All Marco all the time

I swear, I don’t know if this off-season is ever going to end.

How’s a guy supposed to spend some quality deck and patio time when zany GMs keep making trades and doing things? Can we please get some down time?

But, I digress, as usual.

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AP FILE PHOTO

On the radar for a while, Marco finally lands in Toronto.

Short answer to several question: Yes, this is a good trade at almost every level. Young guy for old guy and a multi-faceted player for a one-dimensional one. Money’s not a big issue so what’s not to like?

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It really should come as no surprise that Bryan finally found a way to get Marco Belinelli here, he’s been a fan for a year or so and tried a couple of times last season to swing a trade for him. We’ve been writing his name as a guy the Raptors have coveted almost since the start of last season, we just were never sure what it would take to get him out of Golden State.

The cost now was negligible; Devean George is nearing the end of his run, I’m not sure how much he would have played anyway (although the backup three spot’s still a bit of a concern) and the money’s no big deal.

Belinelli makes $1,547,640 this season and there’s a team option at $2,372,542 for next season. I haven’t gotten any indication on whether the Raptors are planning to pick up that option but I have a feeling we’ll know pretty soon. I imagine with vacation looming for pretty much everyone in the front office – not really a vacation since everyone works all the time but you know what I mean – I bet they’d like to get all the loose ends tied up.

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So, what’s it mean for the lineup?

Well, Belinelli’s a two-guard with some point guard abilities so I think he’ll see a lot of his time at the two. But, I can also see him on the court at the same time as Jack, giving Jay a couple of ball-handlers to run the offence through.

The word from a respected Italian journalist, the official chronicler of Belinelli, Gallinari and Bargnani, as a matter of fact, is that Belinelli’s a mentally tough kid, quite confident in his abilities, needs to work on his defence (who doesn’t?) and has spent a lot of this off-season working to strengthen an ankle he hurt last year. He can shoot from range and can come off screens and get his shot off.

Looked good against Canada last week, I’m told.

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Another layer: Whither Carlos?

Good question.

I think there’s still a little bit of interest in getting Delfino under contract on a one-year deal but the Belinelli move will make it a bit easier to take if those Delfino talks fall apart.

No word on when we’ll get resolution one way or the other but, again, I’m guessing soon.

Personally, while I like Delfino’s game and his ability to play a couple of positions well, I’m not sure there’s room now for him.

The big argument against is that with Delfino, you’ll have a glut of swingmen all about the same and it could cause some havoc with minutes and rotations and the like.

That has to be a bit of a concern but you also have to realize that having players on one-year deals, like Antoine Wright and Delfino if that’s what they do and Belinelli if they don’t pick up that option, tends to make players conform a wee bit lest they not get another deal.

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Oh, right, the small forward spot, what’s up with that?

Good question, Doug.

The suggestion I got from the head coach in a conversation this week is that they’ve been told by friends in Dallas that Antoine Wright has the ability to guard some threes, in fact he can guard a lot of them, they think.

I presume on the rare occasion – very rare, if you ask me – they could slide Bargnani to the three and perhaps – just perhaps – they could get some minutes of out DeRozan there.

Right now, though, it’s the one issue that remains on the roster.

Is it a fatal flaw? No. Is it something that should be addressed? Sure. Right now? Not necessarily; I think September will yield more than a few unemployed NBAers willing to take one-year deals.

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Oh yeah, some of the exhibition schedules are being released -- the Suns in Vancouver might sell a few tickets, just wish we were going out there – but I’m not sure when Toronto’s is coming out officially.

Unofficially, there are some nuggets previously reported that we may as well repeat.

There are only two neutral site games – in London against Philadelphia (yay) and in Sioux Falls, Idaho South Dakota against Minnesota (nay) – and three or four games at the Air Canada Centre.

There is not, for the first time in years, a game against a touring European club team. Just boring old NBA squads.

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Speaking of Jay, how long do you think it’s going to take him to run out an all-Euro lineup of

Calderon

Belinelli

Turkoglu

Bargnani

Nesterovic

That’s got to sell a lot of t-shirts on the continent.

