NBA PM: Could Felton Get Dealt?
Is Felton Leaving New York?
Remember Raymond Felton’s scorching-hot December? He averaged 17.8 PPG and 10.8 APG and the Knicks were surging.
Both of those figures took a small dip in January as the Knicks stumbled through a 7-8 month and now, even though he’s played well over his last two games, Felton is rumored to be involved in the Carmelo Anthony trade talks.
The New York Post’s Marc Berman wrote that the Knicks could include Felton— who is signed through next season at around $7.5 million—in a package for Anthony. The deal would include veteran Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups, who could make $14.2 million next season, although that figure isn’t fully guaranteed.
It’s doubtful that the 34-year-old Billups could handle the pace of D’Antoni’s offense, but that hardly seems like a deterrent for a franchise that is hell bent on getting Anthony this year and Chris Paul in the summer of 2012.
April Fools
Outside of Bill Laimbeer and Isiah Thomas, no player epitomized the Detroit Pistons of the late 80s quite like Dennis Rodman. That’s why his No. 10 will be retired in a ceremony this April.
"I’m pleased that we are honoring Dennis for his accomplishments as a player and his contributions to the success of the organization," said Joe Dumars, President of Basketball Operations for the Pistons, and Rodman’s former teammate in Detroit. "His jersey retirement is well deserved."
Before Rodman was the colorful, crotch-kicking rebound king for the Spurs and Bulls, he was skinny forward who predominately defended the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Bernard King. In fact, Rodman didn’t average double figures in rebounds until 1990-1991—his fifth season for the Pistons. The next season he had a career-high 18.7 RPG to lead the entire NBA, which is something he did for seven consecutive seasons.
People often remember Rodman for cross dressing, a few stints in rehab and his relationships with famous women, but not many people know he averaged 11.6 PPG in his second season in the NBA. That’s a stark contrast from his Chicago days when he never averaged more than six points per game.
"Individual accomplishments have never been a big deal for me as a player, but to be honored for my contributions in this way by the Detroit Pistons organization is truly humbling," Rodman said in a statement issued through his manager, Steven Simon of Prince Marketing Group. "This organization gave me a chance to blossom regardless of my size or what school I came from. My only regret is that the man that believed in me more than I did myself, Chuck Daly, is no longer with us. I’m sure he’ll be with us that evening in his own way."
"We are excited to welcome Dennis Rodman back to The Palace and honor him with his jersey retirement," said Alan Ostfield, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment. "We look forward to hosting an exciting evening for Dennis as well as our fans."
Fittingly, the Pistons will retire his jersey on April 1—April Fool’s Day.
{AUTHOR_BOX}Aminu Learns To Come Off Bench
It’s easy to forget about Al-Farouq Aminu.
Not only do fellow Clippers rookies Eric Bledsoe and Blake Griffin steal the spotlight from the 2010 lottery pick, but Aminu’s voice barely registers above a whisper. In a locker room of big personalities like Baron Davis, Aminu goes practically unnoticed.
He also hasn’t distinguished himself on the court much either. Aminu has definitely had good performances, but most of them came as the Clippers stumbled to a 5-21 start. He had a team-high 20 points and eight boards in the Nov. 9 loss to New Orleans and dropped 17 points the following week in a loss to Minnesota. Aminu averaged 8.8 PPG while hitting 48% of his field goals and 52.9% of his 3-pointers in November.
But as the Clippers began their 15-11 stretch in late December, veteran Ryan Gomes replaced Aminu in the starting lineup and suddenly the rookie’s opportunities began to dwindle.
Aminu has been in double figures only once in 2011, and that was way back on Jan. 9. But even though he’s seeing less time on the court, the 6-8 forward is gaining confidence in his ability to come off the bench.
“I feel like I’m getting better and better,” Aminu told HOOPSWORLD. “I’m thankful for the playing time I’m getting. It’s just allowing me to learn things out there on the court—things I can use to become a better player.”
But wouldn’t Aminu rather be starting?
“I don’t really have no choice,” he said. “I have an opportunity so I have to do what I have to do. I have to learn to come off the bench if I’m going to be effective and things like that.”
Aminu’s minutes have bumped up to 19 per game in February, which is a slight improvement over January. Obviously that’s not enough time to accurately gauge a player, but Aminu has already answered one important question.
When he was coming out of Wake Forest, Aminu was simply listed as a “forward.” Most experts saw his slender frame and pigeon holed him at the 3. Meanwhile, others saw his 7-3 wingspan and saw him as a power forward.
“I don’t really try to categorize myself,” Aminu said. “But at the 3 position I’m able to use my ball handling and things like that and my strength. Backing people down is not really what I do. You know what I mean? So the 3 position helps me do the things that are productive out there on the court.”
And, of course, Griffin’s presence has helped push Aminu to small forward as well.
“He’s a phenomenal player at the 4,” Aminu added. “So, at the 3, I’m able to play my game.”
Yes, Aminu has trouble matching the Griffin’s highlight reel or Bledsoe’s early body of work, but that doesn’t mean he’d trade this situation for anything else. Aminu is just happy to be a part of on organization with so many talented young players.
“They’re going through that situation with you,” Aminu said of Griffin, Bledsoe, guard Eric Gordon and center DeAndre Jordan. “They’re making it easier on you with that transition. And they have talent. We have young players that are athletic and things like that.”
Aminu is currently averaging 6.3 PPG and 3.4 RPG.
Check Out: One night after getting some revenge against the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers will be in Madison Square Garden to face off against the struggling Knicks. Los Angeles currently has a nine-game winning streak against New York, including a 109-87 victory at the Staples Center on Jan. 9. Lamar Odom had 18 rebounds for the Lakers and teammates Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant combined for 24 as Los Angeles won the battle on the boards, 61-42.
However, Knicks center Timofey Mozgov barely played in that game, but has averaged 7.2 RPG over his last five performances. The seven-foot rookie promises to give the Knicks more size this time around.
The Knicks were 21-14 before their least meeting with the Lakers. They now stand at 26-25. Tip-off is at 8 p.m.
More Twitter: HOOPSWORLD has launched a new Twitter module where we will be releasing more breaking news and insider-type information via Twitter. Make sure you are following all of our guys to insure you are getting the very latest from our team: @stevekylerNBA, @AlexKennedyNBA, @jfleminghoops, @TheRocketGuy, @EricPincus, @joelbrigham, @TommyBeer, @stephenlitel, @YannisHW, and @DPageHOOPSWORLD.
NBA Chats: Salary Cap guru Larry Coon will host another NBA Salary Cap Chat at 8pm EST. Susan Bible will host her weekly NBA Chat tomorrow at 11am, if you want to get an early start. You can always find the next chat here: Upcoming NBA Chats.
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