June 26, 2008: The Charlotte Bobcats pick D.J. Augustin with the ninth pick in the draft. This is surprising, as they already have Raymond Felton on the roster. Everyone assumes that they’re planning to trade one of them as soon as possible. They don’t, though — when the season begins, Augustin backs up the former number-five pick and shares the floor with him, too.

April 15, 2009: On the last night of the regular season, Charlotte loses by 25 to the eventual Eastern-Conference Champion Orlando Magic. It finishes 35-47, a new franchise-best in its first year under coach Larry Brown. Felton and Augustin start together for the third straight game and combine for a total of three assists whilst shooting 4-16 from the field. This is the same day that Bill Simmons publishes his MVP column, angering the blogosphere by calling Felton “the guy I’d pursue this summer if I ran an NBA team” and comparing him to Chauncey Billups.  He credits Felton for dealing with “ten weeks of trade rumors” and, at season’s end, many assume Felton is done with Charlotte as he approaches restricted free agency. Augustin’s promising rookie year means that Felton seems expendable, especially when looking at the rookie’s excellent efficiency in games in which he started, that Magic game notwithstanding.

September 22, 2009: Felton signs a one-year, $5.5 million qualifying offer to stay with the Bobcats. David A. Arnott writes, “here’s hoping that Felton backs up Augustin by default going into the season.” Tom Ziller writes that Felton has “proved if nothing else over four seasons that he is just not very good.”

December 5, 2009: After losing confidence and shooting less frequently and accurately than he did as a rookie, Augustin registers his second straight DNP-CD with Philadelphia in town. Felton hits the game-winning layup, playing through bruised ribs. Larry Brown says of Augustin’s benching a month into his sophomore season, “He hasn’t defended like he needs to defend. He hasn’t made shots. He hasn’t distributed the ball.” Ten days later, Frank Isola writes that Augustin is a “player of interest” for the New York Knicks.

April 26, 2010: The Bobcats are swept by the Magic in their first playoff series in franchise history. Augustin averages 18 minutes and shoots 5-17 from the floor in those four games. Felton averages 32 minutes a game and, like everyone else going up against that Orlando defense, failed to score efficiently. With unrestricted free agency looming, his future is once again uncertain.

July 9, 2010: Felton signs a two-year, $15 million contract with the New York Knicks, three days after Amar’e Stoudemire signs there. This is the Knicks’ big free agent splash, after spending years creating cap room. I’d say this means Augustin is no longer a “player of interest” for the organization.

October 27, 2010: In his first game as a full-time starting point guard, Augustin scores 8 points on 2-10 shooting and adds 5 assists in 40 minutes against the eventual-champion Mavericks. Charlotte loses by 15.

December 4, 2010: The Bobcats lose by 18 in Philadelphia and Gerald Wallace says that they look like an AAU team and miss Felton. He continues,  “D.J. doesn’t have the fight. Not to compare them as far as abilities, but D.J.’s personality is not as high as Ray’s was as far as aggression and attitude on the court. D.J. is more laid-back.” Larry Brown familiarly says, “We don’t play together, we don’t play hard enough. We don’t move the ball, we don’t defend as a team.” Stephen Jackson adds, “We had such professionals last year… And Raymond led this team.” Meanwhile in Chicago, Raymond Felton records his first 20-point game and his first 10-assist game as a Knick. He shares the floor with another small guard, Toney Douglas, who scores a career-high 30 points. The two combine to shoot 9-15 on threes against the team that would finish with the best record and best defense in the league.

December 21, 2010: The Bobcats take a 1-point lead into the fourth quarter at home against Oklahoma City, then allow a 25-3 run. They register their first field goal with 2:52 left in the game and go on to lose by 18. Due to first-half foul trouble, Augustin only plays 18 minutes. Backup PG and personal favorite Shaun Livingston plays 18 and Sherron Collins, called up from the D-League that day, plays 13. The next day, the Thunder lose to Felton and co. in New York. Also, Larry Brown is fired in Charlotte.

