Knicks guard Raymond Felton will be out four to six weeks with a fractured pinky. (Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Knicks point guard Raymond Felton was diagnosed with a fractured pinky finger on his right hand, according to Newsday.

Felton injured the finger on Tuesday against the Lakers when he and Steve Nash both went for a ball. Originally, the injury was thought to be a sprained ligament, but X-rays revealed a fracture, which could keep Felton out for four to six weeks.

“I was hurt. I was angry. But it happens. It was a freak accident. Can’t be too upset. Just have to do what I’ve got to do and get the treatment so I can get back,” Felton said. “It’s tough, because I want to be there for my teammates and my team but I have to do what I have to do.”

Prior to the injury, Felton had started in all 28 games and was averaging 15.8 points and 6.3 assists per game.

Raymond Felton could be out with a sprained pinkie. (Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images)

New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton might sit out against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night because of a sprained pinkie that he sustained in the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas.

Felton sprained his left pinkie in the third quarter after diving for a loose ball and colliding with Lakers point guard Steve Nash, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. The sprained pinkie itself might not be too serious but Felton had already been dealing with a bone bruise in both bands. He admitted after the game that his shot was off in the fourth quarter, finishing with 10 points on a night when he shot 5-of-19 from the floor.

“If it’s as tough in the fourth quarter when I couldn’t shoot the ball like I wanted to do, I’m not going to try to play. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens. I can’t answer that right now.’’

Berman also reported that Steve Novak said he blacked out for a few seconds after Lakers forward Metta World Peace elbowed him in the head while going for a rebound in the fourth quarter. World Peace fouled out with 1:58 remaining the game. Novak will undergo tests to determine whether there’s anything that needs to be watched but he said he doesn’t think it’s a concussion. Novak finished the game with three points on two shots in 15 minutes.

New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton said he is better than Jeremy Lin. (Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images)

The New York Knicks’ trade for point guard Raymond Felton was seen by many as a strong sign the team wouldn’t be bringing back point guard Jeremy Lin. Felton said in a television interview Thursday that he is better than the former Knicks’ sensation who now plays for the Houston Rockets, though there is “nothing personal between me and Jeremy.”

“I am a competitor,” Felton said. “I am a point guard just like he is, so do I think I am better? Of course, I am going to say that. I think I am better than any point guard. That’s the way I am supposed to think.”

Felton has received criticism for not being in top shape last season.

“I am hearing from everybody, ‘He wasn’t in shape last year,’” Felton said. “I played in the league seven years, about to be eight, came in out of shape one year and that’s all everybody wants to talk about. … I look forward to this year and shutting up everybody’s mouth.

…”I wasn’t at the weight I normally (am). I am the first one to say, ‘I wasn’t in shape.’ I don’t make no excuses, I don’t blame anyone else.”

The 28-year-old Felton averaged 11.4 points and 6.5 assists per game last season with the Portland Trail Blazers.  He and veteran Jason Kidd will handle New York’s point guard duties this season.

Raymond Felton is on his way to New York after the Knicks traded for him Saturday night.  (Rocky Widner/NBA/Getty Images)

UPDATE: (10:52 p.m.)

The New York Knicks search for a point guard may be over. The Knicks obtained guard Raymond Felton and veteran forward Kurt Thomas from the Portland Trail Blazers late Saturday night, reports The New York Daily News.  Felton will sign a three-year, $10 million deal, according to league sources.

Felton has played eight seasons in the NBA, including five with the Charlotte Bobcats, and spent a year each with the Knicks, Denver Nuggets and Trail Blazers.

Felton averaged 11.4 points and 6.5 assists per game last season.  The Knicks are still deciding on whether to match the offer sheet that guard Jeremy Lin signed with the Houston Rockets.

The Knicks have three days to match Houston’s offer and coach Mike Woodson said week that Lin would ”absolutely” return. The Knicks also signed veteran guard Jason Kidd to a contract.

The Knicks have acquired Raymond Felton and Kurt Thomas from Portland for Jared Jeffries and Dan Gadzuric, sources tell the Daily News—
Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) July 15, 2012

Knicks close to obtaining point guard Raymond Felton in sign and trade with Blazers, source tells Y! Sports.—
Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 15, 2012

Raymond Felton, who played for the Knicks in 2010, could be headed back to New York. (Rocky Widner/Getty Images)

With Steve Nash no longer an option and Jeremy Lin possibly heading to Houston to play for the Rockets, the New York Knicks are now reportedly “committed to adding” Portland Trail Blazers guard Raymond Felton, who played for the Knicks in 2010 under former coach Mike D’Antoni, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News:

The Knicks are favorites to sign Raymond Felton, a source close to the free agent point guard told the Daily News. The Knicks may be willing to acquire Felton in a sign-and-trade as a way to hold on to their $3 million mini-mid level exception to use on another free agent. A trade for Felton would likely include Toney Douglas.