I also smell some marketing possibilities.

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Hey, back to the schedule for a minute.

I hear there’s a draft of the regular season schedule floating around, it’s unofficial and no one’s sure when the official one gets out but the one nugget I’ve got is:

Let’s just say the home opener will give you a chance to show your appreciation for AP and Jamario.

That’s about all I’ve got on the schedule right now.

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All right, I see there are about a kabillion comments I need to post. Better get to them before, you know, a day off turns into work.

Comments

[doug]

do half of you posters have a clue??...you ramble on about defense, bords, the high Euro content..get a grip defense is a team concept pure and simple plus Jack is a fine defender, Evans is, Barg's is fundamentally sound, it's all about weak side help, roating etc...also as far as boards go you just get active, determined on the boards plain and simple, box-out get physical...and by meaning physical you can be "soft" as posters like to say and still be fine on the boards...did anyone watch, really watch the Lakers win the championship last year, they are not exactly beasts on the boards...

plus this Euro talk is to many people listening and buying into the Don Cherry way of thinking on Europeans...there are just as many players in the NBA that are american that haven't a clue about playing defense..so please this Euro talk is just insulting...

plus does the average fan have a clue about defense??...it's the NBA these guys are good, it's not like any of them can be completely shut-down, you minimize damage plain and simple...

[Matt]

Doug any word on a press conference or would they not hold one for this level of trade?

Blogger's note: Nothing planned; Belinelli's in Europe

[Sean]

Great trade by BC especially since we've been chasing Marco since Europe. Even with this trade i would still sign Delfino just because we can with the Bird rights. At the 3, Shelden Williams, Ime Udoka (good call matt), Ryan Bowen, Gerald Green, Linas Kleiza, Donyell Marshall, Desmond Mason, Wally Szczerbiak, and of course, Joey Graham are still available.

Doug, can we sign Delfino AND a 3 at the minimum or is it Delfino OR a 3? Of the 3s still available, which would be within our price range and would be a good fit?

Blogger's note: There is, right now, one roster spot left

[Bill W.]

Doug, great work as always.

Is there anything you can tell us about Rob Kurz? Might he be a decent fit as a minimum contract backup SF?

Blogger's note: Who? (I keed). No, he's not even on the farthest reaches of anyone's radar here at the moment

[Kenneth Bache]

Hi Doug,
Iv'e really enjoyed the coverage on the offseason, it's been something to look for each day here.

Just a couple questions, with all this action, why have there not been pressers or state of the franchise addresses by Colangelo with the recent changes? A Rasho or Belinelli Presser?

Also, is the team looking to acquire a 3/4 spot remounder or yet another 3/4 scorer? And do you think Colagelo is trying to put together another offensive machine like the one he had back in the Sun's glory days?

Kenneth

Blogger's note: No, this has nothing to do with emulating Phoenix; and since the two most recent acquisitions are in Europe, there will be no news conference or anything.

[Thomas]

Doug,

There was a Joey and Stephen Graham in Toronto today and when Joey was asked by a fan if he's re-signing he said "yeah, i'm trying"

Let us know if things may have changed given that Joey is in Town following the Marco Bellineli trade.

Love the blog!

Blogger's note: Far as I know right now, nothing has changed. But if we've learned anything this summer, it's that things can change quickly

[Jeff Steele]

Bargs 'n Beli Nike commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxA_cGUnt-A

Andrea tells Marco (in Italian): "The most important thing you must do in the NBA is: LISTEN"...then calmly knocks down a half court bank shot!

[Oliver]

Hey Doug:
You ask, "how long do you think it’s going to take him to run out an all-Euro lineup."

If Rasho is the first big off the bench in game one I'd say about the 5:35 mark of the first quarter.

[G.P. Breichmanas]

G.P.B.

Is there any value in B.C. signing Delfino and including him in a trade package? Any rule or dollar implications?

