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Bohn: Raymond Felton Tops Nolan Smith In NC Pro-Am Final

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Rodger BohnofSlamOnline.com recapsthe championship game of the North Carolina Pro-Am summer season. He includes write-ups on Portland Trail Blazers point guards Raymond Felton (a UNC graduate) and Nolan Smith (a Duke man). ---------------------------- Raymond Felton: Having been on the rosters of four teams in a matter of 12 months (Bobcats, Knicks, Nuggets, Blazers), it’s been a chaotic year for Raymond Felton. After struggling a little bit early on in Pro-Am, he bounced back when it mattered most and left NC Central with a championship. The former UNC lead guard also had the play of the day, yanking Nolan Smith real bad with a filthy crossover, but missing the subsequent J that followed. Felton has continued to get in better shape as the summer went on and appears destined to lead a potentially intriguing Blazers team for the ’11-12 season. Nolan Smith: After taking what seemed like 100 pictures, Smith was finally able to take the court for the championship game. With mixed results on his jumper, the former Duke guard opted to slash to the cup and was nearly unstoppable every time. It’s clear that he’s still very much a work in progress as a point guard running the pick and roll, but expectations aren’t incredibly high just yet for the DC native on a deep Blazers squad. ----------------------------ed: bumped to front page