Sprewell-Houston
Starter
Felton's first season as the orchestrator in NYC reminds me a bit of Starbury's arrival back in 04. So much promise and quality in the first few months...disappointment and deterioration in the following years.
So I compared them step by step.
This is what I came up with, lets discuss:
Offense:
Marbury had it all in terms of talent. His jump shot has never been great, but it wasn't worse than Felton's. Plus his athleticism and penetration were as good as anyone's in the league.
Felton is primarily a jump shooter from the perimeter, with the occasional drive usually finished with a floater. His athleticism is nothing to cheer about.
Advantage Marbury
Defense:
Steph has never been known as a great defender. He had the strenght and foot speed, but he never sacrificed himself on defense because offense was his priority. Not a bad defender though, I'd call him average.
Felton started the season with good defensive performances, however his defense has not been existent lately. He can't seem to handle certain guys at all (Rondo 24 assists game, Rose career games against us, average PGs looking like All Stars). Hard to say at this point whether it's due to exhaustion or something permanent. His footspeed doesn't seem to be good enough to make life hard for most PGs.
A draw
Passing:
Marbury was a 20 / 8 guy for almost his entire career (the only guy alongside Oscar Roberson at that point).
His passing repertoire was huge, he could get fancy aswell as throwing basic passes. Until Larry Brown ruined his game he was a good passer with the ability to bring the house down with some Rucker Park stuff.
PLus he averaged over 8 assists in a much slower offense under Lenny Wilkens/Herb Williams. I think he would have been a 10 assist guy in Mike D'Antonis offense, especially with the pick and roll.
Felton is a good perimeter passer, solid ball handler and he knows how to throw alley oops, however he's quite turnover prone and he struggles with the pick and roll. His passing arsenal is limited and he sometimes looks a bit odd. His stats are great though in NY and that's definitely something positive.
Advantage Marbury
Attitude/Mentality:
The biggest deficit in Marbury's career. If it wasn't for his bad attitude we would probably look at a future hall of famer now. In terms of pure talent he was one of the best PGs I have ever seen. His work ethic was questionable though and he never provided much leadership. Always regarding himself as the greatest and his teammates as subordinates rather than mates or fellowmen. His desire was great when he first arrived in NY, but it sort of deteriorated quickly after we got swept by NJ in the playoffs.
Then Larry Brown was employed and Starbury was never himself again on the court. Providing some laughable (for a guy of his caliber) 16.5 points and 6 assits per game.
Felton has great attitude. He's not the most talented PG in the league, but he's a warrior. He doesn't give up and he embraces the role of co-leader off the court. HId behaviour has been excellent so far. A tough nosed PG with the right mentality. In terms of attitude Raymond is everything a NYK fan could hope for.
Advantage Felton
Overall:
3-2 Marbury
I think Steph was the better player, especially on offense. His level of talent and athletcism was probably twice as high as Felton's. His bad attitude and the unfortunate employment of Larry Brown as HC ruined his potential legacy with the Knicks.
Felton is an averagely talented PG with great attitude and leadership. His offense can be good for longer stints. If only he could get back to playing defense...he would be a solid enough PG for us.
Your turn :afro:
So I compared them step by step.
This is what I came up with, lets discuss:
Offense:
Marbury had it all in terms of talent. His jump shot has never been great, but it wasn't worse than Felton's. Plus his athleticism and penetration were as good as anyone's in the league.
Felton is primarily a jump shooter from the perimeter, with the occasional drive usually finished with a floater. His athleticism is nothing to cheer about.
Advantage Marbury
Defense:
Steph has never been known as a great defender. He had the strenght and foot speed, but he never sacrificed himself on defense because offense was his priority. Not a bad defender though, I'd call him average.
Felton started the season with good defensive performances, however his defense has not been existent lately. He can't seem to handle certain guys at all (Rondo 24 assists game, Rose career games against us, average PGs looking like All Stars). Hard to say at this point whether it's due to exhaustion or something permanent. His footspeed doesn't seem to be good enough to make life hard for most PGs.
A draw
Passing:
Marbury was a 20 / 8 guy for almost his entire career (the only guy alongside Oscar Roberson at that point).
His passing repertoire was huge, he could get fancy aswell as throwing basic passes. Until Larry Brown ruined his game he was a good passer with the ability to bring the house down with some Rucker Park stuff.
PLus he averaged over 8 assists in a much slower offense under Lenny Wilkens/Herb Williams. I think he would have been a 10 assist guy in Mike D'Antonis offense, especially with the pick and roll.
Felton is a good perimeter passer, solid ball handler and he knows how to throw alley oops, however he's quite turnover prone and he struggles with the pick and roll. His passing arsenal is limited and he sometimes looks a bit odd. His stats are great though in NY and that's definitely something positive.
Advantage Marbury
Attitude/Mentality:
The biggest deficit in Marbury's career. If it wasn't for his bad attitude we would probably look at a future hall of famer now. In terms of pure talent he was one of the best PGs I have ever seen. His work ethic was questionable though and he never provided much leadership. Always regarding himself as the greatest and his teammates as subordinates rather than mates or fellowmen. His desire was great when he first arrived in NY, but it sort of deteriorated quickly after we got swept by NJ in the playoffs.
Then Larry Brown was employed and Starbury was never himself again on the court. Providing some laughable (for a guy of his caliber) 16.5 points and 6 assits per game.
Felton has great attitude. He's not the most talented PG in the league, but he's a warrior. He doesn't give up and he embraces the role of co-leader off the court. HId behaviour has been excellent so far. A tough nosed PG with the right mentality. In terms of attitude Raymond is everything a NYK fan could hope for.
Advantage Felton
Overall:
3-2 Marbury
I think Steph was the better player, especially on offense. His level of talent and athletcism was probably twice as high as Felton's. His bad attitude and the unfortunate employment of Larry Brown as HC ruined his potential legacy with the Knicks.
Felton is an averagely talented PG with great attitude and leadership. His offense can be good for longer stints. If only he could get back to playing defense...he would be a solid enough PG for us.
Your turn :afro: