Portland Blazers' Offensive Woes Wont Be Answered by Benching Raymond Felton

The Portland Trail Blazers are currently struggling to score points, especially on the road, and are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Raymond Felton has been a disappointment since coming over in a draft day trade in June, and after a crushing OT loss to the Dallas Mavericks this weekend, Nate McMillan was asked by Jason Quick of The Oregonian if he was going to consider switching up the lineup:

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I've got to look at that. But I have to look at our group in general. I don't know. I have to look at all of our guys.

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Felton, 27, has been one of the least efficient player’s in the league, and it’s stalling the offense. He is shooting a mere 37 percent while averaging 10.5 points, 6.5 assists and 2.9 turnovers. These aren’t great numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s the best Portland can do right now.

The next best option is super sixth man Jamal Crawford. Problem is, Crawford is a scorer. He doesn’t have the pass-first mentally, which is not going to sit well with LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews. Felton may be taking a while to adjust, but at least he’s not learning a new position. Not only is Crawford new to the team this season, he would have to completely adjust his mentality as a player.

Quick believes history tells us McMillan will provide Felton with a bit longer of a leash than most coaches would:

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History has shown McMillan often talks about looking to make changes to his starting lineup, but seldom does. In this case, it feels like he will stick with the status quo, mostly because there hasn't been a player who has separated himself as needing a bigger role, which once again opens the debate about Nicolas Batum. As I have stated before, I think Batum deserves to be on the court more, warts and all.

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There is little doubt that Felton didn’t come to camp in the greatest of shape. Maybe even borderline fat. But he is playing his way into shape and will eventually break out of this slump.

I know it’s not the ideal situation. I know its Felton’s fault for being lazy, but aside from a radical trade it’s the best Portland has right now. In retrospect, they should have kept Rudy Hernandez. But that’s a long time ago and hindsight is always 20-20.

Crawford’s not the answer. Nicolas Batum shows flashes of brilliance, but fans don’t see the defensive lapses and undisciplined approach to rebounding that can cripple a team. He isn’t ready to be a starter yet.

Portland is stuck with their current roster and there’s little they can do about it. The fact of the matter is that virtually everybody on the team is playing below expectations aside from Aldridge. Felton is partially to blame, but benching him is not the answer.

Rearranging the roster in the offseason is.