(Big C)  So far, two preseason games have passed by and people are already waving their peace treaty flags and are ready to surrender in defeat.  For the most part, the new point guard Raymond Felton has been the focus of  this despair. My response to those down and out Knicks fans is, "It’s just preseason." 

It is going to take some time for the players, especially for a player like Felton who is a point guard and the leader on his team. One could argue that he could have come in earlier in the summer to quickly build up team chemistry. However, right now it’s about learning more about his teammates against real competition.

It’s one thing to play hard in practice where the coach and assistant coaches can point out a players mistakes. It’s a different situation in a real game.

 
Right now Raymond Felton is just testing the waters. After all, that is the purpose of preseason. Preseason is where players experiment with what may or may not work. Felton is learning what passes he can throw to his teammates. And what passes he cannot throw to them. He is also learning where his teammates want the ball and where they do not want the ball.

Who is going to really run with him on the break and who is not going to stop short in their tracks. His teammates are also learning Raymond’s play calling methods and signals on when to shoot, cut, set a pick, clear out, and run with him on the break.
 
 
As much concern there is out there, you have to remember this is preseason. I have seen players play successfully in preseason and fall right on their face in the regular season. And we do not have to go that far back for examples of this. On the flip side, Jamal Crawford was a prime example of a player who does better in the regular season than preseason.
 
 
Felton's approach to the first game was along the lines of "I don’t need to score in order for my team to win." The end result was the Knicks won that game. 

In the second game we saw that the Knicks were struggling and needed him to focus on his own shot. Does that mean he will have a bad year? I don’t think so.  It just means he needs to understand when to make the adjustment in his approach to the game.
 
 
In the regular season it will be up to Felton to play aggressive and make sure guys are on the same page as him. Preseason is about learning, and improving. The good news is the Knicks team is deep and Felton is a player that wants to win and get better.
 
 
Felton played well in the NBA before joining the Knicks, let’s give him time before we hit the panic button.