So, just what should you expect from the Charlotte Bobcats in their second NBA season? One week into training camp and on the eve of the first preseason game, this is hardly the time for a rush to judgment. When it comes to expansion teams, patience will always be the rule of the day.

That said, some things nonetheless became obvious in the Bobcats’ getaway to UNC-Wilmington for their training camp workouts, which culminated Monday night in a public scrimmage at Trask Coliseum.

Among the biggest is at point guard.

Don’t expect the arrival of prized point guard Raymond Felton from North Carolina’s NCAA championship team to force Brevin Knight out of the starting spot any time soon.

Knight, entering his ninth NBA season, will have his hands on the controls when the regular season begins November 2 in Chicago and may well keep them there for quite a while.

Felton is good, is going to quickly get better, will be a fixture in Coach Bernie Bickerstaff’s rotation from the outset and will clearly be the point guard of the future. But it would be unwise to hand Felton the keys to the car while he’s still studying for his driver’s test and unfair to Knight to reduce his role on a team that needs an experienced leader.

Bickerstaff has been deliberate and consistent in his approach to personnel selection and management. He’ll know, well before the rest of us, when the time is right for such a move.

In the meantime, the Bobcats will reap the rewards.

It was obvious during camp and throughout Monday’s scrimmage that the Bobcats are in a comfort zone with Knight on the floor. Blessed with the experience, he reacts instinctively in situations in which Felton might have to go through a think-first, then-react scenario.

"It’s more about feel than anything," Knight said. "And the only way you learn that is by playing games and playing at this level. This is a different level. The shot clock is a lot quicker. You’ve got to get down and get your guys to close it out quicker and just know what to do at certain points of time.

"Those are things you can’t really teach. You have to learn that through experience and by being out there on the court. You just continue to play. Raymond’s doing well…As we go through the preseason, it will be good for him just to play against someone different, not playing against guys (on his own team) who know the plays. He’ll get more experience in the exhibition games."

Experience aside, Knight doesn’t believe the transition from college to the pros will be all that difficult for Felton.

"When you’re here at point guard, it’s not that hard to make the transition because you’ve always run a system," Knight said. “What they’re asking him to do here is come in and run our system, be aggressive, push the ball when he has the opportunity and get everyone involved. So he’s been accustomed to doing that all his life, and now it’s just a matter of taking that next jump.

"He’ll learn that. That second group got very good through training camp. They play together very well. That will help him because he can be out there on the court with guys he’s comfortable with and guys who are comfortable with him."

If there’s a tightrope to walk in this situation, it will be more with any fans who might be impatient for the favorite-son Tar Heel to quickly jump to the head of the class.

That may not happen with Felton certain to get ample playing time in backing up Knight. But Felton is clearly a fan favorite in this state – he and fellow Tar Heel-turned-Bobcat Sean May drew by far the biggest response on Monday from fans, many of whom showed up wearing North Carolina T-shirts or jerseys.

For his part, Felton sounds like a man comfortable with his role and anxious to get on with the adjustment.

"I’m backing up Brevin and they’ll put me in there in different situations at times, so I’ve got to be ready to go," he said. "It is about feel and experience. That’s all it is. You’ve got to play and you’ve got to react. You can’t draw up plays. You’ve just got to go out there and play."

Felton scored nine points and had four assists and a steal in the scrimmage. His biggest play, though, came on the defensive end in the final seconds when he smothered Kevin Burleson on a potential game-winning shot attempt.

"What Ray’s about is (situations like) that last possession when Burleson was trying to get a shot," Bickerstaff said. "There was no way. That’s the way we play basketball. You just don’t give in."

Leonard Laye covered the NBA, ABA and college basketball for more than three decades for the Charlotte Observer and the old Charlotte News until his recent retirement from writing sports fulltime. He will write a weekly column throughout the season for BobcatsBasketball.com.