Raymond Felton Looking for Long-Term Deal in Portland

Raymond Felton admits that he has struggled so far this season, mostly with his shot and decision-making, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want his money from the Blazers. Because he very much does. From Hoopsworld: “At the end of this season the Blazers will once again have to make a major decision regarding their backcourt, as Felton is in the last year of his current deal and is set to become a free agent. Felton readily lets it be known if the decision were up to him, he would be donning a Trail Blazers uniform over the long term. ‘They [Blazers officials] know I want to be here,’ Felton said. ‘I’ve told them that and we talked about it earlier in the summer so they know that already. I love it here in Portland. I want to be here leading the team. I feel like we have a winning team here, so hopefully we can get something done.’ […] Through fourteen contests with the Blazers this season Felton is averaging 10.3 points and 7.3 assists per game. Solid overall numbers when viewed at the top level, however he is shooting a subpar 35 percent from the floor and just 16 percent from three-point range. He’s also been prone to turnovers at inopportune times early in the season. The veteran is the first to admit he hasn’t been as consistent as he would like, but it’s clear the lockout has had a very unfavorable effect on point guards – especially those making the transition to new teams. ‘I’m not where I want to be,’ Felton said. ‘I won’t say [the lockout] impacted me the most but you know it takes you time to get used to playing with guys. Learning a new system and just being in a new system with a new coach getting a feel for him and what he wants from you and then trying to learn everybody on the team. Being a point guard you have to learn everybody’s position. You have to know where they want the ball. How they want the ball. It takes time to learn guys the way you want to. I’m comfortable, but I definitely want to be much better with it.’”