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Felton’s Patience Making the Pick and Roll Unstoppable

by Tommy Dee on December 7th, 2010 at 10:31 am

A few weeks back we detailed the importance of Ray Felton getting below the foul line and causing the defenders to react as a major key in the efficiency of the pick and roll.

Felton has certainly done a great job getting deeper into the defense, and what that has done is open up the center court pick and rolls that have really made this style unstoppable against the lower echelon teams.

Via NBAPlaybook

Felton’s aggressiveness to the hole causes Love to have to hedge, even though Telfair gets over the screen. Felton reads Love, but he also reads Beasley who faked help then returned to the corner, and we know Shawne Williams can bury that, leaving Amar’e open for the dunk. A key play down the stretch for the Knicks in sealing the victory.

As Sebastian points out, early on in the season Felton’s lack of aggression and passiveness made it much easier to defend the pick and roll, which is now complete.

Felton rewarding fans for their, well…
  • upstateknicks

    This takes me back to the back up point guard situation. T.D. has to step up his per game. He a good player but misses alot of open passes and lobster. Is there any merit to the rumor the Knicks are looking around?

  • bigblue973

    I actually would like to keep felton at this point instead of the 3 max deal senario in 2010 with melo paul/willams and stat as our big 3, I would split that 3rd max between felton and another player. What this team could really use is a stud shooting guard instead of melo or another wing player. But its funny after that big wave of star guards in the 90s ai, tmac, carter,kobe, ray allen, the next wave never came, most of the superstars today are forwards, there is one clear superstar shooting guard left thats kobe, that position has really fell off the past decade

  • bigblue973

    2012 i meant*

  • chito31

    I think we can live with Landry Fields at SG. Scoring is not an issue with this team, but it’s good to have a player like Fields that doesn’t worry about scoring but gets rebounds and defends well. I think we should address our needs first before we worry about adding more scorers (and lock up are cap space).

  • http://WWW.REELTALKBLOG.COM @reeltalkSHAKES

    I’m sorry, I think with inserting Melo in the starting lineup and taking out either Gallo or Chandler, we’d easily be top 3 in the east and maybe even the league. Amare certainly needs that second star(scorer), especially down the stretch, because we can’t expect him to put up 30-35 every night…and Why look for sg, when we can groom Fields, and wait for Azubuike to return.

    With Felton over CP3, not sure about that one just yet. I think the biggest thing has to be the health of Cp3 and D-Will. Obviously either one 100 is better than Felton, but what do we pay our starting pg in 2yrs??? That’s the bigger question, regardless I think who ever it is may have to take a pay cut to come here, except for Felton who may get a raise…

    I agree w/ TD’s points on Felton, he’s def learning to patient in the pnr w/ Amare, but at times he still stops his dribble to early, or passes it out for 3 when he could still feed Amare for an easy dunk…he’s getting there…but regardless we need to see in 2yrs if he’s mastered it, or do we need to make a move…

    AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE KNICKS ARE PLAYING THE BEST BALL, PROBABLY SINCE ’99…I’m enjoying every second of it, looking forward to when they play the real contenders next week and that should be the real measuring stick…

  • BluEandOrange

    Felton is a good pickup by Walsh, but he cannot continue to play around 40 minutes a game.

    The Knicks need a backup point guard and Ishmael Smith is the guy.

    He was a 4 year man in Wake Forest and he was a gifted passer that could run the pick and roll in college. I completely forgot about him until checking out the Rockets roster.

    Ishmael Smith is 22, but he is fast, can run the point guard position in the second unit, and is a heads up ball player.

    I cannot believe he went undrafted.

    What would it take to acquire Smith?

    Curry, Walker, and Turiaf for Brad Miller and Smith? Turiaf is owed about $4 MM next season (player option) in addition to this season. Thats around $8 MM total.
    Curry is only owed around $2MM for the rest of this year. Thats $10MM. Walker is owed $1MM. Thats $11MM. Miller Smith are $13MM total.

    If The Rockets kickback a 2012 second round pick, the Knicks could eat that extra $2MM or so. The Rockets would save $2MM overall in this deal while the Knicks clear Turiaf’s salary against the cap next year.

  • chito31

    And by needs I mean paint defender (like a Leon Powe) and possibly a pass first PG that can defend well.

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  • bigblue973

    yea we need a solid veteran big man to start next to amare, we need size asap, and if you put chandler back on the bench with williams and douglas our bench will be a problem!

  • bigblue973

    true, there are some “experts” who say melo doesnt fit this system and cant play with amare, because if you insert him at the 3 with our current starters who is knocking the open 3 down, and melo is more of a half court player, but i think they can make it work

  • knicksallday

    @ upstateknicks…..

    What are you talking about? He’s still getting use tot he offense and system..

    I think he’s doing a hell of a job, and we are 13-9.

    We are doing great so far, and I’m proud of our team. We finally have a TEAM!!!!

