Image via WikipediaUsing cap space to sign Raymond Felton and Timofey Mozgov was not what anyone had in mind when the Knicks began clearing cap space in November and 2008 and it certainly was not the desired objective when they mortgaged a good portion of their future to create enough cap space for a second max contract slot.But I've long been on record as supporting the decision of Donnie Walsh to gamble heavily on 2010, as even a 10% chance at LeBron James was clearly worth it.
Furthermore, at least the Knicks did sign Amar'e Stoudemire instead of Tyrus Thomas or Hakim Warrick with that massive amount of cap space.
Felton is at his best when he is able to get out in transition and in the pick-and-roll. Those of course are two of the main job requirements of a Seven Seconds or Less point guard. While with the Bobcats, Felton didn't receive too many of these opportunities in a slowpaced system.
He is capable of shooting the ball well from the perimeter, but he is absolutely streaky. Felton had a career best three-point percentage in 09-10 of 38.5%, up from two consecutive seasons below 30%. He came into the league shooting 35.8% with a larger sample size, but obviously struggled in maintaining its reliability. Felton's shot was something that wasn't a key strength coming out of North Carolina, but it was surprisingly better than expected once scouts were able to take a look in workouts.
I don't think Felton is suddenly going to become the next Steve Nash by coming into this system, but he undoubtedly will be a more valuable and productive player for the Knicks than he ever was for Charlotte.
Grade for Knicks on Felton: A-
If I were Felton, I would have been far more eager to secure a long-term deal given the free-wheeling climate the uncertainty of the CBA. If there is a certain kind of player that gets squeezed after the players and owners finally settle on a new deal, it will be personified by a middle of the road guy like Felton. A full MLE type of deal from another team would have paid less on an annual basis, but at least it would guarantee $34M over the next five years. The decision to accept just $14.56M puts a lot of strain on that summer of 2012 for Felton since that kind of money falls a little short of setting him up and everyone he cares about for life.
With that said, Felton now has the opportunity to prove himself to be more than just an average starting point guard in a system that showcases point guards. He could play his way into a five or six-year extension at $10M or so annually in 2012 while he's still just 28.
Grade for Felton: B
The Mozgov signing is obviously an interesting futures bet, as 7'1" guys with some agility and pure skill don't exactly grow on trees. I've never seen him in regular game action, but I watched just under 100 individual clips of him.
The biggest thing for him is if he is able to create some space for himself, as he looks pretty good in those instances. Mozgov has decent touch and lift to the bucket, but far too many of his attempts are capable of getting blocked with how he puts the ball out in front of himself. He's unafraid of being physical when posting up for position, but he tends to get a little soft upon the catch.
His hands are decent and his presence on the weakside will lead to some easy dishes after a double-team on Amar'e Stoudemire, as well as put backs. Mozgov is also fully capable of running the pick-and-roll, but he needs to receive the ball within four or five feet of the bucket.
Grade for Knicks on Mozgov: A
Mozgov's NBA career may quickly stop soon after it starts because of the potential work stoppage, but he at least will have a full season to prove himself against NBA competition. He also has the luxury of playing in a system that suits him where he is guaranteed playing time for a team with low expectations for the position.
Grade for Mozgov: A-
http://knicks.realgm.com/articles/56/20100716/grading_the_deal_knicks_sign_felton_mozgov/
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