One on One with Raymond Felton

The Bobcats were very close to making the playoffs a year ago. Are you optimistic you can get to the postseason this year?

"You're always optimistic at the beginning of the year, but I think we have the potential to be a great team in the league this year. We made a couple of changes with free agents, and with the draft that makes us a better team than we were last year. We've got a very deep bench and we've got guys here that are willing to do whatever it takes for us to get to the next level. Coach (Larry) Brown is one of the best coaches in the league, so I like our chances."

You played for Roy Williams at North Carolina and now for Larry Brown, a former North Carolina player. What's the biggest difference between the two coaches?

"Not a whole lot. They are both great, great coaches who know the game and know how to teach the game. They've both had a tremendous impact on my career. Coach Brown has taken my game in the NBA to the next level. I know I'm a much better player than I was before he got here. Coach Willliams helped prepare me for the NBA, so I owe them both a lot."

You signed a one-year contract extension with the Bobcats over the summer. Are you looking to go somewhere else in the future?

"No. I want to stay in Charlotte. This is where my career began and I hope this is where it ends with a lot of championships. We couldn't get a multi-year deal done over the summer, but we're hoping to talk and get something done by the end of this season."

Had you ever been to Charleston before this game?

"A couple of times, but this is my first real chance to see the city. It's as beautiful as everyone told me it would be. I got to go out and see the downtown area, which was great."

You played at Latta High School and grew up only a couple of hours from Charlotte. Has playing in a city so close to where you grew up been good or bad for you?

"There are good things about it and bad things about it. I was fortunate to be drafted to a team from North Carolina and having played at North Carolina, and being from South Carolina has made my transition off the court a little smoother. I think that was a big advantage for me. Having my family close has been great, but then people that you knew growing up see you on TV and having all this money and fame and they think you're going to be a different person. I'm still the same person I used to be."

Is having Michael Jordan as the Bobcats' Director of Basketball Operations intimidating?

"Not really. Michael is a great guy. He's a guy who loves basketball and wants to bring a championship to the city of Charlotte. He's still very competitive even in the business aspect of the NBA and that's only going to motivate you on the court."

Who's the most difficult guy to play against in the NBA?

"I can't narrow that down to just one guy. Every night, every point guard I face in the NBA is going to be a challenge. Chris Paul. Chauncey Billups. Ben Williams. Tony Parker. The list goes on. Every point guard in the NBA is good, and if you're not at the top of your game you'll get embarrassed."

Gerald Henderson is with the Bobcats now and he went to Duke. How is that working out for the two of you?

"Great for me (laughing). I'm surrounded by North Carolina guys everywhere. Larry Brown. Phil Ford. Michael Jordan. He's the one in enemy territory. It's tough on him. He's a rookie, and he has to know his place on the team. In case he forgets, I've got him wearing my North Carolina book bag around everywhere he goes."

What's your most memorable moment from the Duke-North Carolina rivalry?

"The year we won the conference championship. We were down by nine points with about minute or so left and we came back and won that game."

In the national championship game in 2005 against Illinois, you hit a huge 3-pointer late in the game to give the Tar Heels their fourth national title. Do you still think about that shot?

"Sure, sometimes. People bring it up from time to time. It always brings a smile to my face. I'll watch it from time to time on tape. It was a big shot. It's a shot I wanted to take."

Sean May or Tyler Hansbrough?

"Come on, Sean May all day. That's my teammate. Tyler is a great player, ut I've got to go with my guy."

Ty Lawson or Phil Ford?

"Phil Ford. He's one of the all-time greats at North Carolina."

Larry Brown or Roy Williams?

"Both. You can't make me pick between those two."

The 1982 North Carolina national championship team or the 2005 North Carolina national championship team?

"That's not fair. The 1982 team had Michael Jordan and James Worthy and that crowd. That's one of the best college teams ever. But I'm going with my guys, again. The 2005 team."

Three people you'd like to have dinner with?

President Obama. Halle Berry. That's all I need. That's enough. That's beauty and brains (laughing).

Your house is on fire and everyone in your family is safe. What's the one material thing you go back into the house to get?

"My championship ring."