Something about Raymond Felton-- his gait, his habitus, his style of play-- invites animal comparisons. I've always likened his movements to those of a penguin, and canine allusions-- bulldog, cattle dog, or just a plain old dog according to Ray himself-- abound as well. Well, we're not alone in making such comparisons. Buried in this Marc Berman article comparing Felton to Jeremy Lin is this bit of information:

...Felton isn’t looking to trademark his "Duck’’ nickname — his whole family calls him that — anytime soon.

Duck! Absolutely. Proud, stout, headstrong, buoyant, waddly, fond of bread, oviparous...that's Raymond. We're not told why Ray's whole family calls him "Duck", but whatever the reason may be, it fits.

IrishKnickFan wrote:

misterearl wrote:Pit Bull

CashMoney wrote:Felton has been playing well. Something that doesn't show in the box score is his command of the offense and his tenacious defensive. Love the way he fights through screens.

Although the best sequence of the season was the Carmelo to Felton-with-the-pirouette assist to JR Smith for three against the Spurs... Raymond has changed the efficiency for an offense that had more turnovers than the Pillsbury dough boy last season. The Knicks own one of the most effective offenses in the NBA for a reason... and that reason wears number 2.

On the dribble, Felton never gets bumped off rhythm with contact. But the best part, as CashMoney stated, is that his rugged defense.

also we have the fewest turnovers in the league because of the felton/kidd backcourt

that is an interesting way to look at things, but we are also near the bottom of the league in team assist... so while we are protecting the ball, would like to see more team assist....

CashMoney wrote:

tkf wrote:

IrishKnickFan wrote:

misterearl wrote:Pit Bull

CashMoney wrote:Felton has been playing well. Something that doesn't show in the box score is his command of the offense and his tenacious defensive. Love the way he fights through screens.

Although the best sequence of the season was the Carmelo to Felton-with-the-pirouette assist to JR Smith for three against the Spurs... Raymond has changed the efficiency for an offense that had more turnovers than the Pillsbury dough boy last season. The Knicks own one of the most effective offenses in the NBA for a reason... and that reason wears number 2.

On the dribble, Felton never gets bumped off rhythm with contact. But the best part, as CashMoney stated, is that his rugged defense.

also we have the fewest turnovers in the league because of the felton/kidd backcourt

that is an interesting way to look at things, but we are also near the bottom of the league in team assist... so while we are protecting the ball, would like to see more team assist....

More assists would be great but we're also 2nd to last in possessions per game. Rebounding is more of a concern for me.

"I think he's still learning. I think our team as a group is still trying to learn one another, because we haven't been together that long. But Raymond, in particular, the fact that he's the point guard and he's asked to lead our ball club, along with Jason and Pablo, he's been great. I mean, he's doing everything that's asked of him."

- Mike Woodson

While Felton's shooting percentages are a bit low - he's 42.1, 36.4 and 62.5 percent from the field, downtown and the stripe, respectively - his non-stop motor on offense and defense, as well as his passing (6.5 assists per game), has set a positive example from the top. You need that from your floor general.

Other than bricking free throws at a percentage rivaling Rajon Rondo, Raymond has been solid.

Felton did a nice job defensively as well, clinging to George Hill over screens and holding him to 2-9 from the field.

Chris Duhon plays for the Lakers. We have Pablo.

Brandon Jennings/Tyreke Evans/Ricky Rubio don't confess their love for New York prematurely

holfresh wrote:

3G4G wrote:Felton has been here before and yet fans turned on him when we found out Melo lusted New York. He's playing okay...shoots too much for my liking but I hope for his sakes...

Brandon Jennings/Tyreke Evans/Ricky Rubio don't confess their love for New York prematurely

When did fans turn on Felton during the trade???..Felton was the one guy I didn't want traded and lots of people here...

He was turned on. Matter of fact right before the trade fans were unhappy with his shot selection and constantly looking players off on the perimeter. They were even Youtubing videos on it.

It was sealed after Billups' performance against the Heat February 27th. All the "now we have a real point guard" comments came in droves

3G4G wrote:

holfresh wrote:

3G4G wrote:Felton has been here before and yet fans turned on him when we found out Melo lusted New York. He's playing okay...shoots too much for my liking but I hope for his sakes...

Brandon Jennings/Tyreke Evans/Ricky Rubio don't confess their love for New York prematurely

When did fans turn on Felton during the trade???..Felton was the one guy I didn't want traded and lots of people here...

He was turned on. Matter of fact right before the trade fans were unhappy with his shot selection and constantly looking players off on the perimeter. They were even Youtubing videos on it.

It was sealed after Billups' performance against the Heat February 27th. All the "now we have a real point guard" comments came in droves

There were and are people constantly questioning his shot selection..But I don't think people turned on him because of the trade as you suggested...Billup is one of the worst players in the NBA in terms of shot selection..Billups can't run the pick and roll...I doubt this board celebrated Billups' replacement of Felton..

Knixkik wrote:Felton was the best player we traded for Melo. And based on the events that diminished his value, we got him for pennies on the dollar. Had we not traded him as part of that deal, we would likely have resigned him a year later for about $10M per year, and not got Chandler. Felton is clearly the same player that averaged 17/9 for 50 games in 2010/2011.

Knixkik - would you consider that experience of being traded, from a place he loved and returning, would make Raymond Felton a better player in the long run?

We are just getting started. The season is not 10 games old yet and he is in a rhythm of leading total strangers.

Imagine what happens when they get comfortable.

3G4G wrote:

holfresh wrote:

3G4G wrote:

holfresh wrote:

3G4G wrote:Felton has been here before and yet fans turned on him when we found out Melo lusted New York. He's playing okay...shoots too much for my liking but I hope for his sakes...

Brandon Jennings/Tyreke Evans/Ricky Rubio don't confess their love for New York prematurely

When did fans turn on Felton during the trade???..Felton was the one guy I didn't want traded and lots of people here...

He was turned on. Matter of fact right before the trade fans were unhappy with his shot selection and constantly looking players off on the perimeter. They were even Youtubing videos on it.

It was sealed after Billups' performance against the Heat February 27th. All the "now we have a real point guard" comments came in droves

There were and are people constantly questioning his shot selection..But I don't think people turned on him because of the trade as you suggested...Billup is one of the worst players in the NBA in terms of shot selection..Billups can't run the pick and roll...I doubt this board celebrated Billups' replacement of Felton..

Sure if in a Coma you are correct but if you had a pulse, were breathing, and conscious then it was this....

http://wwww.ultimateknicks.com/forum/topic.asp?t=38345&p=s

Out of 47 votes placed in a Billups vs Felton poll in February of 2011.....Billups hadn't even played 10gms yet not even the mighty 4gms "all conclusions can be drawn after 4gms played".... 39 posters felt...

Billups>>>>>>>>>>Felton

Go ahead and read the comments if you want but tell your heart to be still if you do, some of the comments are....

Misterearl you can read them too open url thread policy I'm running

But u know as well as I do, this board is fickled that way..They see Lin play for 10 games and think he is the second coming of Steve Nash...They went nuts when they heard Donnie gave Gallo video of Larry Bird...Billups was not as close to what Felton was when he was here and u know that...Billup shot selection was just horrible, he could not run a pick and roll to save his life...I have no clue what this board was watching..They get so caught up in numbers that they miss the actual flow of the game....U did see me object to what they thought they were watching...