    Yes a back-up PG is fine but please fall back and be easy. He is doing a great job, he outplayed CP3 the other night. What more do you want?

  • chito31

    Don’t try so hard in coming up with a trade scenario like this. When matching salaries, it’s yearly salary, it doesn’t matter how much is owed. So for NYK, you’re talking about 16M.

    It’s not a bad trade, but I don’t think Rockets would bite, Brad Miller is important to them. Plus, NYK is saving Curry for a big trade (but he’s probably worth more to them by simply letting his contract expire).

  • starksoakmase

    I really see felton as the leader of this team. he is the guy talking to other players when they mess up or do well.

    i expected him to be consistently solid, but he’s been playing at an all-star level after the losing streak…

  • BluEandOrange

    However, in making trades, you count the palyer salary of the current season to see if the trade is workable.

    (salaries moved up to next hu
    Curry – $11.273MM
    Walker $.85MM
    Turiaf – $4MM
    = $16,123,000

    Miller – $12.5MM (expiring)
    Smith – $.473MM
    = $12.973MM

    If you take the 125% + $100,000 rule into account, this deal works. 125% + $100,000 of $12.973MM equals $16,316,250. Since this number – which is 125% + $100,000 of the outgoing salary – is larger than the incoming salary, the Rockets can do the deal.

    Even though, on paper, Curry is making $11,273,000 this season, he was paid more than half of it in the past offseason.

  • chito31

    Any back-up PG is only going to be needed for 15 min (max) per game. Ideally, I want to see TD develop into this. I wouldn’t give up on him yet. See who’s available, but I don’t want to add someone who may never play anyway.

  • chito31

    Curry does have a trade kicker that changes things slightly. But still, I don’t see why Houston would even entertain this….

  • bigblue973

    i just feel there are people who can come in and contribute off the bench instead of people like roger mason, bill walker just sitting there, if we could get a big man and back up pg with those 2 spots that would be ideal, I would even take jarred jefferies back if he gets bought out in houston, he would be good for us off the bench we could go back to playing zone lol

  • knicksallday

    I just don’t think he has the PG skills… That’s not his thing, he’s more of a SG.

    If you notice everytime he has the ball at PG and the play breaks down, he holds the ball and then either takes a bad 3 or drives out of control.

    He needs to play off the ball, and he will be more effective.

    I think we should really try to package TD, Gallo, and Curry for Melo.

    AR for a first rounder, and then ship that to Denver. Anything more wait till summer…

  • http://WWW.REELTALKBLOG.COM @reeltalkSHAKES

    Well the “experts” fail to realize Melo has been running a similar run and gun system w/ Karl in Denver. Remember all the battles Karl and Melo use to have about Melo catching the ball and going rather than sitting there w/ the ball, similar to what D’Antoni preaches with ball movement and catching the ball and driving…

    And also remember Melo was always the leading scorer in the Olympics because this system came so easy for him.

    The way I see it, Melo would score with ease in this system, especially on those tough out of control plays by GAllo and Chandler.

  • swiftandabundant

    What about Rafer Alston? He could be picked up for cheap and would be a nice back up PG stopgap until we found something better.

    Alston is from the NYC area. He got a bad rap last year for his attitude on The Nets, but I think that was overblown. The guy was on a horrible team and was not getting consistent minutes after playing heavy minutes with Orlando on the way to the Finals. I’d be a little ticked off too.

    But yeah, he’s not going to blow anyone away, but we just need someone for ten to fifteen minutes a night. And he’s not that far removed from playing for a Title Contender.

  • http://WWW.REELTALKBLOG.COM @reeltalkSHAKES

    KNICKS AREN’T TRADING RONNY UNLESS IT’S FOR MELO AND HOUSTON ISN’T TRADING MILLER WITH YAO IN AND OUT OF THE LINEUP.

  • http://WWW.REELTALKBLOG.COM @reeltalkSHAKES

    yea with that fiasco last season, I can’t see Skip and D’Antoni getting along.

  • bigblue973

    exaclty i think they view alston, as a bad apple, because he can still play without a doubt, i dont think they like his character

  • http://WWW.REELTALKBLOG.COM @reeltalkSHAKES

    I’d look into Mike James tho…

  • avvocato

    Just the thought of bringing Jeffries back makes me squirm. At a cheap price he can definitely help a club, but I don’t need that kharma from a time we’re starting to forget.

  • fredweis

    I love Ray!

    Interesting quotes from Stephen Jackson recently about the loss of Ray in Charlotte. Apparently Ray was their unquestioned leader. Jax says they really miss him on and off the court.

    I think Ray could be rewarded with his 1st all-star appearance. I have him 4th in Eastern guards right now behind Rondo, Rose and Wade.

  • http://WWW.REELTALKBLOG.COM @reeltalkSHAKES

    +1 he should def be an all-star this year.

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