NBA Q&A: Raymond Felton

Courtesy of Steve Serby

Q: Describe Carmelo Anthony.

A: Great guy, on and off the court. Been knowing Melo since high school, same class, Class of ’02, same McDonald’s game together, played in camps, AAU tournaments, AAU team together. ... He’s a warrior, he’s a guy that I want to be on his team. He ain’t gonna back down from nobody, he wants the ball when the game is on the line, he wants to take the big shot. He takes that pressure either way. He’s an all-around great teammate. He was the scoring champion this year, but I still think he still sacrificed his game as far as keying in to play defense, keying in to make the extra pass and trusting his teammates. All the things that they’re saying he couldn’t do, he did those those things this year, and that was a big up to our success.

Q: How do you feel when people call him an overrated ballhog?

A: (Laugh). Critics are gonna say what they want. Critics are gonna always find something negative to try to find in somebody’s game, but nine times out of 10, it’s not even true. From playing with him when we were kids, to playing with him now as grown men, it’s not the same at all. And it’s definitely not what those people are saying, saying that he’s a ballhog. He’s definitely not a ballhog. He’s a guy that he just wants the ball in his hands when it’s time to make a big shot, and I see nothing wrong with no guy who wants the ball in their hand. Nobody don’t call LeBron James a ballhog. They don’t call Dwayne Wade a ballhog with those guys taking those shots, they’ve taken 35 shots in a game. Granted, LeBron shot a great percentage this year, no question. LeBron plays well every year. But you can’t take away from what this man has done for our team, and to bring us back to where New York Knicks basketball should be, and that says a lot for him.

Q: Jason Kidd.

A: Big brother. Mentor. Just a guy that’s been a great deal to my success this year on this team, just really being there for me, talking to me, helping me out even through the tough times, even when I was struggling at moments. ... Just to have a guy like that you looked up to before you even got into the league, now in your ear helping you out, it’s big. So big brother.

Q: Tyson Chandler.

A: The General. A guy that’s always talking, a guy that’s gonna be heard. He’s the anchor of our defense. When it’s time to get a stop, it’s time to get a big rebound, it’s time to get a big tip-put, you can depend on Tyson.

Q: J.R. Smith.

A: He sacrificed a lot this year. He really matured a whole lot. So I gotta say, a kid that grew to be a man. Who knew what he had to do in order to get over that hump, to get all the negative stuff that people were trying to put out there about him, and he went out there, and he did it. He stayed keyed into what the team needed him to do, he let none of that off-the-court stuff bother him and get in the way. He stayed focused on what he needed to do, and what we needed from him as a team ... a kid growing to be a man.

Q: Pablo Prigioni.

A: The Quiet Assassin (laugh). Pablo’s a guy that’s gonna be on you the whole game — he’s like a gnat at a barbecue that just keeps buzzing you, just bothering you the whole game. I love playing with him, man. He was quiet at first when he first got here, just trying to get adjusted to being in America, adjusted to playing NBA basketball, but once he got into his comfort zone, he’s really a funny guy.

Q: Iman Shumpert.

A: Warrior, man! That’s my boy. Warrior. That’s a kid that’s got a great, bright future in this league, one of the best defenders in this league — and can play offensively. He’s starting to show all those things. Se’s starting to get his confidence back in his legs. Definitely, a young warrior for sure.

Q: Kenyon Martin.

A: OG warrior (laugh). A guy that’s just been a warrior since the day he stepped into the league. He ain’t scared of nobody, he intimidates people, he’s down for whatever. Whatever needs to be done on the court, he’s the guy that’s gonna get it done.

Q: Steve Novak.

A: One of the best pure shooters in this league. You never hear Novak complain — Novak plays two minutes, don’t say anything. Novak plays 25 minutes, great.

Q: Chris Copeland.

A: He had a rough year, with us picking on him as a rookie. From Day 1 to where he’s at now, he’s definitely gotten better, and he really stepped up big for us down the stretch when we had a lot of guys out.

Q: Raymond Felton.

A: (Laugh) Pitbull, what can I say? That’s what some of the fans call me, they call me a pitbull. I’m a guy that’s gonna be aggressive, that’s not scared of anything, not scared of nobody — no matter how big, how tall, how strong, I don’t care.

Q: Is this the best you’ve played?

A: I played well when I was here last time. But I think, in the postseason, yeah, this is the best I’ve played in the postseason. I’m locked in. I’m just focused on the big picture, I’m focused on this team. This is a family. I’m one of the leaders on this team, so I gotta be focused, I gotta be keyed in, I gotta be glued in. Each and every day I watch each and every game, I watch the film, I’m very focused. I see what I can do better, I see what I can do to help my teammates get better. ... So I guess that’s part of my success, but I gotta give some of that up to my teammates.

Q: Are you in the best shape of your career?

A: I’m close to it, for sure. I feel like I did when I first came in the league, for sure.

Q: You do?

A: Yeah when I was 21 years old, yeah.

Q: Is driven a good word for you?

A: Oh, very driven. Very driven. A lot of negativity, a lot of things saying, that, “Was this the right decision for New York to bring him back and not keep Jeremy Lin?” No knock to Jeremy, Jeremy’s a great player, Jeremy did a great thing here, he moved on, got his money in Houston, played well this year, and helped lead that team to a playoff appearance this year. No knock to him, but at the same time, I feel like I did my job as a point guard for this team as well. ... It’s just one of those things where you just want to prove people wrong when they say negative things about you, so I had a big chip on my shoulder. At the same time, just staying focused, not trying to buy in to what people say about me, just knowing and believing in myself, and then on top of that, having a great group of guys on my team that believe in me as well, and a great coaching staff who believed in me as well too.

Q: How did you feel when you learned you would be returning to the Knicks?

A: It was straight grind mode. Two times, three times a day in the gym, let’s get in shape, let’s get ready. If they’re gonna say anything, just say, “He ain’t shooting the ball well, he ain’t on his game.” Won’t nobody every say that “He’s not in shape” again. That would never be said. That’s one thing I put in my mind, that would never be said again.

Q: Coach Mike Woodson.

A: He’s a coach that’s gonna stay on top of you, he’s gonna yell at you, he’s gonna scream at you, but he wants what’s best for you, he wants what’s best for us. He’s like a father figure. He wants what’s best for us at all times. He gets on you sometimes ... sometimes you’ll be like, “Gol-lee, give me a break, Coach,” but he’s trying to bring out the best in you. I’ll dive on this floor, I’ll run through a wall for a coach like that. Some big ups to him for our success this year, he’s a wonderful coach.

Q: What is so great about playing for the Knicks in New York?

A: Just the feeling you get putting on a New York Knicks jersey. It’s like putting on a North Carolina Tar Heel jersey back in college. I can’t explain why people love to play in a Carolina jersey — I can, because I played there. It’s beautiful. It’s just wonderful. It’s just a feeling you have that when you run out there with that jersey on, when you’re wearing a Carolina blue jersey or when you’re wearing a New York Knicks jersey, that’s something you really can’t explain in words.

Q: It was obvious on the podium Friday night next to Carmelo that you revel in your teammates’ success.

A: That’s the type of guy I am, that’s my personality. I’m not a big selfish, individual person. I feel like if we win as a team, everybody’s gonna advantage from that. We all did it together. It’s what we talked about from the beginning of the summer when we all knew we were gonna be together. It’s always good to see those goals accomplished.

Q: What would you hope Knicks fans to say about you?

A: I may not hit every shot, I may not hit every pass, but I’m gonna bring it every night. I just want respect. I don’t care about the individual stuff. I just want respect.