Felton represents classic dilemma

Published June 13, 2010 at 3:34 a.m.
If I were Raymond Felton, I'd wonder if I missed the boat.

That boat may have left last summer. It's when the Charlotte Bobcats offered about $6 million a season in a long-term contract, and he instead chose to play under the one-year qualifying offer to become an unrestricted free agent next month.

Felton played well in the regular season and poorly in the playoffs against Orlando's Jameer Nelson. I'd heard the Bobcats may have cooled on Felton, and then general manager Rod Higgins described Felton Monday as "a delicate situation."

That is not what you want to hear entering unrestricted free agency. Unless some other team likes Felton far more than the Bobcats do, this could be a disappointing off-season.

Felton is an exceptional guy - accountable, competitive, a leader. The problem is he has not proven he is an above-average NBA point guard. But he seemingly expects to be paid like one.

I spoke to three current or former player-personnel guys in the league about this, and was struck by the similarity of their reactions: The Bobcats are in equal danger of overpaying Felton or being left with no real point guard. Dilemma is an overused word, but this is a dilemma.

D.J. Augustin probably isn't the answer. It was telling when Higgins asked, rhetorically, if Augustin is a starter or a backup. If they don't know two seasons in whether D.J. would be an effective starter, then he probably is not.

Augustin seems to lack self-confidence - I've heard this from too many people - and the position demands conviction and confidence.

The Bobcats need to do something assertive. I understand more than ever why they tried to acquire T.J. Ford from the Indiana Pacers at the trade deadline. I don't know exactly what aborted that deal, but I'd guess it was then-owner Bob Johnson containing cost, while arranging a sale.

Regardless of how that deal might have helped long-term, adding Ford's salary would have added short-term debt to the franchise.

Now long-term might be short-term. Ford makes $8.5 million this coming season, the last on his contract, and would welcome a trade. You know those baseball trades, where you effectively rent a veteran? This could work like that.

Is there a deal to be made with Larry Bird that would send Ford to Charlotte and Felton (sign-and-trade) to Indiana? Could that deal involve Nazr Mohammed (expiring contract) in a way that helps the Bobcats now and the Pacers later?

I asked Higgins Monday if he thought they would revisit trading for Ford. Higgins said they'll revisit a lot of things.

That's practicing the art of the possible. When you have a tight payroll and no certainty at point guard, that's the appropriate mode of operation.

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