| Charlotte Drafts Tarheel Teammates Felton And May Authored by Brian Wagstaff - June 29, 2005 - 3:18 pm
The Bobcats kicked off their sophomore season drafting University of North Carolina teammates Raymond Felton and Sean May. Felton, a 6-1 198-pound point guard was selected with the fifth overall pick while May, a 6-8 266-pound forward was selected at 13. Charlotte general manager and head coach Bernie Bickerstaff has placed a premium on drafting players with championship experience. Like last years second overall pick Emeka Okafor, May and Felton were instrumental in leading their team to a NCAA Championship.
Raymond Felton was known as one of the fastest players in the college basketball this year. He lived up to his reputation by running the third fastest ¾-court sprint at the NBA Chicago pre-draft combine. Nearly every draft expert in the country ranked Felton as the third best point guard prospect.
However, many experts did not pick Felton to be picked until later in the draft. The biggest knocks against him have been his decision-making, shooting and size. Felton stands in at just above six feet however he makes up for his height with over a 6-4 wingspan and supreme athletic ability.
Felton’s decision making may be a product of his surrounding at North Carolina. The Tarheels were known as a run and gun team that did not have to depend on a half court set due to their athletically dominant nature. If Felton is put in a more controlled offense his decision-making skills may be worked on and better utilized. Finally, Felton’s much maligned shooting is actually not as bad as previously advertised.
Two years ago as a sophomore Felton was by far a below average shooter. However, after a hard summer of practice he was able to come in this year and shoot over 44 percent from three-point range.
Felton will add speed and athleticism to the Bobcat roster. Depending on how fast he is able to transition his game into the NBA Felton should compete for a starting role right away. The Bobcats have clearly drafter Raymond Felton as their point guard of the future.
Min/G: 31.7 PTS/G: 12.9 REB/G: 4.3 AST/G: 6.9 FG%: 45.5 (cbs.sportsline.com)
NBA Chicago combine results
Height: 5' 11½" w/o shoes 6' 0¼” w/ shoes; Weight: 199.4; Reach: 6' 4¼";
Wing Span: 8' 2"; 185 LB Bench Press: 6 reps; Vertical Leap: 33 ½’’;
Lange Agility Test: 10.50 seconds; ¾ court sprint 3.06 seconds
Sean May finished his stellar junior season as the most valuable player of the Final Four. He led UNC in both rebounding (10.7) and scoring (17.5), which was no small task since four UNC players were picked in the draft lottery. He touts arguably the most polished post game out of any player in the draft. The biggest knocks against May are his height and weight.
Sean has been listed anywhere from 6-7 to 6-9. He is closer to the former height, which is definitely small for an NBA power forward. However, May has an excellent post game and will be able to make up for his height with his superb wingspan of over 7-1. May’s weight on the other hand should not be that much of a factor. May weight in at just under 260 lbs yet he is still very mobile. Weight is also the easiest thing to correct in the NBA. Expect for the Bobcats to put May on a conditioning program that will allow him not to wear down over the course of the 82 game pro season. May’s has also carried the burden of having to live up to his father’s stellar basketball credentials. Scott May and Sean both scored 26 points in a national championship game, both won a national championship and both were selected as MVP’s. Scott went on to play in the NBA for seven seasons from 1977 until 1983. One should expect for Sean to once again follow suit and be a productive NBA player for many years.
The Bobcats are already deep in the front line so it does come as a surprise that Sean May would be drafted especially with talented players such as Danny Granger and Joey Graham still on the board. As history shows, Bobcat GM Bernie Bickerstaff loves to pick a winner and after seeing his franchise player Emeka Okafor wear down at the end of last year Bickerstaff may have drafted May to ensure that history would not repeat itself. May will help to keep Okafor fresh and will be able to play next to Okafor when the Bobcats line up against smaller teams. Expect for Sean May to be a solid contributor next year however, he will most likely never been anything more than a solid NBA player.
Min/G: 26.8 PTS/G: 17.5 REB/G: 10.7 AST/G: 1.7 FG%: 56.7 (cbs.sportsline.com)
NBA Chicago combine results
Height: 6' 7" w/o shoes 6' 8 ½ ” w/ shoes; Weight: 258.8; Reach: 7' 1¼";
Wing Span: 8' 9"; 185 LB Bench Press: 12 reps; Vertical Leap: 33’’;
Lange Agility Test: 11.04 seconds; ¾ court sprint 3.29 seconds |