Blogger's note: A sign-and-trade possibility exists, the trouble being finding another team that has expressed a lot of interest in him

[doug]

plus Tim Duncan is from the Virgin islands, grew up playing b-ball on St. Croix island...so is not a prototypical American born player...he is more a international player then a american player it shows in his fundamentals, basics how he apporaches the game...

[Jamie]

If they signed Joey Graham again I would cry.

[yertu damkule]

i'm sure someone else will mention this, but i'm pretty sure the deadline for picking up belineli's option for '10/'11 is Oct. 31st.

Blogger's note: It is, just found that out. Thanks

[Ben Nicks]

Hey Smitty,

I don't understand Rap fans preoccupational concerns over Toronto's Euro-centric lineup, or defence/rebounding issues. The bottom line is BC has significantly improved the talent level on this team from last year to this. Every position on this team is improved over last year, even at the 3. Hedo and anybody is better than what they had. Regardless of the sceptics, with a full training camp under his belt, I think Jay will figure this thing out and put a very competitive team on the floor.
By the way, according to the Warriors web-site, Marco's team option comes up in December.
Lastly. The aquisition I believe may have the most impact in the long term is Jack. It's taken him a few years to find his game, but his skills, toughness, and leadership remind me alot of Chauncy Billups. I'm not suggesting he's going to be that good, but I think he has a chance to be.
Keep up the good work Doug.

PS I think BC owes all you scribes some vacation time.

Ben

[Jeff Steele]

The locker room will certainly be a diverse group this season, but that will most likely be a good thing for the team chemistry on and off the court. You might want to brush up on your Italian to throw a few curve balls with your interview questions!

I hope Triano tries a bunch of rotations in preseason, but this is my best guess at the one he'll use on opening night:

Starters: Bargnani, Bosh, Hedo, Wright, Calderon
Bench: Rasho, Evans, DeRozan, Belinelli, Jack

If Delfino gets signed I wouldn't be surprised to see him start ahead of Wright at SG and then Wright would probably take Demar or Marco's spot coming off the bench. However, half way through the season I expect Demar to move into the starting line-up once he has become more comfortable.

I predict a heated debate among Doug's commenting regulars in the coming months as to who deserves to start at SG as well the the backup SG and SF spots in the rotation. Jay will have to make some tough decisions around Halloween that's for sure. But at least this is a problem that revolves around having too much depth (if there is such a thing) as opposed to last season when there was not nearly enough.

My question for you Doug, has this flurry of activity this off season been fun for you, or just a lot of hard work? I can't remember the last time I was this pumped about hoops in July!

Blogger's note: It's been both fun and hard work in about equal measure, to be honest.

[Mike]

Blogger's note: All good points. But for the all-Euro, just check the San Antonio roster from a couple of championship seasons

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Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen weren't "Euro". I'd wager those two contributed more than a little bit to the success of the SA championship teams.

Posted by: JM
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Neither is Chris Bosh and possibly whoever starts at the 2. San Antonio had Euro/Int'l and US players in their starting 5, so does Toronto, I'm not saying Toronto is the next 07 Spurs but they have about the same combination of Int'l and Us players.

[Thane]

Blogger's note: They're friends and teammates on the national team; not sure exactly how close, though.
I'd say the odds on Delfino are slimmer now than they've ever been

Doug, by 'than they've ever been' do you mean only in the past few weeks, or does that include the odds of him coming back after the Turk agreement, but before the 4-way trade? 'Cause the chances then were about zero, no?

Bloggers's note: The chances were exponentially higher before the Turkoglu deal; that's when all they were going to be able to do was sign-and-trade, or re-sign Shawn and wouldd have been left with very few options.

[AW]

Hey Doug I think you set yourself up by saying the backup sf spot is a concern. Wright is 6'7 and started last year for Dallas all the way through the playoffs. All we are asking him to do is gaurd the oppsing teams 2nd unit sf for 15 minutes at most. He's more than capable of doing that. The only concern that would present itself is if we were to start Wright at sg but Derozen, Jack, and now Belinelli will fill 48 minutes at that spot. This should open the door for POPs to be resigned, appearently he's on a quest this summer to play small foward too.

