Unrestricted free agent point guard Raymond Felton says he could wind up back with the Knicks or the Blazers next season, while the Suns and the Nets are also in the mix, according to comments he made to Conan Gasque of SCnow.com (hat tip to Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge). Felton, who turns 28 next week, says he's looking for a team that employs a fast-paced system similar to the one in which he thrived while playing for Mike D'Antoni with the Knicks.
Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles looked at some specific names that could surface on the Lakers' radar if Ramon Sessions is not on the roster next season, mentioning Aaron Brooks, Raymond Felton, and Kirk Hinrich as guards who could be available for the team's mini mid-level exception. You can read more of tonight's miscellaneous links here, including rumblings about Atlanta's offseason activity, a minor update on Derrick Rose, and an in-depth look at Charlotte's new head coach…
For every Goran Dragic or Ersan Ilyasova, players who explode just months before they hit unrestricted free agency, there's a Raymond Felton. Entering a contract year and his first season in Portland, Felton was poised to take over for Andre Miller as the Trail Blazers' point guard, but struggled mightily for a good chunk of the season, falling out of favor with the Portland faithful. It certainly wasn't the strongest contract year we've ever seen.
The Bulls announced that Derrick Rose underwent successful surgery to repair the torn ACL he suffered a few weeks ago and faces an eight-to-ten month recovery period, writes K.C. Johnson and Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune. In separate pieces, Johnson evaluates the performance of each player on Chicago's roster and talks about how the team's salary cap-restrtictions creates the need to be innovative in trying to improve the roster this summer. Here are more of tonight's miscellaneous links:
- The Knicks will be looking for another point guard to partner with Jeremy Lin, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Among Berman's list of targets are Kirk Hinrich, Gary Neal, Derek Fisher, A.J. Price, Jannero Pargo, and Jonny Flynn. He also mentions Ramon Sessions, Raymond Felton, Goran Dragic, Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson, and Steve Nash, but I think that the names on this latter list would only be sought after if contract talks with Lin were to somehow fall apart.
- After recently having his interim tag removed, Knicks GM Glen Grunwald has a lot of work cut out for him in the upcoming months, says Al Iannazzone of Newsday. He also adds that with the mid-level likely committed to Lin and no first-round pick, Grunwald will have to be creative with trades and free agency in order to address their back court needs. In another article, Iannazzone goes over the five biggest questions facing the team moving forward.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News speculates that Jason Terry could be on his way out if Deron Williams lands with the Mavericks (subscribers only).
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld engaged in his weekly NBA chat with fans. Here are some of his notable thoughts: the Magic may try to package their #19 pick along with Jason Richardson or Chris Duhon to create cap relief, Austin Rivers' game is comparable to Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford, and predicts that Dwight Howard will wind up signing with the Nets eventually.
- Bob Young of the Arizona Republic offers his input on the chances of reportedly interested teams in their pursuit of Steve Nash. Phoenix, Toronto, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Portland are given consideration.
- John Rohde of NewsOK explores how the support of his Thunder teammates has played a pivotal role in Eric Maynor's road to recovery from a torn ACL.
With the Trail Blazers assuming the look of a franchise trying to turn the page and overhaul almost every key piece, CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes attended the team's final practice today and asked seven of the team's free agents—Nicolas Batum, Raymond Felton, Joel Przybilla, Jamal Crawford, J.J. Hickson, Hasheem Thabeet, and Jonny Flynn—if they expected to be back with the team next season. Their answers were both varied and interesting. Here's what they said.
Batum, a restricted free agent, said he would see whether or not the team is willing to match any offers he gets. If they don't he'll probably leave. Hickson called his relationship with the Trail Blazers a "win-win" situation; he'd prefer to stay. Thabeet said he'd love to stay in Portland. Flynn says anything could happen, but that he appreciates the opportunity the Trail Blazers organization gave him to see the court.
Przybilla says he'll probably have minor surgery on his left foot once the season ends, but that he'd like to come back next year and thinks he'd be more effective in a regular 82 game campaign. Felton and Crawford, two players who had disappointing first years with the team, both gave uncommitted answers as to whether or not they pictured themselves back next season. Crawford's contract has a player option for next season, but it's believed he will opt out of it.
The Timberwolves are one of only two NBA teams not in action tonight, but the Northwest's other four squads will play. Of particular interest is the game in Portland, where the Jazz need to beat the Blazers to remain in the playoff hunt. As we await tonight's slate of games, let's round up some Northwest Division updates:
- Less than a week after declaring that he wants to return to the Timberwolves next season, Michael Beasley backtracked a little in comments to Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Beasley referred to his future as "blurry," expressed some frustration about not receiving a contract extension, and said he didn't want to get too comfortable in a reserve role.
- Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge passes along some comments made by acting Trail Blazers GM Chad Buchanan on the impending managerial changes coming in Portland. Buchanan figures the new general manager will need at least a month or so to prepare for the draft and free agency, meaning the Blazers should have a permanent GM in place by June 1st.
- Raymond Felton talked to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian about his future and his season as a Trail Blazer.
- Blake Ahearn is on the last day of his 10-day contract, and the Jazz are undecided about whether they'll re-sign him, writes Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune. GM Kevin O'Connor says the team will explore all its options before making the decision.