Felton has had a tenuous relationship with the Portland Trail Blazers ever since CSN.com reported in February that Nate McMillian, who was then the head coach, told Felton he’d be benched the next game because of “unacceptable” play.

If the Knicks are in fact able to retain Lin and sign Felton, head coach Mike Woodson would have to decide whether to insert the young but promising Lin into the starting lineup or go with the more seasoned veteran. Felton has been a starter for most of his career since being selected fifth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2005 NBA Draft.

Felton was scheduled to meet with the Suns, but with Phoenix coming to terms with Goran Dragic, it’s unlikely that the Suns will still consider Felton.

Raymond Felton is reportedly interested in returning to the Knicks or signing with the Nets or Suns if a deal isn’t worked out with the Trail Blazers. (Rocky Widner/Getty Images)

Raymond Felton is set to become a free agent July 1 and is reportedly interested in returning to New York to play for the Knicks or signing with the Brooklyn Nets or Phoenix Suns if a contract isn’t worked out with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Conan Gasque of SCnow.com:

New York is among the places he says he could end up next season. He says Portland also is still in the mix along with Phoenix and New Jersey.

“You’ve got a lot of teams, you know, different things that can happen,” Felton said. “So we’ll see what happens. You’ve got the draft coming up, and a lot of crazy things can happen during free agency – that’s just the way of the business.”

Felton said the ideal system for him would be something similar to the style of play employed by the Knicks under former head coach Mike D’antoni, but that he can adapt to running the point for any team, according to the report. He signed a one-year deal worth $7.4 million with the Blazers last season, averaging 11.4 points, 6.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 60 games.

The Los Angeles Lakers have inquired about potentially acquiring Portland Trail Blazers point guard Raymond Felton, according to CSNNW.com.

The Lakers have had “exploratory talks” according to the report, however it is believed that the talks have been ongoing for weeks. CSNNW writes that the deal would likely involve Lakers point guard Steve Blake.

Felton has had trouble adjusting under Blazers head coach Nate McMillan this season. In February it was reported that the guard felt his head coach had no confidence in him.

“I know I’m struggling, but it’s hard to perform the way you know how when you know they don’t have confidence in you,” Felton told CSNNW Feb. 16, “Never in my days playing basketball, have I felt like a coach wasn’t confident in my abilities. It’s hard to play knowing that.”

Felton was removed from the starting lineup Feb. 21 by McMillan and has not regained his spot since. Over the course of the season he is averaging 9.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.

The Portland Trail Blazers are benching starting point guard Raymond Felton and replacing him in the starting five with Jamal Crawford, as first reported by The Oregonian today. And now, according to Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest, Felton isn’t happy with the move.

“[Coach Nate McMillan] called me this morning and told me we got to have consistency from that position and that a 7-point quarter was unacceptable,” Felton told CSNNW. “I’m not just going to blame myself for that first quarter. We’re a team. We win together, we lose together.”

The Blazers fell behind 29-7 in the first quarter last night against the Lakers, never catching up and losing 103-92 on the road, their sixth loss in their last nine games. Felton finished with just nine points, plus four assists and four turnovers.

Felton said he’d had a meeting with McMillan last week, and he thought he’d been performing well since.

“I felt like after the meeting, I did all that I was asked to do,” he said. “It’s only been two games since then. It’s his decision and I’ll be the ultimate teammate throughout this process.”

Felton is averaging 10.0 points and 6.3 assists this season. After a hot start, the Blazers have slid to 17-16, ninth in the Western Conference.

Portland Trail Blazers’ point guard Raymond Felton is frustrated with head coach Nate McMillan’s lack of confidence in his ability, according to CSN Northwest.

“I know I’m struggling, but it’s hard to perform the way you know how when you know they don’t have confidence in you,” Felton told CSNNW, “Never in my days playing basketball, have I felt like a coach wasn’t confident in my abilities. It’s hard to play knowing that.”

Felton had one of his worst career performances last night against the Los Angeles Clippers, he shot 0-7 from the field and committed five turnovers in 24 minutes.

“Tonight was one of those nights where it was hard to get into the game knowing every mistake I made would be magnified,” he said of the performance.

Felton has produced career low numbers across the board this season, averaging, 9.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Over his career he has averaged 13.4 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds.