All-Star Weekend Begins For Bobcats

LAS VEGAS - The sizzle of NBA All-Star Weekend began smoothly early Thursday morning for Charlotte Bobcats guards Raymond Felton and Adam Morrison.

By the time the league’s event-filled showcase winds to a conclusion with Sunday’s East-West game, the pace figures to be considerably more demanding for the two.

Morrison, a rookie from Gonzaga, and Felton, a second-year player from North Carolina, will be on opposing teams today in the 2007 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, scheduled at 9 p.m. Eastern time at Thomas & Mack Center and televised nationally on TNT.

After playing key roles Wednesday night in the Bobcats’ 100-85 victory over Chicago, Felton and Morrison were up early Thursday for a five-hour flight from Charlotte to Las Vegas. Felton’s parents accompanied the players on the trip and Morrison’s family is scheduled to arrive Friday.

After reaching their hotel early in the afternoon the two were back at work, though not on the court. They did a series of TNT and NBA-TV interviews and NBA Entertainment photo shoots. They had free time scheduled afterward, something the players were obviously ready for.

“This is part of what we do,” Felton said. “Once we finish there are a lot of things I want to see and do here.”

The focus will quickly be back on basketball Thursday. Morrison and his Rookie teammates will have a one-hour workout at 12:15 p.m. Eastern time, followed by a 30-minute round of interviews for both teams. Felton and the Sophomore team will have a one-hour workout afterward.

Felton goes into the All-Star break with Bobcats season averages of 14.3 points, 7.5 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 37.7 minutes. Among second-year players he is ranked fourth in the league in scoring, second in steals, third in assists and first in average minutes played.

Morrison is averaging 12.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 31.8 minutes. He ranks second among rookies in scoring and in minutes played.