Knicks coach Mike Woodson squashed any scent of a training-camp point-guard controversy Tuesday. An in-shape Raymond Felton is the starter, future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd is the backup.
“He’s going to get first crack at it,’’ Woodson said of Felton. “I think he’s had opportunities over the years to run teams and has done a great job of it.’’
Who finishes the game, Woodson said, is a different story. Kidd may just be that guy — which could present ego issues.
“I’ve always coached that way, I’ve put the best players on the bench,’’ Woodson said. “There were nights Joe Johnson [in Atlanta] was on the bench. You always like to go back to your starter, but it comes down to who wants it the most and who I think can get the job done coming down the stretch.’’
At July’s introductory press conference, when Jeremy Lin looked to be returning, Kidd said he was fine to be the backup, saying he’d relish the role of being Lin’s “mentor.’’ But Kidd also added finishing the game was more important.
Yesterday, Kidd, 39, said he can play more than the 25 minutes the Knicks have allotted, but is fine with being a reserve.
“There’s no competition,’’ Kidd said. “That’s the way Coach is going. My job is to win ballgames and help my teammates to make that easy as possible. Ray can run the show just as well as anybody. For me, it’s to support Ray and when I go in, to keep the lead or get the lead. I’m in the best shape in the last five years. If I had to play a lot of minutes, I can do that.’’
Felton called Kidd “a father figure’’ and “role model’’ but doesn’t think it awkward starting ahead of him. “I wouldn’t say that,’’ Felton said. “He’s played 17, 18 years. It’s like a cycle. At some point, someone’s going to come in and do the same to me. I’m just lucky to have him here, learn from him and pick his brain.’’
While much has been made of Felton resuscitating Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks hope Kidd can also turn Carmelo Anthony into an MVP candidate, similar to what Kidd did with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas. Kidd and Anthony were teammates on the 2008 Redeem Team.
“That’s the plan,’’ Kidd said. “I hope so. They are very similar; very talented, demand a lot of attention. Hopefully I helped with Dirk and he’s one of the top players in the league and hopefully I can do the same with Melo.”
Felton and Kidd could share the backcourt at times, too, especially until Iman Shumpert comes back from knee surgery in December or January. Pablo Prigioni is also in the mix as third string.
“That could be very effective,’’ Felton said of the pairing. “Two guys on floor who can pass the ball and can score if they need to. I can see Coach doing that a lot. ”
Felton appears to have lost at least 20 pounds from last year’s training camp in Portland. He admitted the lockout’s abrupt ending surprised him.
“It’s a big difference,’’ Felton said, comparing yesterday’s practice to Portland’s opener. “I was out of shape. This year, I’m in shape. My body’s great. My body’s good … I was out of shape last year. This year I’m not. I was caught off-guard (by the lockout ending). But I’m not going to make excuses. I was out of shape — plain and simple.’’
Monday, on Media Day, Felton said he had a “big, big chip on his shoulder.’’ Asked why, he said, ‘‘There’s a lot of negative talk about just one season I had. It wasn’t a terrible season. I still averaged decent numbers (11.4 points, 6.5 assists). I didn’t shoot it that bad. Just because I came out of shape one year out of seven, everyone wants to talk about that. That’s the big chip — come back and prove I’m the same point guard as I was before.’’
Kidd talked a lot about enjoying a mentor’s role for Lin when he signed in July.
“Well, I had to [say that],’’ Kidd quipped.
Days later, the Knicks reneged when the Rockets upped Lin’s offer sheet.
“It wasn’t a big factor,’’ Kidd said of Lin’s departure. “Even if he was here or not here, this was a good opportunity for me.’’