December 27, 2010: Augustin plays his first game under new coach Paul Silas. He scores 27 points on 15 shots in 36 minutes in a 5-point win over the Pistons. Gerald Wallace says, “He was free. He looked like a little kid at the park, just out there playing ball.” Silas adds, “Raymond wasn’t nearly the shooter this kid is, but he was stronger and more vocal. At the end of the day, you’ve got to (accept) they’re two different people.” Two days later, Augustin scores 28 on 14 shots against the Cavaliers and Tim Povtak publishes a feature where Felton says, “I think now, I’ve found my home. I’ve found it. I’d love to spend the rest of my career in New York. When this contract ends, hopefully we’ll work out another one.” A day after that, Felton has his worst shooting night as a Knick, finishing with 14 points on 6-22 shooting, including 1-7 on threes. New York loses to Orlando by 9. This is the beginning of a regression to the mean — at this point an All-Star candidate, Felton shoots 29% in January, struggling to convert floaters and layups. His team loses six straight games against Western Conference opponents starting on January 12, as we are bombarded with stories about Carmelo Anthony coming to NYC.

February 21, 2011: A day after the All-Star Weekend, Felton, along with just about every asset New York has, is traded to the Denver Nuggets as part of a package for Carmelo Anthony. His replacement? Chauncey Billups. Once again, he finds himself teamed with a younger point guard: his successor at UNC, Ty Lawson. There is much speculation over whether or not Denver will trade him somewhere else in the next three days. Meanwhile, Augustin is hoping the break will be the end of a slump that saw him shoot 14-49 over six games.

February 24, 2011: On trade deadline day, the Bobcats trade Gerald Wallace to the Blazers for a pair of first-round picks. This solidifies that the team is in rebuilding mode, a process that began with letting Felton walk and trading Tyson Chandler to Dallas the previous summer. Felton remains a Nugget, despite his agent saying the previous day, “Raymond is not going to be a backup.” He makes his debut that night on TNT, coming off the bench to score four points in a strange 14-point victory over a depleted Celtics squad. Marv Albert quotes Scott Schroeder during the broadcast. Felton continues to come off the bench for the rest of the year, but gets about the same amount of playing time as Lawson on an incredibly fun team that has similar depth at every position.

April 13, 2011: Charlotte ends its regular season with a win over an Atlanta team resting its starters. Augustin finishes the season on a high note, averaging 16.7 points and 10.7 assists with 65% shooting in his last three games, though it should be added that none of them had playoff implications on either side. In an exit interview the next day, Stephen Jackson tells Silas and General Manager Rod Higgins that he wants to stay in Charlotte. Jackson also has a revealing end-of-season presser, saying that he lost respect for Larry Brown before the season when Brown told him that they weren’t going to be a playoff team. Augustin adds, “We have a good coach now.” Felton sits out of Denver’s final game of the regular season against the Jazz, so he can rest for the highly-anticipated THUNDERNUGGETS matchup.

April 25, 2011: The Nuggets avoid a sweep and Felton gets his first playoff victory of his career. It was mostly thanks to starting point guard Ty Lawson’s 27 points, though. Two nights later, their season ends in OKC. The next day, General Manager Manager Masai Ujiri says, “We are going to try and keep the core together and build from here.” With a team characterized by interchangeable high-quality parts and no true stars, however, one has to wonder who makes up the “core.”

June 23, 2011: On draft day, new Charlotte GM Rich Cho pulls off a three-team deal with the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings. Going out are Stephen Jackson and Shaun Livingston, coming in are Corey Maggette and the #7 pick in the draft. The Bobs already owned the #9 pick, but added another with their sights set on a defensive big. They unsurprisingly take Bismack Biyombo at #7, then at #9 they choose Kemba Walker, an undersized point guard. Immediately, there are questions about Augustin’s future with the team. Also that night, Felton is traded to the Blazers for Andre Miller. This is his third new team in less than a year, after spending his first five years with the Bobcats. Thankfully, he’s reunited with Gerald Wallace, the original Bobcat.

 

It’s been three years since they were questionably aligned in Charlotte and I’m not sure either of these point guards has found his place yet. Felton, the superior player based on his defensive ability and relative consistency, has found himself in a superior situation — he has talented teammates and he does not have a highly-touted rookie competing with him for minutes. However, he’s let himself go this summer to the point where Jonathan Abrams said, “he looks like a roly-poly.” So there’s that.

Augustin’s in a tricky spot, even if he knows it well. He can play with the younger Walker for stretches on a rebuilding team, but we all know they can’t both be part of the long-term plan. On the court, these players are extremely similar right now, but Kemba’s bringing Charlotte the personality, the smile, and the NCAA Champion pedigree, while Augustin is weighed down by years of up-and-down play and a continually shifting role. It feels like the best thing for Augustin is to get a fresh start somewhere else. Mind you, if there’s one thing that we’ve learned through this saga, one’s place within the context of a team and in the landscape of the NBA can change instantaneously.