than a fringe rotation player during his first season in Dallas, but his teammates respect the way that he carried himself during that time, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com writes. Felton’s reputation was in tatters after a rough divorce and felony gun charges while in New York. Now, Mavs players like Devin Harris and Deron Williams say that Felton is a model teammate. Felton is set to hit the open market next summer after earning $4.54MM this season.
• The Rockets have recalled K.J. McDaniels from the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston announced (on Twitter). McDaniels became the Rockets’ first D-League assignment of the season when the team sent him down last week. McDaniels, 23 in February, has seen just six total minutes across three games for Houston so far this season. In his rookie season, McDaniels averaged 7.9 PPG and 3.2 RPG across 62 games for the Rockets and Sixers.
• Suns guard Eric Bledsoe has taken his dynamic skills to the next level by playing with more purpose and passion than ever before, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. There were conflicting reports as to whether the Suns were talking about trading Bledsoe around draft time, but there has been additional word since then indicating that Phoenix was not looking to move the 25-year-old.  Through nine games, Bledsoe ranks tenth in the NBA for points per game (23.2) and fourth for steals per game (2.1).