Raymond Felton never wanted to leave the New York Knicks. Two years ago, Felton was having the best year of his career and telling those close to him that he wanted to retire in New York. He had developed chemistry with Amar’e Stoudemire and was receiving All-Star consideration. Then, just as he was getting comfortable and averaging a career-high 17.1 points and nine assists, Felton was traded to the Denver Nuggets along with Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov. The veteran point guard was stunned. Not only was it the first time he had ever been traded, he was now expected to come off of the bench for the first time in his career. He didn’t start a single game for the Nuggets and didn’t hide his frustration. Chandler, Gallinari and Mozgov settled in with the Nuggets, but Felton had one foot out the door. He made it clear that he wanted to be traded, and his wish was granted over the summer when the Nuggets sent Felton to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team deal that netted Andre Miller. In Portland, Felton had every opportunity to succeed. He entered the season as the number one point guard on the depth chart, but he showed up to training camp out of shape and quickly butted heads with Blazers head coach Nate McMillan. During the first half of the season, Felton averaged just 10.2 points while shooting below 38 percent from the floor. By February, Jamal Crawford replaced Felton in the starting lineup, which didn’t sit well with the veteran point guard. Read more: http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-satur...ork&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