[kelsie]

I will respond to those who are wondering why there is a questioning of the Euro lineup.

To me it has nothing to do with Euro's being soft because quite frankly there are players in the NBA from all different parts of the world that are tough as nails.

It's about the 'experiment' feel or the label that Toronto is getting that because it's a multi-cultural city we should have a multi-cultural ball team no? I don't agree with this growing sentiment and wish it would only be about talent. I alos don't want to hear anything about how US players won't come here but Europeans will. Players will readily go where there is winning taking place.

I don't watch hockey so I could care less what the opinion is on European players in the NHL. It has nothing to do with my feelings about the basketball team.

To me it's about the areas of weakness and inproving them to become a real contender. For those who think defence is simply about a coaching system and players executing it, please believe that is more than that. It's about taking up the challenge every night to not let your man get by you and get easy buckets. It's about giving hard fouls so no easy buckets are scored. It's about contesting shots and forcing teams to take bad shots and get them out of their comfort zones.

No system can simply make you a great defensive team. (unless you are a K.O. coached team but offence was sacrified beyond measure that year, lol)

[Tim W.]

I'm shocked at some of the people who are actually complaining here. Just because Belinelli is European, Colangelo should have turned down the trade? I don't think many of you understand how good Belinelli is and can be. Although on a smaller scale, this is the Lakers getting Pau Gasol for junk. Did the Lakers think twice because Gasol was a PF/C and they already had Odom and Bynum at those positions, or because he was never known for his defense, or because he was European, and they already had a bunch of Europeans on the roster?

You people are nuts! Who cares that the Raptors have so many Europeans on the roster. They're all talented. Are you guys really that prejudiced that you think European players are inferior to American players? Some of you guys have to get over the stereotypes. Doug brings up the San Antonio Spurs and some guy actually says that Duncan and Bowen had a lot to do with their success, I guess as a way of saying that they needed American players to get it done. Are you serious??? THAT'S your comeback? You replace Duncan and Bowen with Nowitzki and Boris Diaw, and I think they very well might have done as well.

And for those bemoaning the lack of toughness and defense, Belinelli is just as tough a player as George, and possibly a better defender, at this point. I've watched Belinelli play a number of times and his need to improve his defense is being overstated. He's already a pretty good defender, but because of his athleticism and competitiveness, it can be improved upon.

By the way, I've jotted down a few words about this trade on a blog I may update from time to time: htto://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/

For those complaining I take up to much space here, maybe this might cut it down, a little. Probably not, though.

[Borna]

Do you think if a team makes an offer to Pops for 1-Year (Maybe for like a million) that the Raps would match?

Blogger's note: They don't have that right

[Mark]

Doug:

If you are the Raps' GM, who do you sign for the remaining roster spot...do you continue to persue Delfino even though he doesn't fit in anymore or do you go in another direction as sign a primary small forward. If the latter, look into your crystal ball and tell us who do you think the possibilities are that may agree to a one-year deal?

Blogger's note: Haven't looked, haven't talked to anyone, going to worry about that next week maybe

[Chris Logel]

Doug,

Who is going to rebound? Wouldn't Devean George have been useful for that?

Chris L.

Blogger's note: In the best rebounding years of his career, he averaged four a game. So, no

[Keith Wagar]

Tim Duncan? Actually a British citizen at one time since he was born and raised in the British Virgin Islands

[sam]

First came Colangelo, who brought in Gerardini, they picked a Bargnani, and before long got rid of Mitchell, replacing him with a Triano and some time later an Iavaroni was brought in. Now a Bellinelli is added and before we realize we 've got ourselves the Toronto Perogies.

(ignore spellings)

[sam]

Doug I have a quick question for you. Has Bosh been made any kind of an offer? I don't remember reading anywhere, Colangelo presenting any kind of an offer sheet with regards to a contract extension.

thanks in advance!

Blogger's note: No, I don't think so; at least I haven't heard a whiff of it