FORMER HEEL FELTON, BOBCATS TALK TURKEY...SORT OF

According to Charlotte Observer, the Charlotte Bobcats don't appear to be in any hurry to get starting point guard Raymond Felton to sign to a long-term deal. Felton, who played for the 2005 NCAA Divison 1 Men’s Basketball National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels, is a restricted free agent and he could just sign a $5.5 million, one-year qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The Bobcats don't want that to happen, though. The team wants to have Felton on the team for a long time. And Felton probably doesn't want to become a free agent next summer when teams will be throwing a lot of money around at people like LeBron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade.

But the sides have been talking for a while now and they aren't close to a deal. There is a month left before training camp gets underway and a deal needs to be done before then. Stil, Felton's agent is saying the point guard won't sign that qualifying offer until the sides have exhausted all talks on long-term deals.