Earlier this evening, an ESPN report (via the Associated Press) indicated that Stan Van Gundy is prepared to handle the rest of the season and playoffs without Dwight Howard. To make matter worse, forward Glen Davis hyper-extended his right knee today during the first quarter against the Cavaliers and did not return for the rest of the game. Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweeted that Davis is unsure about when he'll be able to play again this year, which currently leaves Daniel Orton as the only true big man on the Magic roster. It should be noted that if the Magic decide to find replacements for their big man rotation through free agency, the only playoff-eligible players at this point are those who have not already played in an NBA game this year. You can find tonight's other significant stories here:
- Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes that the determining factor in Anthony Randolph's future with the Timberwolves will significantly hinge on his ability to remain consistent as the team finishes out the year. Randolph is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and even with his brilliant performance over the last three games, coach Rick Adelman feels that the jury is still out on whether he can be counted on for a full season.
- Ken Berger of CBS Sports writes that a Sacramento group including mayor Kevin Johnson is hinting at proposing new ownership for the Kings. The Maloof brothers had recently pulled out of a deal to finance a new arena with the city, much to the chagrin of the city members who are working hard to keep the team in Sacramento.
- Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott will proceed with caution with regards to the health of Kyrie Irving, says Tom Reed of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Irving is recovering from a sprained right shoulder, and Scott would rather have him focused on being ready for off-season workouts than returning for the team's final weeks.
- Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated examines the role of Chris Bosh as the key to Miami's playoff success.
- Raymond Felton has likely seen his last minutes of the season with the Trail Blazers, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Interim GM Chad Buchanan said that he and Felton agreed that this would be an opportune time to properly evaluate their other young guards, namely Nolan Smith and Jonny Flynn. Haynes also wrote another article in which he asked Kings GM Geoff Petrie about being linked to the Blazers vacant GM position, to which Petrie replied: “That's something I can't really comment on. I have a job.”
- Ten things you need to know about Derrick Favors, according to Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post spoke with coach George Karl to reflect on how he has handled coaching while prioritizing his life during this season.
After struggling for most of his first season with the Trail Blazers, Raymond Felton has raised his game lately, averaging 13.7 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 5.7 RPG on .478/.478/.833 shooting in six April contests. While his recent performance is a step up over what he's done the rest of the year, it likely won't be enough to warrant a return to Portland for the point guard. Still, as he's said before, Felton told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune that he'd love to re-sign with the Blazers:
"I have loved every experience I’ve had through my time in the league," Felton said. "I have never (been a player in) one city I didn’t like, but I love it here in Portland. It rains a lot, I will say that. But other than that, I love it here. I love playing in the Rose Garden. (Garden denizens) are some of the best fans in the NBA, if not the best. It’s been great."
Felton conceded that he didn't arrive at camp in the best shape, in part due to the lockout. He also cited learning a new system in a new organization as part of the reason for his early-season struggles, but said he didn't want to make excuses for his poor play. Over the course of the season, Felton has worked his way into better condition, and the veteran also credited new coach Kaleb Canales for his improved performance:
"Coach Kaleb tells me to go out and just play," Felton said. "And he wants to play fast-paced all the time. He said, 'This is your team; run it. You all call the plays.' I don’t have to look to the bench to call plays. He wants to play up-tempo, and that’s the strength of my game."
As Eggers writes, Felton's recent surge is probably a case of too little, too late for the 27-year-old. The Blazers will have a huge chunk of cap space to work with this summer and will likely be targeting top point guards like Steve Nash and Deron Williams before turning to the second- or third-tier free agents like Felton. Even then, there are a number of options available that would be more popular with the team's fanbase.
Trail Blazers president Larry Miller doesn't intend this summer to be the start of a long rebuilding process. According to Miller, the plan is to instantly transform the Blazers back into contenders, and Portland is "dreaming big" when it comes to free agent targets, as the team president tells Jason Quick of the Oregonian.
"We can't say 'We are going after this guy, that guy, and this guy'," Miller said. "But we have positioned ourselves to compete for those big-name players. And this is a strong draft. Whether we trade our picks, or use our picks, we are going to get better going into next season."
The top priority for the Blazers in the summer will be finding a point guard, though Miller says it's not a certainty that Raymond Felton won't be back. Felton himself addressed the topic, responding to a tweet by Blazers TV announcer Mike Barrett that suggested the point guard wouldn't be playing for Portland next season:
"I would love to play here," Felton said (via Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge). "We'll see what happens. The media and fans, they don't dictate that. People can say what they want to say. I don't care."
Felton added that Blazers management had broached the topic of a return to him and his agent, but I imagine the odds of Felton returning to Portland are still very slim. With a weak point guard draft class, it's more likely Portland takes advantage of some of its cap space and signs a free agent — Steve Nash, Andre Miller, D.J. Augustin, and Kirk Hinrich are among the players the Blazers could pursue.
Before the team reaches the free agency period though, it will need to hire a new general manager. According to Miller, the GM search has been making progress, with two interviews lined up for this week, including one with a "big-name candidate." Chad Buchanan has been acting as GM since the team fired Rich Cho nearly a year ago.
In a look ahead to the summer's free agent period, Ken Berger of CBS Sports identifies the Trail Blazers as one of three teams who will be in the "driver's seat" when it comes to cap space. Along with the Cavaliers and Rockets, Portland will be among the clubs with the most cap room, though they could be joined by a few other teams (Mavericks, Nets, Suns, etc.) when the dust settles.
Here are a few more notes on the Blazers, as they look ahead to tonight's game against the Nets:
- It's safe to assume Raymond Felton won't be back with the Blazers next season, tweets the team's TV announcer Mike Barrett.
- Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge has the transcript of a Joel Przybilla interview on Blazers Courtside. In the interview, Przybilla says he'd "love to come back" to Portland next year, though that decision will be in the hands of his family as well as the team.
- Przybilla also endorsed Blazers interim coach Kaleb Canales, suggesting he deserves to be the team's full-time coach: "He's made such strides in a few weeks. I'm excited for the future for him. He has great potential to be a great coach for many years."