VS.
FELTON'S REP:"Let’s get one thing out of the way – Jrue Holiday will probably be better than Raymond Felton by the time both players’ careers are done. He’s only 21 and has far superior athleticism. But if I’m taking one of these players for just this season, Felton is the obvious choice. People forget that last year Felton was nearly named an Eastern Conference All-Star by the coaches (and probably deserved the last guard spot over Joe Johnson). The Knicks posted a winning record with him at the helm for the first 2/3 of the season… something Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony couldn’t do once they arrived. Funny, the Nuggets’ record was also significantly better once Felton came over in the trade (17-7 to be exact). He outranks Holiday in assists by a wide margin, as well as steals and turnover rate – the three most important categories for a point guard!"
Who would you rather have this season: Raymond Felton or Jrue Holiday?
FELTON'S REP:
HOLIDAY'S REP:
"Felton is the obvious choice over Holiday for this upcoming season? Do the Knicks agree? No, they traded him to the Nuggets. Do the Nuggets agree? No they traded him to the Trailblazers. For a guy who’s an obvious choice he sure gets traded a lot! While the Knicks did quite well when Felton was on their team, their success was due, in large part, to Amare Stoudemire’s play — who was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team. And the Nuggets? Felton wasn’t even their starter! During last season, however, young Jrue Holiday took the 76ers from a 27-55 record in 2009-10 to a 41-41 record in 2010-11. Among all point guards he was in the top ten in steals, rebounds, double-double’s and just outside of that in scoring and assists! No need to wait for him to get more valuable than Felton: Jrue Holiday’s time to shine is now!"
FELTON'S REP:
HOLIDAY'S REP:
FELTON'S REP:
"Holy cow, he was in the top ten in steals, rebounds, and double-doubles?! Oh, that’s right… so was Raymond Felton! Except unlike Holiday, he was also top ten among PGs in scoring and assists – no “just outside of” clause necessary. And your “Felton wasn’t even their starter” argument is about as empty as the Sixers’ home games; he averaged 31.6 minutes a night with the Nuggets, more time than Jason Terry, Kevin Garnett, Manu Ginobili, or even Denver’s best player Nene! Meanwhile, here are some of Holiday’s greatest hits: he was a pedestrian 22nd among PGs in assist/turnover ratio, worse than his backup Lou Williams. The guy never gets to the free throw line, as evidenced by his #28 ranking in FT attempts among PGs. And he’s scared to death to shoot the 3-ball (21st among PGs). Good luck winning with a turnover-prone softie who never shoots from the outside!"
HOLIDAY'S REP:
"You want to play the statistic game? Anyone can use statistics to 'prove' whatever they want. Felton had 221 turnovers this past season; Holiday had only 218. Felton only averages 80% from the free-throw line; Holiday averages 82%. Raymond Felton’s FG% is only 42.5%; Jrue Holiday’s is 44.6%. Enough already! What really matters about Jrue Holiday is that he plays with an intensity that is alive on the court. He can catch and shoot or take the ball all the way to the rim. He has great vision on the floor and speed that takes your breath away. Watch this young man this year: he is a winner!"
Who won this debate? Go to the right sidebar to cast your vote!
Something neither rep mentioned - which of these point guards do you think is smarter? Who would you really trust with the game on the line to make the right decision?
ReplyDeleteI like Jrue Holliday more going forward, but Felton's rep made the better case to me. Felton got a little shot happy in the playoffs last year for my taste, which could be a problem now that he has to share the ball with LaMarcus Aldridge, Wes Matthews, and Nicolas Batum. And let's not forget that Andre Miller's domination of the ball was a huge issue for Brandon Roy (although Roy may be amnesty-claused by the time the season starts, so it may not be an issue at all). Holiday is more of a natural point guard, and he has the physical tools to be a Rondo-type defender down the line. Good job, reps!
ReplyDeleteBeing All-Star player is impressive
ReplyDeleteCanaan, I actually think Felton's a better fit with Roy than Miller was, simply because he's a stronger threat from outside and the Blazers need people to stretch the defense, especially after losing Fernandez. But I'm not sure he's a better fit with Aldridge - LA was Miller's dream when it came to throwing alley oops (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjjN4jlFrCg).
ReplyDeleteTrue, Felton is a better shooter, and that should make him a better compliment to Roy than Miller. I actually think Felton played the best ball of his career his rookie season playing the 2 next to Brevin Knight. I thought the Nuggets may be able to try a similar lineup out with Felton and Ty Lawson, but alas, they felt otherwise.
ReplyDelete